‘Strong local government needed to achieve universal access to water and sanitation’

Four leading international water, sanitation and hygiene organisations—namely International Red Cross, Wateraid, Aguaconsult, and Water for People—have joined hands to help achieve universal water and sanitation needs of the world. The organisations presented a set of shared principles to achieve universal access to water and sanitation by 2030.

Central in their view were local governments and strong national systems. “Universal access to water and sanitation services can only last with government leadership and political commitment, and when policy makers and service providers are held to account for responsive services that reach all communities,” the organisations stated in their shared principles.

With one in three people worldwide still lacking access to a basic toilet and 750 million without clean water, achieving the sustainable development goal on water and sanitation will take a tremendous global effort.

The four organisations said that WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) had a fundamental role in the broader poverty-eradication agenda and were committed to achieving the goal by 2030. “This target date is non-negotiable if we are to deliver on the internationally agreed Sustainable Development Goals,” they said. They called on other sector stakeholders to join them and adopt the principles.

The principles will be presented for discussion during thematic events this year as the World Water Week this August 2015 in Stockholm, and the Water and Health conference this October in North Carolina.

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