Governance in Urban Sanitation

e-Learning Course, 23 March – 15 May 2009

Applications now Closed


Course Goals and Content

The goal of the course is to enhance the capacity of local decision-makers to make the most efficient and pro-poor choices and investments in urban sanitation. The course provides analytical tools to understand the financial and institutional framework of the sanitation sector, creating the ability to assess specific situations and make recommendations to design and implement financial and institutional reforms in the sector.

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 - Sanitation and Poverty


Learning Objectives

The course “Governance in Urban Sanitation” 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 urban sanitation improvement.


Methodology

The course will be delivered through UNITAR virtual learning environment. The learning activities are based in sound adult learning pedagogical principles. They include, among others, self-assessment activities, peer-to-peer review and evaluation, and social elements. The modules are structured in a non-linear way so as to provide learners with a high degree of flexibility in choosing the learning path that is the most adequate to them.

A workshop format activity is of particular importance in the course. Through this learning activity participants will be asked to prepare a practical assignment and to evaluate each other’s work (peer-assessment), which should facilitate knowledge sharing and stimulate the creation of communities of practice. All learning activities will be monitored by a tutor with high level expertise on the sanitation sector.


Target Audience

The first session of the course “Governance in Urban Sanitation” is primarily intended for candidates affiliated with organizations from Asia and the Pacific dedicated to training and capacity building in their country or region. They should have prior understanding of urban sanitation and/or environmental issues and possess a university degree in a relevant area.


Schedule, Language and Fee

The first session of the course will be free of charge for the selected participants. The course will run over 8 weeks from 23 March to 15 May 2009. English will be the working language.


Completion Requirements, Grading Policy and Timeline

To assess participants’ capacity to apply the acquired knowledge to concrete situations the following evaluation tools will be used:

  • An online test comprised of mixed type of questions: short open-ended answers, multiple choice, fill-in the blanks and drag-and-drop exercises, which accounts for 40% of the final grade;
  • A practical assignment in the format of a case study where participants will apply their knowledge to practical scenarios, accounting for 40% of the final grade;
  • A peer-to-peer review setting, requiring participants to evaluate each other’s work, which will provide opportunities for enhancing learning through knowledge sharing. This activity accounts for 20% of the final grade.

The completion of the above activities is mandatory. Successful completion of the course, entitling to a certificate of completion, requires participants to achieve a minimum total score of 80%.

Participants are free to progress at their own pace during the 8 weeks when they will have access to the course. The case study is to be completed at least two weeks before the end of the course (by 1 May 2009) in order to assure sufficient time for the peer-to-peer evaluation.

The workload is estimated to be about 4 hours per week. This includes study time (about 2 hours/week) and participation in collaborative activities (about 2 hours/week).


Criteria for Participation

To participate in the first session of the course on “Governance in Urban Sanitation” candidates should:

  • Be affiliated with organizations in Asia and the Pacific region dedicated to training and capacity development in their country or region;
  • Have prior knowledge of urban sanitation and/or urban environmental issues;
  • Hold a university degree in a relevant area;
  • Be willing and able to dedicate about 4 hours/week to the course throughout its duration;
  • Be able to participate in a subsequent face-to-face training session, as mentioned below, in case of selection;
  • Be fluent in English.

Thirty participants from Asia and the Pacific region will be selected to participate in the first session of the course “Governance in Urban Sanitation”. Twenty participants with the most outstanding results will be selected to participate in a face-to-face workshop (3/4 days) to be held in the Asia and Pacific region in summer 2009. During this workshop participants will deepen their knowledge in sanitation issues and be trained as online facilitators so as to be able to become tutors in future sessions of the course.

Interested candidates are requested to take note of the need to commit themselves to participate in this workshop and to become facilitators for the subsquent sessions of the course in case they are among the most successful participants in the first session of the course. UNITAR will communicate the group of people selected to participate in the workshop. Only selected participants will receive a communication from UNITAR.


Application and Selection Procedure

UNITAR/UNESCAP joint selection committee will select 30 candidates to participate in the first session of the course. For the selection process, due consideration will be given to the candidates' qualifications, the scope of their professional duties and their geographical location. UNITAR/UNESCAP will strive to achieve gender distribution in the group of selected participants.

The selected candidates will be contacted by UNITAR by 6 March 2009 and provided with the necessary details to take the course.


Implementing Agencies and Partners

The course “Governance in Urban Sanitation” is implemented by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) in collaboration with the Programme “Water and Sanitation in Developing Countries” of the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Sandec/EAWAG). The contents of the modules are based on the original materials jointly developed by UNITAR and Capacity Building International, Germany (InWent).

For further information please contact: sanitation@unitar.org