July 2018: Civil society organizations (CSOs) have conducted a 25-country study on national accountability mechanisms for implementing SDG 6 on water and sanitation. The authors note that standards for institutionalized participation of civil society in the international and national voluntary review processes for SDG 6 have not been set.

The report titled, ‘Global Review of Accountability Mechanisms for SDG 6,’ which was supported by the Sanitation and Water For All (SWA) initiative, is meant to inform the development of accountability mechanisms through the HLPF.

The report was produced by four civil society groups – End Water Poverty, Watershed Consortium, Coalition Eau, and the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) – between October 2017 and March 2018, based on more than 1,000 interviews, surveys and validation meetings with stakeholders working on water resources, drinking water and sanitation.

The 2030 Agenda does not include standards for the institutionalized participation of civil society.

The authors warn that, based on current trends, the majority of low and middle-income countries will not achieve SDG 6 by 2030, and some countries are facing a worsening situation. They argue that, while the HLPF reviews progress on the SDGs, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development provides little detail on the HLPF accountability structure, and does not include standards for the institutionalized participation of civil society. Furthermore, governments largely have not introduced effective accountability mechanisms, and those that exist only address some indicators of SDG targets 6.1 and 6.2.

The report identifies the lack of adequate and disaggregated data as a major challenge for tracking progress on SDG 6. Another challenge is the need for financial resources to enable civil society to operate independently, so as to be able to hold governments accountable for implementation.

The authors acknowledge that CSOs also face challenges in working in a transparent manner and being accountable to their constituencies, not only to their donors. They highlight opportunities for improvements through partnership and coordination among stakeholders, and the need to create awareness and accelerate accountability through the traditional media regarding the situation of vulnerable and marginalized groups. [Publication: Executive Summary of Global Review of Accountability Mechanisms for SDG 6] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on HLPF Side Event on National Accountability Mechanisms for SDG 6 Implementation]