WSSCC provides a neutral space in which individuals and organisations concerned with water, sanitation and hygiene for poor people can network and share ideas.

The Collaborative Council's thematic networking focuses on themes directly related to the sustainable delivery of water supply and sanitation services and sustainable behaviour change. Activities and outputs of the thematic working groups and networks are directly linked to requests from and realities in the field, and to the Collaborative Council's advocacy work. This allows the outputs of the networking groups to be easily applicable and relevant to country-level programmes and circumstances. WSSCC distinguishes two main categories of thematic working groups and networks:

1. Those recognised and hosted by WSSCC as 'WSSCC working group/network on …(theme)…'
2. Those recognised by WSSCC as an authority on the subject without being hosted or directly supported by WSSCC.

 
Networking themes and topics include, but are not limited to:

• Capacity building and integrated water resource management
• Ecological sanitation
• Environmental sanitation
• Gender and water
• Household water treatment and safe storage
• Hygiene promotion
• Multiple use water services
• Operation and Maintenance
• Rainwater harvesting
• Rural water supply
• Scaling up
• Solid waste management
• Sustainable sanitation
• Transparency and water resources
• WASH in schools
• Water services and the urban poor