Monrovia — Compassion for Humanity Liberia (C4H), leading a coalition of WASH Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), has called on the national government to increase financing for the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) sector to improve public health and achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6.2 by 2030.
C4H Liberia emphasized the need to revisit and increase the budgetary allocation for WASH-related funding under the Public Sector Investment Plan (PSIP) for Fiscal Years 2023, 2024, and 2025. This adjustment aims to better support essential public facilities, including schools, markets, hospitals, clinics, stadiums, and recreational centers.
The coalition of WASH CSOs urged the government to legislate new financial instruments, including hypothecated taxes and diaspora tax regimes on WASH-related industrial products. These measures are aimed at creating a sustainable funding pool for WASH projects directly targeting open defecation reduction.
The CSOs recommended that the government appropriate at least 0.2% of the National Budget starting from the 2025 Fiscal Year to support sanitation initiatives. This commitment, they stressed, is critical to achieving SDG 6.2: "By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women, girls, and those in vulnerable situations."
Tackling Open Defecation
The CSOs, conscious of the social, health, and economic dangers of poor sanitation practices--particularly open defecation--highlighted the perennial outbreak of air and water-borne diseases in Liberia. They called on the government to support the production and affordability of the Quee Toilet (Sato), an innovative facility introduced in Liberia through the USAID-funded Countywide Sanitation Activity.
To ensure successful implementation, the group recommended that rubber processing companies allocate portions of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funding toward this initiative, helping mitigate open defecation across the country.
Sector Coordination and Governance Reform
The CSOs further urged the government to review the statutory mandates of all WASH-related public agencies, including the Ministry of Public Works (MPW), Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), Ministry of Education (MoE), Ministry of Health (MoH), and the National WASH Commission (NWASHC).
To address institutional fragmentation, the coalition called for the establishment of a Ministry of Water and Environment to assume full responsibility for WASH sector coordination.
Declaring Open Defecation a National Emergency
In light of the widespread practice of open defecation, WASH CSOs called on the government to declare it a national emergency. Proposed administrative actions include imposing fines on individuals, households, or communities engaged in poor sanitation practices, in line with Article 18.2b of Liberia's Public Health Law.
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The CSOs also reminded the government to endorse the Open Defecation Free Roadmap (ODF) as a critical step toward ending this practice nationwide.
Commending the Boakai Administration
C4H Liberia applauded the Boakai Administration for making sanitation a standalone pillar in the ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development (AAID)--a milestone they noted as the first in Liberia's national development plan history.
