Urban water systems face mounting challenges in sustaining safe and reliable supplies amid infrastructure pressures and environmental changes. In Pacific Island countries, these pressures are intensified by socioeconomic inequality, urbanization, limited fiscal capacity, and climate variability. Reported service coverage often obscures drinking water quality risks, particularly in underserved settlements. This study assessed eleven drinking water sources over two years in two underserved urban settlements in Port Vila, Vanuatu, evaluating compliance with Sustainable Development Goal 6 expectations and considering climate-related stressors. A total of 232 observations were analyzed. Widespread contamination was detected, with thermotolerant fecal coliform concentrations exceeding World Health Organization guidelines at multiple sites and in more than 60% of samples. River showed significantly higher contamination than rainwater tanks (p = 0.001), taps (p < 0.001), and borewells (p = 0.02), while tap water ranked lower than rainwater tanks and borewells (p < 0.001). A significant seasonal difference was observed in rainwater tanks between wet and dry seasons (p = 0.05), with no significant effects associated with rainfall events or cyclones. Deviations in additional water quality parameters further indicate health risks. These findings highlight the need for targeted, climate-resilient water management strategies to safeguard vulnerable, underserved urban populations. HIGHLIGHTSWater quality was assessed at 11 sources over two years in underserved urban settlements. Underserved urban settlements in Port Vila experience severe water quality challenges. Over 60% of samples exceeded WHO limits for fecal contamination. River and rainwater sources showed the highest risk, especially during the wet season. Findings underscore the urgent need for climate-resilient water policies to protect vulnerable urban populations in Vanuatu.

Pacific Island Countries (PICs) collectively have the lowest rates of access to safely managed or basic drinking water and sanitation globally. They are also the least urbanised and have dynamic socioeconomic and increasing climate-based challenges. Community-based water managers need to effectively respond to variability in water availability and quality caused by a range of hazards. Water safety planning (WSP), a widely adopted approach to managing water quality and quantity offers a risk-based approach to mitigating both existing and future hazards. WSP is adaptable, and making modifications to prescribed WSP to localise it is a common practice globally. As part of the Pacific Community Water Management Plus project, we used formative research and co-development processes to understand existing modifications, to know whether further modifications are required, and to identify, where possible pilot, additional modifications to WSP in Fiji, Vanuatu, and Solomon Islands. The types of additional localisations that were recommended reflect the unique context of PICs, including adjusting for community-based water management, community governance, levels of social cohesion, and preferred adult-learning pedagogies. Incorporating these factors into future WSP will improve the likelihood of sustained and safe community water services.

Pacific Island countries have among the lowest access to improved drinking water sources and sanitation services in the world. Due to geography, climate, the high frequency, and severity of disasters, transportation difficulties and resource constraints, government and private sector support to rural populations are limited and likely to remain so. However, the unique demographic characteristics of the region see considerable support flowing to rural areas from village kin in urban centres and overseas, hinged on strong socio-cultural norms of reciprocity, self-help, and obligation. Focusing on Fiji, this paper examines how select social networks are being used to support improved rural water and sanitation outcomes. Results demonstrate that kinship-orientated urban–rural linkages, select customary norms, relations and practices, common interest associations (such as village development committees), and select social media groups, all constitute critical components of the WaSH enabling environment in Fiji. Given the unique character of the Pacific Islands region, leveraging existing social networks to support improved rural water and sanitation outcomes may constitute a fruitful community water management ‘plus’ strategy for both governments and non-government organisations seeking to strengthen rural water and sanitation service outcomes.

Unsafe child faeces management can lead to adverse health and wellbeing outcomes for children. In Solomon Islands, diarrhoeal disease is a leading cause of under-5 mortality, though there is limited research into CFM practices and promotion of safe behaviours. The formative research applied a Behaviour-Centred Design framework to investigate the habits, motives and settings related to child faeces management in rural Solomon Islands villages. Data were collected through structured recall demonstrations by caregivers (n = 61), household infrastructure observations (n = 57), semi-structured interviews with caregivers (n = 121) and community leaders (n = 30), focus group discussions (n = 26), and three participatory activities with caregivers. The findings identified a range of CFM-related behaviours, some of which would be considered safe and some, such as outside defecation and disposal to a waterway, as unsafe. Convenience is important in shaping CFM practice and may help health benefits to be achieved without women bearing the cost of an increased work burden. Nurture and disgust may provide the basis for behaviour change communication in SI as they have elsewhere. Critically, the participation in and promotion of safe CFM by fathers in households should be promoted, and motivating such behaviours might be achieved through focus on nurture as a motive.

