Strengthening mutual accountability in partnerships for WASH Part 1: Literature review and learning from other sectors

The report identifies a five-part cycle for effective mutual accountability: clarifying commitments, sharing performance information, evaluating performance through debate, experiencing reputational or relational consequences, and undertaking corrective action. It emphasizes that mutual accountability should be a constructive, learning-oriented process rather than a punitive one, supported by strong partnership foundations such as shared purpose and equalized power relationships. The findings suggest that for the SWA MAM to succeed, it must be co-designed at the national level, maintain a balance between global legitimacy and national ownership, and be integrated into existing national planning cycles.

• An effective mutual accountability cycle consists of five key elements: clarifying stakeholder responsibilities or commitments, sharing performance information, evaluating and debating performance, experiencing reputational or relational consequences, and taking corrective action to achieve partnership goals.
• Commitments within mutual accountability mechanisms are most effective when they are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) and aligned with existing policies or plans to ensure follow-through.
• Accountability in multi-stakeholder partnerships should prioritize a constructive learning orientation and 'naming and faming' over formalized sanctions or 'naming and shaming' to encourage participation and behavior change.
• Effective mutual accountability requires strong partnership foundations, including a shared purpose, sufficient partner capability, meaningful multi-stakeholder representation, and a balance of horizontal and vertical relationships.
• Power asymmetries are inevitable in multi-stakeholder partnerships, often favoring donors and multilateral agencies; however, clear 'rules of engagement' and the process of mutual accountability itself can help equalise and diffuse power.
• Global-level processes can add legitimacy to national-level accountability, but there is a risk that global reporting may draw focus away from national-level action if international organizations do not make specific country-level commitments.
• The legitimacy of a partnership is divided into 'input legitimacy' (procedural fairness, balanced representation, and transparency) and 'output legitimacy' (the demonstration of actual partnership outcomes and effectiveness).
• For the SWA MAM to be successful, it should be co-designed by national stakeholders to ensure local ownership and should be integrated into existing national planning and review cycles.

APA

Willetts, J., Winterford, K., Liera, C., Dickin, S., Soeters, S., Uytewaal, E., Butterworth, J., & Rozenberg, E. (2021). Strengthening mutual accountability in partnerships for WASH Part 1: Literature review and learning from other sectors. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/swa-strengthening-mutual-accountability-in-partnerships-for-wash-part-1-april-2021-2.pdf

Chicago

Willetts, Juliet, Keren Winterford, Carla Liera, Sarah Dickin, Simone Soeters, Erma Uytewaal, John Butterworth, and Evita Rozenberg. Strengthening mutual accountability in partnerships for WASH Part 1: Literature review and learning from other sectors. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2021. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/swa-strengthening-mutual-accountability-in-partnerships-for-wash-part-1-april-2021-2.pdf.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{willetts2021strengthening, author = {Willetts, Juliet and Winterford, Keren and Liera, Carla and Dickin, Sarah and Soeters, Simone and Uytewaal, Erma and Butterworth, John and Rozenberg, Evita}, title = {{Strengthening mutual accountability in partnerships for WASH Part 1: Literature review and learning from other sectors}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2021}, month = apr, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/swa-strengthening-mutual-accountability-in-partnerships-for-wash-part-1-april-2021-2.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }