Opinion Pieces Discuss SDG 6, To Ensure Availability To, Sustainable Management Of WASH

Huffington Post: Tapping the Power of Water
Jan Eliasson, deputy secretary general of the United Nations

“…Sustainable Development Goal 6 presents an opportunity to address the entire water cycle: access, quality, efficiency, and the integrated management of water resources and related ecosystems. Success will require holding governments to account, strengthening systems, and addressing the full life-cycle of people. … [Furthermore, more] is at stake than individual health; international security is at risk. Experts have identified water as the number one global risk in terms of significant negative impact on countries in the coming decade. Water can either be a source of conflict or cooperation. The choice should be obvious…” (9/9).

The Guardian: Three reasons why businesses win by providing clean water, taps, and toilets
Hannah Greig, private sector adviser at WaterAid; MaiLan Ha, adviser at the CEO Water Mandate and senior research associate at the Pacific Institute; and Sara Traubel, associate on water at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development

“…Universal access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) cannot be achieved without the private sector. … While implementing standards in a company’s own operations should be straightforward, a number of companies find it difficult to ensure access to water and decent toilets in their supply chains. … Overcoming such challenges requires the involvement of top-level management to get taps and toilets on the corporate agenda. That means gathering hard data to demonstrate the impact of interventions. From social and environmental concerns to market opportunities, there are compelling reasons for businesses to prioritize water stewardship” (9/9).

Huffington Post: Water Is a Human Right
Megan MacGarry, communications and campaigns officer at End Water Poverty

“…We need to hit the ground running on WASH, not least to enable later gains on other goals that can’t be achieved without progress on WASH. To do this, we need to work together. By working in partnerships, such as the Sanitation and Water for All partnership, across all sectors, with a range of stakeholders, we can maximize our impact, and ensure a loud and sustained global demand for universal access to sustainable water, sanitation, and hygiene for all…” (9/9).

Huffington Post: All Global Goals Must Flow Through Water
Jordan Teague, associate director for WASH Integration at WASH Advocates

“…We know that improving access to safe drinking water, proper sanitation, and hygiene prevents disease, but it has many other impacts as well. Not only does access to WASH provide health, safety, and dignity to community members and households, but it also reaches nutrition, education, gender, and more. The goals are ambitious, but doable. A holistic approach is needed and that starts with ensuring access to water, sanitation, and hygiene for everyone” (9/9).

Huffington Post: The One Vital Area of Development That Should Shame and Shock Us All
Chris W. Williams, executive director of the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council

“…It is time that politicians and decision-makers in the health sector recognize the importance of WASH. As we enter into the era of post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals, it is our collective responsibility to invest in solutions and to make sanitation for all a development priority. … Sanitation interventions are one of the most effective ways to improve the health, economic prosperity, and dignity of the world’s most disadvantaged populations. It is not merely the right thing to do. It is essential for guaranteeing a world of equal rights, sustainable development, and dignity for all” (9/9).

The KFF Daily Global Health Policy Report summarized news and information on global health policy from hundreds of sources, from May 2009 through December 2020. All summaries are archived and available via search.

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