Latest WASH news from WHO No images? Click here In this issue:
Next week, from June 25 to 27, governments from over 20 countries will convene in Kathmandu, Nepal for the first Global Sanitation Summit. Supported by UNICEF, WaterAid and WHO, this summit aims to accelerate progress towards universal access to safely managed sanitation. WASH sector alignment and coordination are crucial to shift towards safely managed sanitation and system strengthening. Addressing gaps in understanding safely managed sanitation (SMS) and climate-resilient sanitation (CRS) in national policies, regulations, standards and implementation is necessary to accelerate progress. WHO and UNICEF are aligned through the UNICEF Game Plan to Reach Safely Managed Sanitation 2022–2030, the WHO Guidelines on Sanitation and Health, and the Sanitation Safety Planning approach, and are ready to accelerate progress on sanitation by aligning and collaborating further with other partners to maximize impact and ensure sustainable progress. The Summit will:
Our next newsletter will provide a full recap of the event. Nature Calls – Why Sanitation is the Logical Starting Point for Fighting Climate ChangeIn September 2021, Hurricane Ida dropped more than six inches of rain on New York City in a matter of hours. Roughly half of that rainfall, 3.15 inches, fell within the first hour—nearly twice the rate the city’s infrastructure was designed to handle. At 11am that day, I got a call from my daughter’s school in the outskirts of the NYC metropolitan area asking me to collect my daughter ASAP. The school basement was filling with water … fast. By the end of the day, the school was shuttered, and the surrounding community evacuated. Recording of the Webinar on Monitoring the Strength of WASH Systems and a Call for EvidenceOn 17 June, WHO, UNICEF and the World Bank held a joint webinar on the initiative to define and agree upon core indicators to monitor the strength of WASH systems and a common monitoring and review framework through a process of sector-wide multi-stakeholder consultation. The recording of the webinar is available here. A next step in the initiative is to draft a discussion paper to inform the definition of the core indicators and common monitoring and review framework. The discussion paper will address:
Call for evidencePlease share any relevant frameworks and indicators to be considered in the discussion paper by the extended deadline of 19 Julywashmonitoring@who.intGTFCC WASH Working Group Annual Meeting: Key Outcomes for WASH & CholeraThe Global Task Force on Cholera Control (GTFCC) held its WASH Working Group (WWG) Annual Meeting on 17-18 June in Geneva. The meeting aimed to refine the WWG's vision and objectives in line with the GTFCC roadmap to end cholera by 2030. The meeting focused on three main objectives: strengthening rapid containment of cholera outbreaks, enhancing water, sanitation and hygiene services in cholera hotspots, and improving collaboration for technical support and resource mobilization. A significant outcome was the development of a zero draft outlining the vision for 2030. This draft emphasizes achieving basic access to water and sanitation in all cholera-prone areas and sets priorities such as creating evidence-based documentation, developing WASH data tools and integrating WASH plans into national strategies. The meeting concluded with a reinforced commitment to the GTFCC roadmap, highlighting the importance of sustainable WASH solutions to eliminate cholera as a public health threat Join WHO and partners on Tuesday, 25 June, from 08:00 to 09:15 EST for a webinar on the importance of investing in menstrual health and hygiene (MHH) and using data to direct resources effectively. The event will cover how MHH supports the SDGs, monitor progress and discuss the return on investment in MHH for education, health and the economy. Learn about new data on MHH in households and schools and explore current initiatives and opportunities for further investment. Register here to join this important discussion. Scene and Heard: Singapore, the Philippines and UgandaThis week, WHO's Jennifer De France (second from left above), drinking-water quality lead, and Batsi Majuru (above right), lead expert in drinking-water and sanitation regulation and water quality testing, presented at the Singapore International Water Week, themed "Water Quality and One Health." The event focused on the connection between water quality and public health, addressing issues such as climate change and environmental contaminants. Boni Magtibay from WHO's Philippines office, Arabella Hayter from WHO headquarters, and memnbers of the World Plumbing Council collaborated this week on the first Plumbing for Health + WASH FIT initiative, supporting advances in water, sanitation and hygiene in health care facilities in the country. New collaborative series on WASH & Neglected Tropical Diseases: Impact in ActionImpact in Action is a new collaboration between WHO and the NNN NGO Network. The series, which will be published periodically over the next year, presents practical application of the approaches presented in WASH and health working together: a ‘how-to’ guide for neglected tropical disease programmes, second edition. Designed for NTD programme implementers and their partners at both country and global levels, Impact in
Action uses creative communications to elevate understanding, encourage advocacy and foster networking around work on WASH and NTDs. The first title, Prevention in action: changing behaviours to fight Dengue, was launched in connection with the 15 June World Dengue Day. High-Level Political Forum 2024: SDG 6 and Water Action Agenda Special EventThe 2024 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) will be held from 8 to 18 July at the UN Headquarters in New York, under the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). The theme is "Reinforcing the 2030 Agenda and eradicating poverty in times of multiple crises." On 16 July, from 10:00 to 13:00 and 15:00 to 18:00 EDT, the SDG 6 and Water Action Agenda Special Event will take place in Conference Room 11. This event focuses on global water and sanitation issues, featuring the launch of the UN System-wide Strategy for Water and Sanitation and the SDG 6 Global Acceleration Framework Case Studies from Cambodia, Czechia and Jordan. Participants will discuss global water issues, updates from international water events, the 2026 UN Water Conference, WASH in health care facilities, the Water Action Agenda, and more. Fast facts from the 2024 JMP schools reportMenstrual products are not always readily available, with many unable to afford them. In sub-Saharan Africa, for example, only 1 in 8 schools (12%) provide menstrual materials for free or for purchase.Spotlight from Q&A on small water supplies
Answer: WHO currently does not have any plans to work on this, but is aware that CAWST has worked on SI sheets for household water treatment. We welcome further exchanges on this. WHO resources on household water treatment and safe storage (HWTS) can be accessed here, including a toolkit for monitoring and evaluating HWTS. Editor's Note: The question above is extracted from participant questions during the global launch of the WHO guidelines. The full Q&A document is available here. News briefs
|