The strength of the 'enabling environment' for development is often considered to be one of the key elements in whether development initiatives fail or succeed. Attempts to strengthen the enabling environment have resulted in a series of checklists and frameworks that imagine it largely to be fixed, static, and separated from 'beneficiaries'. In the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) sector, there is a preoccupation with fostering an optimal enabling environment that will result naturally in 'ideal' and formalised user participation, which will in turn lead to universal access to water and sanitation. In this paper, we challenge this simplistic and linear view of an enabling environment that is perpetuated by checklists and frameworks. We conducted a three-and-a-half-year transdisciplinary participatory action research (PAR) project which sought to foster WASH solutions in impoverished informal settlements in Fiji, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. In a critical reflection on this project, we analyse the ways in which we both perpetuated problematic checklists and worked collaboratively with our participants to reimagine the enabling environment. We show how individuals challenged the expert-beneficiary dichotomy as they built 'practical authority' from their peers through taking action. Our study demonstrates that conceptualising the enabling environment as a dynamic ecology of actors, relationships and processes that includes the users of WASH as active participants was essential to supporting progress towards universal WASH access. We argue that working within the politics of development rather than seeking to render problems as technical was crucial to fostering WASH improvements that were determined by residents themselves and supported by stakeholders. Such an inclusive approach is essential to fully leveraging the co-productive possibilities of participation. If development practitioners and scholars are to achieve development outcomes in an equitable and participatory manner, they must shift their conceptualisation of the enabling environment as being a checklist of things 'out there' to one where they work to find their place within an ecology of participatory collectives.

SummaryMotivationRural water services are poor in Pacific Island countries (PICs); ineffective water management (WM) is one of the key reasons. Greater social inclusion in WM groups is a key goal of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6, but there is a lack of data on the make‐up of WM groups and what appropriate and effective inclusivity in WM looks like in the region.PurposeThis article contributes to filling these gaps by examining national community WM policy and the attributes and activities of rural WM groups, in practice, in villages across Solomon Islands. The purpose is to influence government policy and guidance relating to the structure and functionality of rural WM groups.Methods and approachQualitative and quantitative data were gathered from eight rural communities in Solomon Islands between 2018 and 2020 by a team of international and local Solomon Islander researchers. Detailed data from six formalized WM groups along with an analysis of national policy and rural WM guidelines are used to identify strengths and weaknesses in current WM policy and approaches.FindingsWM group inclusivity has improved with regard to women, but they still often remain excluded from decision‐making. Young people are essential to the ongoing operation of water systems yet were rarely formal members of water committees. Intra‐village levels of social cohesion were stronger than village‐wide levels. Most water committees had collapsed in the past, lacked institutional sustainability, and failed community expectations. Factors informing this included the high mean age of committee members, multiple obligations of executives, and often poor intra‐village social and geographical representation.Policy implicationsVillages are not homogenous communities, but include many smaller social units—tribes, extended families, different faith groups—that tend to have stronger social cohesion than “village‐wide” groups or committees. Moreover, many of these groupings are often socio‐spatially demarcated in formalized “zones/areas” of a village. This needs to be reflected in WM group membership and national policy guidelines. At these levels, social cohesion, collective action, and agency are greater than at the village‐wide level, offering opportunities for more inclusive and effective WM outcomes.

