Partnership toolkit

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Partnerships
Image: WaterAid/ James Kiyimba

Working in partnership is central to our vision of a world where everyone, everywhere has access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). We will only achieve our vision and mission through collaborating with a wide range of partners, from government, civil society, academia and the private sector, to improve policy and practice relating to WASH.

The focus of partnerships goes beyond short-term project deliverables. We aim to strengthen the institutions, systems and
capacities that are needed to deliver sustainable WASH services in the long term. To achieve this, we need to develop enabling and empowering relationships that support our partners to strengthen their capacity to deliver sustainable WASH – as articulated in our Partnership framework.

This toolkit provides practical guidance on good partnership practice, setting out key considerations through the different phases of assessment and selection of partners, to planning projects collaboratively, monitoring and supporting partners, and exit and
transition strategies.

It also includes sections on promoting good relationships, including governance and accountability, communication and negotiation, conflict resolution and grievance mechanisms, and measuring success in partnerships.

The final section looks at good practice for working with different types of partners, such as governments, academic institutions and organisations representing people’s rights. Read it in conjunction with our Guidelines on Finance Partnerships and Partnership framework.