The Paul Simon Water for the World Act of 2014 establishes the requirement to develop a WASH Needs Index. The WASH Needs Index provides a foundational input into the process of prioritizing Water for the World High-Priority Countries, in addition to identifying countries requiring congressional notification before the obligation of water directive funds.
Aligned with the Water for the World Act of 2014, countries are prioritized for High-Priority Country designation based on the degree of need as well as the degree of opportunity and ability to achieve maximum impact. As a result, the WASH Needs Index is only one of several sources of evidence that help inform the data-driven High-Priority Country designation process. Given this, the Needs Index alone does not capture the degree to which a given country should be designated as a High-Priority Country.