This report presents the results of research undertaken in thirteen fresh produce markets in the Republic of Vanuatu, located in Lakatoro (Malekula island), Luganville (Santo) and Port Vila (Efate) (Figure 1). The overarching research objective was to better understand the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) situation in a variety market places, from central market houses through to smaller satellite markets, in order to identify WASH-related COVID-19 vulnerabilities, the types and effectiveness of preparation and protection measures undertaken in market places thus far, and to explore their impacts on market vendors. Since the beginning of the pandemic there has been, as of June, 2021, just three active COVID-19 cases in Vanuatu - all of which have been detected in quarantine. Despite there being no community transmission of COVID-19 in Vanuatu to date, the pandemic has had a substantial impact on the country. The State of Emergency border lockdown and cessation of tourism has led to an economic recession, resulting in major job losses in the two main tourist centres of Port Vila and Luganville. Additionally, local and international remittances have greatly decreased. Whilst the government have implemented some economic support measures for small business this does not include market vendors. In response to the threat of COVID-19 the government have instigated a variety of public health measures that have directly impacted markets. These include an increased focus on hygiene (e.g. the installation of handwashing stations), social distancing guidelines, restricted selling hours and, in many but not all locales, a one-day-market rule whereby vendors are no longer permitted to sleep at markets. Combined with a general drop in demand for fresh produce due to the economic down turn, these measures are disproportionally impacting women, who make -up over 90% of market vendors. Results from this study affirm that vendors' income has decreased by half or more, with the greatest decrease experienced in Port Vila. Elsewhere in the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the availability of affordable and nutritional food services, and there has been some concern that this may occur in Pacific Island Countries and Territories (e.g. United Nations, 2020a). Recent research from Solomon Islands has identified increased food insecurity in both rural and urban areas (Wairiu et al, 2020). Markets are one of the top three sources of food for Port Vila residents (World Vision Vanuatu, 2018) and there is a fear that if markets closed, prices increase and/or food supplies where disrupted, this would detrimentally impact urban residents - many of whom are already amongst the most socio-economically vulnerable in the country (VNSO, 2013). Whilst this study did not gather household level data (and hence cannot ascertain if household food insecurity has risen ) the data suggests that from a food systems perspective the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has thus far been on the demand, rather than the production and supply, side.

Guided by a "logic of the situation" approach our research investigated a problematic situation in community to identify and critically reflect on how consumer marketplaces and self-sufficiency meet consumption needs. In doing so, we reflect on how a situational understanding allowed the researchers to form a more complete view of how consumption needs were met in community through enabler-led marketplaces, community-led marketplaces and self-sufficiency. We also re-conceptualized our thinking as a more broadly conceived hybrid consumer marketplace to reflect our more complete understanding. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of our more broadly conceived hybrid consumer marketplace and provide a foundation for further research into consumer marketplaces and meeting consumption needs.

Managing water demand by reducing water consumption and improving water use efficiency has become essential for ensuring water security. This research aimed to identify the primary determinants of household water consumption in an Australian Indigenous community to develop evidence-based water demand management policies and strategies that might be implemented by the water service provider. A behavior change framework was applied to investigate the opportunity, ability, and motivational determinants affecting household water consumption and conservation in an Australian Indigenous community. The lack of water conservation knowledge and skills of high water users could be barriers to saving water. Low water users have positive attitudes towards water conservation and a higher level of awareness about their own water use. While there is a lack of a belief that water shortages will occur, low water users do have concerns of vulnerability to droughts, and that could be a driver for their sense of obligation to engage in water conservation practices. The research recommended communication messages and tools to address identified barriers to enabling positive changes to water use behaviors, which have wider applications in remote Australian Indigenous communities.

The rapid review confirms that Pacific Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are socially, culturally, and environmentally diverse, with some features in common, and which collectively make them unique to other regions of the world: Small island countries have uniquely fragile water resources due to their small size, lack of natural storage, competing land use, and vulnerability to natural and anthropogenic hazards, including drought, cyclones, and urban pollution (with between 0.5 percent to 6.6 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) being lost annually to disasters). Rurally dominated populations are widely dispersed geographically as many small communities, while most capital cities include significant informal settlement populations and are subject to rapid urbanization (a more than 3 percent yearly increase in urban population growth in most Melanesian countries is projected between 2015 and 2020) (Mycoo and Donovan 2017).

Who is this brief for? WaSH programmers and practitioners designing and implementing programs where they will engage with residents of informal settlements. Purpose of this brief: Development experts increasingly acknowledge the need for participatory approaches to development. This brief provides guidance on ways that programs and policies can encourage local ownership, self-reflection and analysis of WaSH situations and solutions, as well as encourage and support collaboration with local enabling actors to achieve positive change.

Pacific Island Countries (PICs) lag behind global trends in water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH) development. We conducted a systematic search of all English language papers (published before February 2015) about WaSH in PICs to evaluate the state of the peer-reviewed literature and explore thematic findings. A total of 121 papers met the criteria for full-text review following an initial search result of more than 6,000 papers. Two reviewers independently assessed the quality and relevance of each article and consolidated their findings according to four emergent themes: public health, environment, emergency response and interventions, and management and governance. Findings indicate a knowledge gap in evidence-guided WaSH management strategies that advocate for human health while concurrently protecting and preserving drinking water resources. Extreme weather events threaten the quantity and quality of limited freshwater resources, and cultural factors that are unique to PICs present challenges to hygiene and sanitation. This review highlights the strengths and weaknesses of the peer-reviewed literature on WaSH in PICs, addresses spatial and temporal publication trends, and suggests areas in need of further research to help PICs meet development goals.

