As markets are a central element of people’s life and livelihoods, they should be part of the planning for humanitarian WASH programmes. Humanitarian responders should be aware that they are market actors with a significant impact on local markets and that their interventions are therefore not ‘market-neutral’. MBP begins with a market analysis to assess if the market system can supply essential commodities and to assess the demand. Preferably, a pre-crisis market assessment (PCMA) will already have been done and can be compared to the post-shock assessment to support the planning of a quality emergency response. Based on the assessment findings, local markets can either be identified as affected by a crisis or as supportive in meeting the WASH needs. There are four different ways that WASH programmes can be delivered by engaging the local market, as reflected in the MBP framework (see resources section).

1. Improving Market Demand and Access: demand can be strengthened by improving access to local markets. Barriers to access can be financial (lifted through CVA), physical (lifted by improving roads, organising fairs), or socio-cultural (changed through behavioural change strategies or social marketing).

2. Improving Market Supply and Availability: using, supporting and developing markets can strengthen the availability and capacity of the market system to deliver critical goods and services in an emergency. Improvements begin by using existing local market structures to deliver immediate humanitarian assistance; this is usually based on the local procurement of WASH goods and services or the use of CVA. It may also include the restoration of market systems after a shock event, allowing humanitarian actors and beneficiaries to use the market as soon as possible. Methods include grants to market vendors, facilitating access to information, providing fuel vouchers or subsidies or spare parts to transport businesses (e.g. for water trucking or desludging operators) and supporting market traders to increase warehousing capacity (e.g. for hygiene items). Longer-term interventions to strengthen the resilience of the WASH market system include business model development (e.g. supporting private actors or community-based organisations to set up safe water kiosks), supply chain development (e.g. for construction materials to be made available locally at a more affordable price), product design (e.g. designing affordable water filters) and improved access to financial services. Market-based programming also allows the humanitarian sector to utilise its buying power and the setting of quality standards to drive market actors to increase the quality and diversity of products offered (e.g. menstrual products that meet the global quality specifications developed by UNHCR / UNFPA / UNICEF).

3. Reform of the Market Regulatory Framework: to help markets recover, humanitarian interventions can also include activities to support the reform of the regulatory frameworks of relevant markets (national rules, norms and standards). This could be through advocacy for improved regulations (e.g. water quality assurance for safe water kiosks), direct engagement in policy-making processes or by strengthening the capacities of the actors involved (e.g. governments, regulators, utilities, etc.). 

4. Strengthening of Market Services and Infrastructure: for critical WASH market systems to function, the broader market services and infrastructure may need to be supported, restored or developed. This could include loan guarantees for microfinance institutions, digital cash delivery technologies, improved market information as well as the rehabilitation of roads, transportation and telecommunication networks. These activities are often not directly related to WASH and can pose a challenge to WASH actors unless they are carried out through cross-sectoral interventions and/or with multidisciplinary teams.