Water & Sanitation

While substantial progress has been made in increasing access to clean drinking water and sanitation, billions of people—mostly in rural areas—still lack access these basic services, which were recognized as a human right by the United Nations General Assembly in 2010. Worldwide, one in three people do not have access to safe drinking water, two out of five people do not have a basic hand-washing facility with soap and water, and more than 673 million people still practice open defecation. Unsafe hygiene practices are widespread, compounding the effects on people’s health. The impact on child mortality rates is devastating, with more than 297,000 children under five who die annually from diarrheal diseases due to poor sanitation, poor hygiene, or unsafe drinking water.

By managing our water sustainably, we are also able to better manage food production and energy, and contribute to decent work and economic growth. Moreover, we can preserve our water ecosystems, their biodiversity, and take action on climate change. Water and sanitation are essential to the future of sustainable development.

Events and Articles

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Showing 1 - 10 of 72 results

40th UN-Water Meeting

The newly appointed UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Water and approximately 130 UN-Water Members, Partners, and observers discussed links between the water agenda and the three Rio Conventions, and brainstormed priority collaborative actions to advance the UN System-wide Strategy on Water and Sanitation.
Event 4 November 2024 - 5 November 2024

10th Session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Water Convention (MOP 10)

The meeting reaffirmed the fundamental role of transboundary water cooperation for peace and sustainable development. Delegates adopted a Programme of Work and budget 2025-2027, and another 24 decisions, including on "source-to-sea" governance.
Conference of the Parties (COP) 22 October 2024 - 25 October 2024

39th UN-Water Meeting

UN-Water Members, Partners with Special Status, Partners, and Observers engaged in a world café style brainstorming session on five issues related to the UN system-wide strategy for water and sanitation.
Event 12 March 2024 - 13 March 2024

38th UN-Water Meeting

Meeting for the first time since the UN 2023 Water Conference, participants focused on ensuring an effective and ambitious follow-up to the Conference, including the rollout of actions and processes to ensure commitments are achieved, and momentum is gained, for implementing and achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 by 2030.
Event 18 August 2023 - 19 August 2023

SDG 6 and Water Action Agenda Special Event

The 2023 edition of the SDG 6 Special Event focused on the outcomes of the UN 2023 Water Conference, including the almost 830 commitments included in the Water Action Agenda.
Event 17 July 2023

UN 2023 Water Conference

Forty-six years after the last major UN water conference, the international community convened to advance efforts to provide safe water and sanitation for humanity. By the conference’s end, there was agreement to establish a UN Special Envoy for Water, renewed political momentum, and more than 700 voluntary commitments and pledges.
Event 22 March 2023 - 24 March 2023

37th UN-Water Meeting

Delegates were hopeful their collaborative efforts would garner the momentum needed to bring SDG 6 to the fore, as “the poorest and most vulnerable cannot wait any longer for water and sanitation to transform their lives."
Event 5 December 2022 - 6 December 2022

14th Session of the Conference of the Contracting Parties (COP14) of the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar Convention)

Delegates adopted 21 resolutions, including several intended to increase the scope and diversity of engagement in the work of the Wetlands Convention. These included promoting the role of Indigenous Peoples and local communities in wetland management, connecting with youth, and expanding synergies and cooperation with other multilateral environmental agreements.
Conference of the Parties (COP) 5 November 2022 - 13 November 2022