Who is this brief for? WaSH programmers and practitioners designing and implementing programs. Purpose of this brief: Many WaSH programs focus on achieving aggregate change, that is, moving entire populations towards better WaSH standards. However, in the future practitioners and programmers will need to investigate the potential physical, social and mental wellbeing impacts of programs on those who engage in them, as well as those who are exposed to the program but do not participate.

Pacific Island Countries (PICs) lag behind global trends in water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH) development. We conducted a systematic search of all English language papers (published before February 2015) about WaSH in PICs to evaluate the state of the peer-reviewed literature and explore thematic findings. A total of 121 papers met the criteria for full-text review following an initial search result of more than 6,000 papers. Two reviewers independently assessed the quality and relevance of each article and consolidated their findings according to four emergent themes: public health, environment, emergency response and interventions, and management and governance. Findings indicate a knowledge gap in evidence-guided WaSH management strategies that advocate for human health while concurrently protecting and preserving drinking water resources. Extreme weather events threaten the quantity and quality of limited freshwater resources, and cultural factors that are unique to PICs present challenges to hygiene and sanitation. This review highlights the strengths and weaknesses of the peer-reviewed literature on WaSH in PICs, addresses spatial and temporal publication trends, and suggests areas in need of further research to help PICs meet development goals.

Who is this brief for? WaSH practitioners and programmers who aim to improve WaSH in informal settlements by fostering marketing exchanges. Purpose of this brief: In informal settlements, we observed all of the four main marketing exchange types: market-based (i.e. monetary), non-market-based (i.e., philanthropic), command-based (i.e., regulatory) and culturally-determined (i.e., social) marketing exchanges (shown in Figure 1 below). Yet, recent efforts to improve WaSH through marketing approaches have focused only on market-based exchanges. A broader approach that builds upon the range of already existing marketing exchanges may help enhance WaSH and well-being for all in informal settlements, rather than only for those that can engage with market-based exchanges.

Sanitation is a human right that benefits health. As such, technical and behavioural interventions are widely implemented to increase the number of people using sanitation facilities. These include sanitation marketing interventions (SMIs), in which external support agencies (ESAs) use a hybrid of commercial and social marketing tools to increase supply of, and demand for, sanitation products and services. However, there is little critical discourse on SMIs, or independent rigorous analysis on whether they increase or reduce well-being. Most available information is from ESAs about their own Shill implementation. We systematically reviewed the grey and peer-reviewed literature on sanitation marketing, including qualitatively analysing and calculating descriptive statistics for the parameters measured, or intended to be measured, in publications reporting on 33 SMIs. Guided by the capability approach to development we identified that publications for most SMIs (n = 31, 94%) reported on commodities, whilst fewer reported on parameters related to impacts on well-being (i.e., functionings, n = 22, 67%, and capabilities, n = 20, 61%). When evaluating future SMIs, it may be useful to develop a list of contextualised well-being indicators for the particular SMI's location, taking into account local cultural norms, with this list ideally co-produced with local stakeholders. We identified two common practices in SMIs that can reduce well-being and widen well-being inequalities; namely, the promotion of conspicuous consumption and assaults on dignity, and we discuss the mechanisms by which such impacts occur. We recommend that ESAs understand sanitation marketing's potential to reduce wellbeing and design SMIs to minimize such detrimental impacts. Throughout the implementation phase ESAs should continuously monitor for well-being impacts and adapt practices to optimise well-being outcomes for all involved.

Addressing complex and challenging issues entails access to credible systems information in the form of systems maps or diagrams. The purpose of our paper is to describe a participatory action research (PAR) systems mapping activity that was undertaken by an urban informal settlement community in a small Pacific Island Country. A total of 19 households participated in a systems mapping activity to map a household-level water or sanitation system. The individual household systems maps and related data were then used to construct a de-identified aggregated water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH) marketing systems map (and accompanying narratives) for the informal settlement. We present the marketing systems map, which delineated a series of marketing exchanges, and report on how the map assisted the community to address a number of expressed needs. We conclude by suggesting that systems mapping is a valuable activity that communities could undertake to generate credible systems information to inform and empower collective planning and actions.