Convener Report: WASH Challenge Mapping in NW Syria

The workshop took place over two days on the 9th and 10th of October 2024, in Gaziantep, Türkiye, with the participation of 24 key stakeholders involved in the WASH sector response in Northwest Syria. The objective of the workshop was to bring together relevant stakeholders to address the challenge of "Poor Sanitation Management," identified as one of the most critical issues in the WASH response. The workshop aimed to uncover the root causes of this challenge while exploring potential solutions and synergies to address it effectively through collective efforts, utilizing design thinking tools and adopting a human-centered design (HCD) approach.

The challenge was identified through a Call for Challenges initiated by the NW Syria Response Innovation Lab (NWS RIL) prior to the workshop. This call received over 32 inputs from key humanitarian actors and experts in the WASH response in the Northwest Syria region. Following an analysis conducted by the World Vision Syria Response technical department, “Poor Sanitation Management” emerged as one of the most pressing challenges within the WASH humanitarian response, highlighting its critical impact on the overall effectiveness of interventions in the region.

Response Innovation Lab has been committed to establishing the Innovation WASH Club as a coordinated and dedicated platform. Moving forward, the convener participants, now collectively committed as part of the Club, will mobilize their resources and bring innovations to enhance the WASH response in NW Syria.

Read the full event report here.