Talk:Sustainable Sanitation Alliance

SuSanA members, help
In order to improve the SuSanA article, we could start discussing it here and suggesting modifications, before implementing everything beyond an update of figures or events.

First thing to do is develop a table of contents. Next would then be to write the content, which can be done be several persons independently and we discuss it before publishing.

Those SuSanA partners familiar with Wikipedia, please help in order to find a consensus. Mregelsberger (talk) 07:38, 3 April 2009 (UTC)

Competing Interests
User:EvM-Susana is a project manager and involved with the SusanA project and her edits looks like "promotion" in nature. Hence I suggest that her edits be reverted and he/she refrains from further edits of this page. User:Jmh649 Can you please confirm my interpretation of the Wikimed policies. I also suggest reverting all the massive edits done- leading to "complete overhaul of the page". Such overhaul should be preceded by discussion in talk page (Drsoumyadeepb (talk) 04:00, 19 October 2014 (UTC))
 * Per WP:COI probably best if they post suggested changes here rather than editing directly.
 * This article however was completely unreferenced before and reading through it does not appear more promotional.
 * Doc James (talk · contribs · email) (if I write on your page reply on mine) 07:08, 19 October 2014 (UTC)


 * Yes, I am involved in SuSanA, and so are 4100 other SuSanA members. My hope is that now that the article is in much better shape than before, more of the 4100 SuSanA members or also non-members will help to improve it further. If you think it looks like "promotion" now, you should see the page how it was before! I have added a whole section on challenges / criticisms and I invite anyone to add to that section. I had a look at the talk page before I started editing, I also looked at the history page and I also spoke with people who might have an interest in a good SuSanA page (naturally, this would be the 4100 SuSanA members), see e.g. here: http://forum.susana.org/forum/categories/39-any-other-topic-related-to-sanitation-or-to-susana/10582-how-do-you-like-the-new-or-improved-wikipedia-pages-about-susana-dry-toilets-and-pit-latrines. Then I decided rather than wait for a discussion on the Talk page - which may not ever take place - let me make the changes first and then discuss it further. If I had seen that this was an "active" page then of course I would have asked on the Talk page first. Feel free to point out any "promotional" sentences on the page and make edits. Reverting my edits to the way it was before would not help. As I said, it is much more neutral now than it was before. Why should I not be able to write in a neutral style about a network that I am part of? Remember this is a not for profit network, it is not even an organisation (no income, no formal structure). I am very happy for other people to improve this page further, my intention was to give it a good neutral basis and provide some unbiased factual information about SuSanA. EvM-Susana (talk) 09:48, 19 October 2014 (UTC)

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit
"To ensure the participation of all stakeholders, we apply a holistic approach based on the values and principles upheld in German society."GIZ profile "GIZ cooperates closely with many international organisations in order to firmly anchor German and European positions in international cooperation."Strategic alliances and partnerships "As a federally owned enterprise, we are guided by the principles of our social order, act in the interests of Germany and, first and foremost, support the development policy of the German Government."GIZ Identity "There is also great potential for German businesses in the drive to create closer links between foreign trade promotion and international cooperation with partner countries. GIZ works closely with the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce and with Chambers of Commerce abroad. We also help businesses realise their global potential: we understand the interests of the private sector and link these with development goals."GIZ Germany

, some of this should go into the article, as this organisation is not a neutral party, in my opinion, but has a Euro-centric agenda. This is one of the reasons I feel that there isn't full disclosure about your organisation. And it explains why Sustainable Sanitation Alliance is so aggressive in spreading it's name around on Wikipedia and on the Commons, but so vague about what it actually does. There are at least 10,000 links to your organisation on the Commons. Aren't there secondary sources about Sustainable Sanitation Alliance? EChastain (talk) 00:45, 25 March 2015 (UTC)
 * Also, I think anyone who edits on wikipedia, based on your appeal for editors to do so, should disclose their affiliation, per editors with COI, per your post: I hope this will encourage some of you to get involved in Wikipedia, this amazing knowledge management tool of our times. That's what's meant by GIZ being a management company, I guess. EChastain (talk) 00:53, 25 March 2015 (UTC)


 * , per above, you're supposed to discuss changes on the talk page, rather than instantly changing my edits as you always do. You never discuss first. I agree with 's comment above: "User:EvM-Susana is a project manager and involved with the SusanA project and her edits looks like "promotion" in nature."   EChastain (talk) 00:59, 25 March 2015 (UTC)


 * If you have a problem with GIZ being "euro-centric" (something which I think is not true), please put it on the existing Wikipedia article about GIZ - it does not need to be included in the article about SuSanA. GIZ implements the development cooperation activities for the German government, that's all. - I got active last night in improving the article about SuSanA further after seeing your edits, they inspired me (calling GIZ a "management consulting company" was misleading and had to be corrected). I think you would agree with me that the changes I made yesterday actually "toned down" the promotional character of the page, rather than increasing it! If you go back to the very early versions of this article (before I got involved) you will see that all my edits have worked towards adding objectivity, not to increase the promotional character of the page. It was me who added the section on criticisms/challenges and I would be happy for this section to be expanded based on evidence/sources or information from the sector. If I knew of secondary sources about SuSanA, I would gladly add them. I already added the publication by Euforic Services. If more come to light, they should be added. However, SuSanA is still relatively small and therefore you won't find articles in BBC or in peer-reviewed journal papers about SuSanA. - About the 10,000 links on Commons: This is due to all the photos from SuSanA's flickr account being move to Commons. This was done on suggestion and with the support by Doc_James. EvM-Susana (talk) 11:42, 25 March 2015 (UTC)