11 Feb 2026
e-MFP, alongside its partner Aqua for All, is pleased to announce the publication of a new report from the WASH Action Group: Unpacking Impact to Unlock Scale: Pilot Testing the WASH Impact Indicator Framework.
Access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene remains one of the most urgent and persistent development challenges. At the same time, there is growing recognition that achieving universal access will require not only public investment, but stronger and more coordinated engagement from financial institutions, investors, and market-based actors.
Since its launch in 2021 as a joint initiative of e-MFP and Aqua for All, the WASH Action Group has worked to strengthen the evidence base for WASH finance and support greater mobilisation of capital into the sector. A key barrier has been the lack of consistent, practical tools for measuring and comparing WASH outcomes across institutions and geographies.
This new publication marks an important milestone in that effort. It presents the results of Phase III of the Action Group’s work to develop and validate a harmonised WASH impact indicator framework, with a strong focus on real-world feasibility.
The pilot testing phase was implemented by MicroSave Consulting (MSC) in close collaboration with participating financial service providers and sector data platforms. The work involved testing indicators through both management information systems and field-based survey tools, refining definitions, and identifying what can realistically be measured and reported without creating excessive burden for institutions.
The result is a refined framework supported by practical guidance and tools designed to improve consistency, transparency, and comparability across WASH portfolios.
e-MFP and Aqua for All extend sincere thanks to MSC for the rigour and professionalism they brought to this work, and to all participating institutions and partners for their time, patience, and commitment to strengthening impact measurement in the sector.
While this report represents a major step forward, it is only a step, and the next and most important phase will be building strong buy-in among investors, asset managers, donors, and other ecosystem actors so that reporting expectations converge rather than fragment further. Harmonisation will be essential to reducing reporting fatigue, strengthening accountability, and ultimately unlocking the scale of finance required to close the WASH gap.
The WASH Action Group looks forward to engaging stakeholders across the sector to support adoption and continued improvement of the framework.
The full report is available here
If you would like to be involved in the WASH AG or the process of harmonisation impact data reporting in the WASH sector, contact e-MFP’s AG lead Sam Mendelson (smendelson@e-mfp.eu) or Marcela Perez, Aqua for All (m.perez@aquaforall.org).