2016 is a special year for the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and “Big Water” sectors: it marks the start of the 15-year period for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 2016 is also an important year for IRC, as it is the final year of our current five-year business plan.

The SDGs consist of 17 goals and 169 targets covering a wide range of sustainable development topics. Of particular importance to IRC is a specific goal on water. SDG 6 reads, Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. Moreover, clean water and basic sanitation are closely linked to goals on food (SDG 2), health (SDG 3), climate change (SDG 13) and forests (SDG 15).

This report analyses global and regional trends for 2016–2025 that are important to IRC. Its purpose is to support IRC in developing a new strategy centred on the Sustainable Development Goals. The report seeks to anticipate and explain 11 uncertain trends in the WASH sector, the wider development world and specifically, Dutch development assistance policy.

IRC first published a trends analysis in 2006. A second trends analysis paper was prepared in 2011. Many of the trends identified in the 2011 report still apply; see Annex 1, Table A1. For the development of scenarios, however, the interesting trends to analyse are the ones that are less linear and harder to predict. This report therefore discusses 11 uncertain trends that are important for IRC’s work.

The report is written from the perspective of IRC’s vision of universal access to WASH services and its mission as an international think-and-do tank. It provides background for the development of IRC’s strategy. Although it is primarily an internal document, we are sharing it because many of the trends we identify are relevant to other sector stakeholders. We have received feedback on the previous documents and welcome more up-to-date evidence and reports we might have missed.

Bibliographic information

Rognerud, R. et al. (2016). IRC Trends Analysis, 2016– 2025 IRC, The Netherlands

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