Reducing inequalities through universal access to water, sanitation and hygiene

Rafarasoa, 84, pictured outside her house in Antanetikely village, Tsimialona Fokontany, Fihaonana commune, Analamanga region, Madagascar, February 2019.
Image: WaterAid/ Ernest Randriarimalala

 

Clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene are human rights, to which millions of people have their access denied. Lacking access stops people having an equal chance to be healthy, educated and financially secure. This violation both leads to and stems from growing inequalities that are holding back lives, nations and the entire development agenda. And leaders are doing too little, too slowly, to fix it.

As governments gather at the United Nations for the meeting of the 2019 High-Level Political Forum and the first-ever Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Summit, we urge governments and development actors to: prioritise reaching the furthest behind first; and provide more equitable and inclusive financing for the 2030 Agenda.

Read our four-pager on the deep connections between inequalities and access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), in English, français, español and português: