These seven principles are informed by the existing literature on systemschange as well as the experiences of UNICEF, IRC, and SIWI in water,sanitation, and hygiene systems around the world. The principles canbe considered as guidance and inspiration for decision making and selfreflection.For organizations engaged in systems strengthening, it is valuableto revisit these periodically to reflect on one’s own behaviour and identifyareas for continued growth. It is also important to discuss these with newpartners when initiating a new programme or collaboration.
Several frameworks exist for depicting what the WASH system is and how itfunctions; such frameworks are helpful for identifying systemic bottlenecksand making plans to address them. These principles complement suchframeworks by focusing on how to engage with the system, what behaviorsand philosophies to consider, when setting out to change a system for thebetter.