PROJECT: UNDP-SIWI WATER GOVERNANCE FACILITYEvery Drop Matters

Every Drop Matters (EDM), a partnership between the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and The Coca-Cola Company, worked to improve water supplies and sanitation, and to promote responsible water resource management in a changing climate. This project was completed and closed its activities in April 2016.

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Goals

  • To demonstrate community based approaches to water access and sanitation, climate change adaptation
  • To advocate and create awareness of water related problems globally
  • To catalyse achievement of the water, sanitation and hygiene millennium development goal targets through small scale pilot projects

Access to water and sanitation is needed for people throughout the world to prosper and lift themselves out of poverty. Also, the uncertain effects of climate change are placing great strains on communities throughout the world. Solutions to these problems are available but, often, awareness of them is not great.

The Millennium Development Goals aimed to halve the number of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. Whilst the safe drinking water goal was assumed achieved in 2010, approximately one quarter of a billion people still lack access. Furthermore, 2.5 billion still lack access to improved sanitation.

Piloting small scale solutions to water and sanitation, and a changing climate offer communities an opportunity to take control of the issues impacting upon their lives. Through trialling and demonstrating the effectiveness of solutions, communities, NGOs, and local to national governments have the opportunity to replicate and upscale successful approaches.

Through the distribution of small grants, the Every Drop Matters programme demonstrates solutions to these challenges. The small grant projects focus on community-based solutions, allowing those in need to take control of their problems. Utilising UNDP knowledge of community-led work and sustainable development, and Coca-Cola’s knowledge and skills in awareness raising, the results from successful projects are then communicated to a larger audience.

Pilot projects aim to increase investment in solutions – either by attracting additional funds to expand a project’s scope, or by providing the evidence governments and donors need to fund the replication of solutions at scale.

Results

Every Drop Matters completed and ceased its activities on April 2016. To learn more about the programme’s activities, see the country pages below. The results of the programme are also detailed in its closure reports, which takes stock of its achievements. The synthesis report details all of EDM’s global projects, and the accompanying short report covers highlights from throughout the programme.

As part of the stock taking process, the programme engaged an external evaluation consultancy, Oxford Policy Management, to review the methods and modalities of programme implementation. The intention of this activity is to feed into new development partnerships.

The review highlights some of the positive effects resulting from the global EDM programme. It also highlights challenges faced in the implementation of EDM and similar programmes. It is therefore hoped that the lessons and insights gained through this review will assist in enhancing future development partnerships.

Both UNDP and Coca-Cola recognize the continued power of partnership in tackling development challenges. So, whilst EDM is complete, its mission is not. New World: Inclusive Sustainable Human Development Initiatives, a new partnership programme between UNDP and Coca-Cola is a natural extension of EDM. Within the new sustainable development agenda the programme builds on, and enhances, the focus of EDM.