WaterAid submission to the International Development Committee Inquiry on ‘Future of UK aid and development assistance’

1. Introduction to WaterAid

WaterAid is an international non-profit working alongside communities in 22 countries to set up entire systems that deliver clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene. Since 1981, WaterAid UK and its Country Programmes have reached 28.9 million people with clean water, 29.2 million people with decent toilets and 28.7 million people with good hygiene.

2. Reason for submission

As the UK’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget contracts, it is essential that UK aid is prioritised for maximum impact, value for money and public accountability. WaterAid is submitting this evidence to make the case that investment in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) represents one of the most effective and cost-efficient ways for the UK to deliver on its new international development priorities. Beyond commanding strong public backing, investment in WASH produces easily demonstrable, life-changing outcomes which should be a core pillar of the UK aid programming.

2.1.            UK funding for WASH has decreased drastically in recent years

Between 2018 and 2023, the UK’s annual budget for WASH had been drastically cut by approximately 82% from £206.5m down to a critical low of just £37m. Whilst there was an increase to £80m in 2024, WASH remains amongst the least funded thematic sectors, representing just 0.71% of bilateral funding in 2024[1]. In the face of a global water crisis, the UK Government continues to undervalue the importance of WASH year on year.

2.2.            The funding cuts outlined above are stark and are occurring despite lagging progress on SDG6[2]:

• 2.1 billion people in the world – more than one in four – don’t have safe water.
• 1.7 billion people in the world – one in five – lack soap and/or water to wash their hands at home, if they have a place at all.
• 3.4 billion people in the world – two in five – don’t have a decent toilet of their own where waste is safely managed.
• Almost 400,000 children under five die every year due to diseases caused by unsafe WASH.
• Worldwide, women and girls spend 200 million hours every day collecting water.
• Just over two in five healthcare facilities worldwide lack a basic hygiene service.

3. To make UK ODA deliver on climate and health, the Government must prioritise WASH 

The UK aid budget is decreasing at a time when global need is increasing, with worsening humanitarian disasters and a volatile climate. The Government must focus its priorities more towards impact, value for money, transparency and sustainable systems. In this light, WASH must be treated as a foundational pillar of UK international development strategy - particularly to deliver on climate change, health and economic growth – both bilaterally and multilaterally, rather than a marginalised sector within wider aid.

WASH underpins Sustainable Development Goals 3, 4, 5 and 13, linking safe water and sanitation to health, education, gender equality and climate action.[3] Without safe WASH services, children miss school due to illness or time spent collecting water, women and girls bear disproportionate burdens, and communities remain vulnerable to climate shocks and disease outbreaks such as cholera.

3.1.            UK leadership in multilateral development requires investment in WASH

As a significant shareholder in key multilateral development organisations and banks, particularly the World Bank Group, the UK has substantial influence over how international development priorities are shaped and delivered. This influence should be used to drive a stronger global focus on foundational sectors such as WASH and ensure that these investments target the most marginalised groups.  

3.2.            WASH is foundational to UK & Global Health

70% of global healthcare-acquired infections could be prevented by better access to WASH. Yet, half of the world’s health facilities do not have basic hygiene services – rising to two thirds in the 46 least developed countries. Strengthening WASH systems in healthcare facilities and communities reduces disease burden,[4] tackles maternal newborn death and supports the NHS’ fight against Anti-Microbial Resistance (AMR)[5], safeguarding the UK’s long-term health and development interests.

Cuts to UK ODA coincide with a vacuum in global health leadership, compounded by the UK cutting its contribution at the same time as co-hosting the Global Fund’s Eighth Replenishment Summit. The UK must maintain its position as a global health champion underpinned by strong investment in WASH in healthcare facilities across the least developed countries.

3.3.            WASH as a force multiplier for climate adaptation and economic resilience

Climate-resilient WASH services are amongst the most effective and cost-efficient adaptation measures. The IPCC identifies WASH as a “low regrets” option for reducing vulnerability,[6] and every US$1 invested in climate-resilient WASH generates at least US$7 in economic returns in Africa.[7] WASH strengthens resilience across health, education, food security and ecosystems, acting as a catalyst for adaptation while building human capital. Without resilient services, communities struggle to adapt effectively. 4 billion people are estimated to live in water-scarce areas, with roughly 25% of the world’s GDP at risk.[8] Despite this, WASH receives a disproportionately small share of climate finance.

