The World Bank Group’s Water and Sanitation Program (WSP) provides technical assistance to support the development of government institutions and capacity building, sector policies and strategies in the water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH) sector in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Following a Water and Sanitation Service Deliver Assessment that identified serious bottlenecks and a lack of clarity around the roles and responsibilities in the PNG WaSH sector, WSP supported the rural WaSH Policy Task Force to develop a National Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Policy which was approved in January 2015. Key strategies in the policy include:

1. Improved sector coordination and leadership
2. Increased WaSH sector funding
3. Develop and manage an effective management information system
4. Improved and consistent approaches to WaSH service delivery
5. Appropriate technology promotion
6. Enhanced private sector participation and partnerships
7. Sector capacity building and training.

To contribute towards a number of these strategies, WSP commissioned a study—the PNG Rural WaSH Sustainability Study—to gather evidence about the sustainability of rural WaSH activities in PNG. The objectives were:

1. Identify and develop practical approaches to improve both the sustainability and equitable delivery of rural water supply and sanitation schemes in PNG; and
2. Make recommendation on the potential for information communication technology (ICT) monitoring systems for rural water supply.