Water for People
Co-Chairs:
Ghana and Switzerland
Co-Convenors:
WHO and UNICEF
The human rights to water and sanitation, including for those in vulnerable situations, for healthy societies and economies
Context
During the UN 2023 Water Conference, Interactive Dialogue 1 focused on “Water for Health” and highlighted the urgent need to close the global Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) access gap as a matter of public health, equity, and resilience. The dialogue underscored the vital role of WASH in preventing disease, reducing child mortality, enabling safe health care delivery, and supporting gender equality and dignity, particularly for women, girls, and people in vulnerable settings. A recurring message was the need for stronger integration of WASH within national health plans, climate policies, and emergency preparedness strategies as well as the importance of investing in WASH for schools, health care facilities, and humanitarian contexts. The dialogue reinforced the idea that accelerating progress on WASH is essential to achieving SDG 3 (health), SDG 6 (water and sanitation), and multiple other goals. It called for political leadership, increased financing, and improved accountability to deliver on commitments and ensure no one is left behind.
The theme for this dialogue in 2026 would focus on SDG 6 targets 6.1 (drinking water), 6.2 (sanitation and hygiene), and 6.3 (wastewater and water quality). It would also build on the connections with SDG 2 (zero hunger), SDG 3 (health), SDG 5 (gender equality), and SDG 10 (inequalities).
As of 2024, more than 2.2 billion people still lack safely managed drinking water, 3.5 billion are without safely managed sanitation, and 2 billion people still lack basic hygiene services. Around the world, 77% of schools have a basic drinking water service in 2023, while 447 million children lacked a basic drinking water service at their school. Seven out of 10 women and girls aged 15 and older are mainly responsible for fetching water, compared to men and boys3 – placing them at risk of gender-based violence and undermining their health, education, and economic participation. Rural communities continue to lag significantly behind their urban counterparts, with access to basic WASH services often three times lower in rural areas.
At the same time, water quality is deteriorating in many regions. Untreated wastewater, agricultural runoff, industrial effluents, and plastic pollution are contaminating freshwater sources, exacerbating waterborne diseases and undermining both environmental and human health. This is particularly acute in vulnerable and conflict-affected areas, where service disruption, population displacement, and infrastructure breakdown further compound health risks. UNICEF estimates that 420 million children (nearly one in five) will be living in areas affected by armed conflict and fragility and by 2030, and that children under the age of 15 who are living in conflict are on average nearly three times more likely to die from diseases linked to unsafe water and sanitation than from direct violence. In 2022, 108.4 million people were forcibly displaced, mostly by conflict: 40% were children. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) recognizes a crucial role for WASH in managing crisis-related mobility. Climate change is intensifying water scarcity and variability, placing additional stress on water availability and disproportionately affecting the most marginalized communities.
Data and Trends
Challenges
With only five years left to achieve the SDGs, progress towards SDG 6 continues to be well below the pace needed to meet the targets by 2030. Chronic underinvestment in resilient WASH infrastructure, especially in rural and underserved areas, limits the expansion of equitable services. A whole systems transformation is required to address these challenges. Weak governance, institutional fragmentation, lack of capacity, aging infrastructure that has not been managed or maintained for sustainable service delivery, and inadequate regulatory enforcement often lead to poor service quality and unequal access.
To ensure the enjoyment of the rights to water and sanitation by all, the needs of those furthest behind must be prioritized, including women, girls, persons with disabilities, people experiencing homelessness, slum dwellers, asylum seekers, among others. Gender and social inequalities with women, girls, persons with disabilities, and displaced populations mean they are frequently excluded from decision-making and left without services that meet their specific needs. Climate change further complicates the landscape, undermining the reliability of water sources and increasing the frequency and intensity of water-related disasters. Meanwhile, water pollution and insufficient wastewater management continue to jeopardize human and ecological health. With rapid population growth and accelerating urbanization, there is an additional strain on already fragile water and sanitation systems, particularly in informal settlements and peri-urban areas.
Despite the recognition of safe drinking water and sanitation as human rights in several international human rights treaties as well as through UN General Assembly Resolutions 64/292 (2010) and UN Human Rights Council resolution 15/9 (2010), progress remains insufficient. A lack of disaggregated data and weak accountability mechanisms make it difficult to monitor progress or ensure policies and investments are reaching the populations most in need.
Opportunities
Despite these challenges, there are significant and timely opportunities to accelerate progress. Embedding human rights principles into national legal and policy frameworks and budgets strengthens accountability and guide investments toward those left behind. Human rights-based approaches to WASH can empower communities to participate and hold dutybearers accountable. Gender-responsive and socially inclusive programming can address longstanding disparities. The elimination of discrimination and inequalities accelerates the achievement of universal access to water and sanitation for all.
Improving water quality through better regulation and investment in sustainable wastewater treatment and sustainable water infrastructure is essential. Integrated approaches, such as the One Health Framework, can foster collaboration across sectors to address water-related risks. In humanitarian and fragile contexts, strengthening the WASH humanitariandevelopment-peace nexus can ensure that emergency responses are resilient, and linked to longer-term development outcomes.
Realizing the human rights to water and sanitation requires a shift in how we design and deliver services to achieve equitable distribution—placing people at the center, targeting inequality, and anchoring actions in legal obligations. When fulfilled, these rights serve as a powerful catalyst for healthier communities, stronger economies, and more equitable societies.