Resilience depends on both human services and healthy ecosystems, with effective WASH critical to this balance. Today, around 80% of wastewater is discharged untreated, polluting rivers, wetlands, coral reefs and seagrass beds that buffer storms and store carbon. Sanitation systems account for roughly 1.3% of global greenhouse gas emissions[9]. Safely managed sanitation and wastewater treatment protects ecosystems, reduces pollution and enables nutrient and energy recovery, turning risk into a resilience asset delivering vital mitigation co-benefits.

3.4.            Gender equality cannot be mainstreamed without WASH

As UK ODA shifts from gender-specific programmes to ‘mainstreaming’ gender equality across all aid spending, it must recognise that this isn’t possible without strong investment in WASH.

Women and girls are responsible for water collection in around 70% of households without a supply,[10] limiting educational opportunities and economic participation. Achieving universal access to even basic water services by 2040 would free up more than 77 million working days for women each year.[11] Inadequate toilets and hygiene facilities increases the risk of gender-based violence and undermine women’s dignity and health. WaterAid’s programmes[12] show that WASH is a prerequisite for women’s empowerment and leadership. Without integrating WASH, efforts to achieve gender equality through ‘mainstreaming’ will be superficial, leaving the structural burdens on women and girls unchanged.

4. UK public perception, communicating success, and delivering value for money

Public trust in UK aid depends on transparency, measurable results, and clear communication of its impact. It is vital that the Government demonstrates how UK aid delivers tangible, lasting change in people’s lives and represents good value for taxpayers’ money. ODA should remain, first and foremost, focused on delivering value and to drive outcomes to elevate people out of poverty. WASH interventions are cost-effective, highly visible, and popular.

4.1.            UK public polling puts WASH at their top priority for aid spending

Polling commissioned by WaterAid and YouGov in April 2025 asked the UK public to what their priorities are for UK aid spending (Figure 1). Amongst the 14 options tested, including disaster relief, health, climate change, and migration and refugee flows, access to WASH consistently emerged as the single most popular priority with over half of the UK public (54%) placing WASH in their top three, and more than a quarter (26%) ranking it as their number one priority. If the government is to restore public support and faith in international development, it must closer align its development priorities to those that resonate with the British public.

Figure 1: YouGov Plc. Total sample size 2,039 adults. Fieldwork undertaken between 22nd - 23rd April 2025.

4.2.            Communicating the success of UK aid through real relatable stories

To maintain public confidence in UK aid, the Government must make real and relatable its impact – for example how clean water prevents illness, keeps girls in school, frees women’s time for livelihoods, builds climate resilience, and reduces humanitarian risk.

A key example is the FCDO-funded Future on Tap project in Ethiopia,[13] delivered by WaterAid and local partners. Between 2021 and 2025, the project brought clean water to nearly 46,000 people through a 32km pipeline, 18 community water points, and WASH facilities in schools and healthcare centres. Two communities are now free from open-defecation, women have more time for education and livelihoods, and children are healthier. Here, UK aid has demonstrably improved health, gender equality, and climate resilience – helping secure safe water for generations and strengthening trust in UK development.

4.3.            Delivering value for money to eradicate poverty in line with UK taxpayers’ expectations

Aid should be driven by the needs of people in poverty with interventions that deliver best outcomes to eradicate poverty. WASH is a strong example of cost-effective, transparent interventions that are aligned with UK interests.

• Investment in WASH can yield returns of up to 21 times the cost (or higher),[14] when indirect impacts (productivity, health, education) are considered.
• In line with UK government ambitions to act as a long-term investor and partner over a traditional donor, in Sub-Saharan Africa alone, properly funded WASH systems could contribute more than 5% of GDP annually (~US$200 billion) if scaled appropriately[15].
• Globally, achieving universal access to even basic hygiene by 2040 could generate a net benefit of US$45 billion per year.

5. Conclusion

WaterAid urges the UK Government to re-commit to spending at least 0.5 % of Gross National Income (GNI) on ODA, with a clear path to reaching 0.7 %. Whilst fiscal constraints remain, the Government should:

• Place WASH at the centre of the UK’s international development strategy by publishing a Water Security strategy, recognising its multiplier effect across health, education, gender equality and climate resilience.
• In line with the recommendations of this Committee’s report in 2024 on the FCDO’s approach to sexual and reproductive health the FCDO should calculate and justify a minimum bilateral ODA percentage that it must spend on WASH to reach its development targets. This target should not be lower than 2% per annum.
• Use the UK’s influence in multilateral agencies and development banks to drive reforms that promote efficiency, strengthen WASH systems, and encourage domestic resource mobilisation in partner countries.

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