14 November 2012: The first partnership meeting of Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) took place from 12-14 November 2012, in Johannesburg, South Africa. Participants reviewed progress, discussed the partnership framework, and called for water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) issues to rank highly on the post-2015 agenda.

The meeting addressed: assessment, planning and monitoring; options for global political dialogue on WASH issues; and WASH in the post-2015 development agenda. Participants highlighted various needs in the sector, including coordination of technical assistance and peer reviews. Background papers on four themes were presented as inputs to discussion, covering: political dialogue, including successes and weakness of the current High-Level Meeting model; future goals and directions in the SWA Partnership Framework; monitoring; and country support mechanisms.

SWA is a partnership of governments, donors, civil society and multilateral organizations established in 2010 to help countries attain targets under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) relating to sanitation and safe drinking water. The partnership has almost 90 members, including representatives of developing countries, donors, research institutes and civil society organizations. The Water Supply & Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) is represented on the board of SWA, and is undertaking global efforts to raise the profile of sanitation and water. [Meeting Webpage] [SWA Blog] [WSSCC Press Release]