WASH – Behavior Change

In Jordan, integrating Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) into Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) programming is increasingly recognized as essential for achieving sustainable behavioural outcomes and equitable access to services.
To advance this agenda, UNICEF conducted a Social and Behaviour Change Study on WASH in Refugee Camps and Host Communities across Jordan. In one of the world's most water-scarce contexts, this mixed-method study demonstrates how behavioural evidence can transform WASH governance and resilience in protracted crises-advancing the Summit's theme Action and Impact. Using UNICEF's Behavioural Drivers Model and the Socio-Ecological Model, it explored five critical behaviour domains: handwashing, menstrual health and hygiene, maintenance of shared facilities, water conservation, and participation in decision-making.
Drawing on over 1,400 surveys, 14 focus groups, 26 in-depth interviews, and field observations, the study revealed how cognitive biases, restrictive gender norms, misinformation, and weak institutional feedback loops undermine trust and collective action. Norms and informal networks limit access for women, youth, and people with disabilities. A complementary Institutional Capacity Assessment (ICA) with 21 WASH partners identified systemic gaps-limited use of behavioural data, fragmented accountability, and low institutional readiness to embed SBC into governance.
The study's recommendations bridge behavioural insights with institutional reform: short-term, trusted messenger campaigns and safe facilities for women and girls; medium-term, behavioural curricula, gamified peer learning, and participatory governance; and long-term, institutionalizing SBC frameworks and a national behavioural monitoring system, and co-create actionable, system-embedded strategies for resilient, equitable WASH outcomes.

In Jordan, integrating Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) into Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) programming is increasingly recognized as essential for achieving sustainable behavioural outcomes and equitable access to services. To advance this agenda, UNICEF conducted a national Institutional Capacity Assessment (ICA) with the Ministry of Water and Irrigation and key partners to evaluate the WASH sector's readiness to systematically embed SBC principles.
The assessment analysed nine national policies and examined institutional performance across eight capacity domains, including policy alignment, institutional capacity, community engagement, knowledge management, and sustainability. Using a mixed-methods approach, policy review, stakeholder workshop with 21 participants, partner surveys, and key informant interviews, the study generated a comprehensive picture of system strengths and bottlenecks.
Findings revealed that while Jordan's WASH policy environment acknowledges the importance of behaviour change and community engagement, implementation remains fragmented. Only half of organisations have clear SBC structures, and community participation is often limited to design phases, reducing ownership and impact. Gaps in behavioural data, cross-sectoral coordination, and inclusion of women, youth, and persons with disabilities further constrain effectiveness.
The report recommends institutionalizing SBC by embedding behavioural targets within policy frameworks, strengthening inter-agency coordination, and investing in dedicated capacities and financing. It also calls for inclusive, participatory mechanisms to ensure that community voices shape WASH priorities.
Together, these findings demonstrate that institutionalizing SBC in WASH systems enhances sustainability, accountability, and resilience, positioning Jordan as a regional model for evidence-based, people-centered water governance.

The ADAPT! Framework and Toolkit is part of Norwegian Church Aid (NCA)'s WASH Social Components Initiative - a global project that aims to support humanitarian practitioners in integrating SBC interventions in humanitarian WASH programming. Despite the importance of evidence-based and locally grounded approaches, only 1-5% of WASH budgets are allocated to "social WASH" activities (Global WASH Cluster, 2022). This underinvestment reduces the sustainability of WASH interventions - weakening the programs' adaptability to climate and humanitarian shocks. 
A recent study by NCA, Institute of Development Studies, and Addis Ababa University on adaptive WASH behaviours in protracted and climate-affected settings shows that communities continually adjust WASH practices in response to environmental and social stressors. Early findings highlight gaps including limited institutional understanding of SBC, unclear definitions of climate-resilient WASH, and persistent gender imbalances in WASH decision-making - factors that constrain effectiveness. The study underscores the need for humanitarian programs to recognize and build upon these adaptive behaviours to design interventions aligned with community priorities and coping strategies. 
The ADAPT! Framework and Toolkit respond to these gaps by providing practitioners with structured flexible tools for adaptive and context-informed WASH programming. Developed through desk review, practitioner consultations, and in-country pilot testing with Chr. Michelsen Institute (CMI), they help integrate coping behaviours and contextual realities into WASH SBC interventions. This session will introduce ADAPT! Toolkit, share emerging insights, and invite feedback to strengthen the evidence base and practitioner community for adaptive WASH SBC approaches in protracted humanitarian and climate-affected settings.