E-learning course on Urban Sanitation

In order to disseminate knowledge of adequate practices and principles in urban sanitation, ESCAP has partnered with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) to develop a course on Governance in Urban Sanitation.

Objective
The goal of the Governance in Urban Sanitation course is to enhance the capacity of local decision-makers to make the most pragmatic choices when designing sanitation-related policies.

Target group
The course is intended for decision-makers from local governments, representatives of service providers (national governments, private sector, NGOs) and international organizations who are involved in the sanitation sector in Asia and the Pacific region.

Structure
The course consists of 4 modules:

Module 1 - Introduction to Sanitation
Module 2 - Economics, Pricing and Financing of the Sanitation Sector
Module 3 - Institutional Aspects of the Sanitation Sector
Module 4 - Key issues in sanitation and poverty

The course will enable participants to identify the benefits of sanitation and analyze costs and financing of sanitation services, evaluating service provider options and estimating the benefits and limits of private sector participation in sanitation. Participants will also be able to integrate accountability when structuring relationships, examining the role of communities and microfinance organizations in extending sanitation services to the poor. At the end of the course, participants will thus be able to recommend successful strategies and actions at the local level for reforms towards sanitation improvement.

The course will be delivered on-line through UNITAR’s virtual learning environment and will be conducted in English.

National e-learning courses
In order to reach as many local organizations as possible, learning institutions in Asian countries will be encouraged to translate the course into local languages, adapt it to their own circumstances and impart it through their own platforms.

Organizations that wish to develop a national version of the course should ask explicit permission from ESCAP and UNITAR and should acknowledge that the course contents were based on the original course Governance in Urban Sanitation developed in English language. National e-learning courses will not be considered as UNITAR or ESCAP courses.