Strengthening the EU’s global leadership on water resilience through water, sanitation and hygiene
Universal access to water and sanitation is crucial for sustainable development, economic empowerment and global security. But progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 6 remains behind schedule. This policy brief highlights how the European Water Resilience Strategy can holistically address global water resilience.
Water-related climate disasters affect 1.42 billion people every year, and exacerbate declining freshwater reserves and water quality.
Universal access to climate-resilient water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services is vital for economic growth, to curb the spread of disease, reduce antimicrobial resistance, and to adapt to climate change. There is a strong return on investment, too, with funding for safe drinking water potentially generating $32 billion globally per year, and proper sanitation yielding $86 billion.
Access to climate-resilient WASH, however, remains underfunded, with the largest finance gap across the SDGs.
The 2023 UN Water Conference emphasised the importance of water, leading to the Water Action Agenda with over 800 commitments, of which the European Union has taken a leading role. The EU has also taken a leading role in promoting global water governance, and has developed its first European Water Resilience Strategy (EWRS) to address water stress and promote sustainability.
To holistically and effectively address global water resilience, this strategy needs to integrate:
Governance
- Through Team Europe Initiatives, ensure EU member states’ water resilience programmes are connected and complement each other, with a focus on climate-resilient water and sanitation services and infrastructure
- Promote the integration of WASH in Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) by leveraging the EU’s expertise in WASH-IWRM integration at basin-level
- Continue delivering the EU’s UN Water 2023 commitments, and build on them in run-up UN Water 2026, ensuring that they align with the development of the COP29 Baku Water Dialogue
Infrastructure and investments
- In the EU’s 2028-2034 Multi-Annual Financial Framework, increase financing for global access to climate-resilient WASH infrastructure, by:
- implementing EU guidelines on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation
- targeting funding and investment allocations on a needs-basis: prioritising grant support for LDCs and partner countries most lagging behind their WASH needs
- Place financing for climate-resilient water and sanitation infrastructure and services at the core of the EU’s international climate agenda
By prioritising WASH investments in its global water resilience strategy, the EU can lead the charge in tackling water insecurity worldwide. This policy brief served as WaterAid and ONGAWA’s input into the European Commission’s consultation, providing evidence and recommendations to best integrate WASH into the (EWRS).
Top image: Rasheeda, 45, and her daughter, Shaista, collect stagnant floodwater to wash their clothes in Johi Tehsil, Sindh, Pakistan.
