Water and Development Strategy Implementation Field Guide

The United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID’s) first ever Water and Development Strategy was launched and became effective May 21, 2013.

The United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID’s) first ever Water and Development Strategy was launched and became effective May 21, 2013. The Strategy is intended to guide Agency-wide programming on water from 2013-2018. The overarching goal of the Strategy is to save lives and advance development through improvements in water supply, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), and through sound management and use of water for food security. To achieve this goal, the Strategy sets two strategic objectives (SOs). The focus of SO1 is water for health, and the focus of SO2 is water for food.

Together, these objectives reflect the overarching U.S. policy guidance contained in the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005 [Public Law 109-1211], the Presidential Policy Directive on Global Development-6 (PPD-6), the Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR), and recent research and current thinking. The Strategy aligns with and complements other Agency objectives and initiatives including USAID Policy Framework (2011-2015), Global Health Initiative, Global Climate Change Initiative, and Feed the Future (FTF).