The Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) has just joined the global call to action for water and sanitation. The project was initiated in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
“As long as there is no vaccine or treatment against Covid-19, there will be no better cure than prevention,” underlines the global platform SWA (Sanitation and Water for All), dedicated to the achievement of goal 6 of sustainable development, which aims to ensure accessibility and sustainable management of water, sanitation and hygiene for all. In its declaration, published on May 14, 2020, hand washing with soap and water was presented as the best weapon to fight the virus and this requires access to sufficient running water.
To achieve this, heads of state, government and heads of UN agencies, international financial institutions, civil society, the private sector, research and learning from Africa and elsewhere have recently mobilized around a call to prioritize action on water, sanitation and hygiene issues in response to the coronavirus. The Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC), also known to become the Sanitation and Hygiene Fund by 2021, a global and scalable fund designed to effectively support the world’s poorest and most neglected to achieve the sustainable development (SD) goal on sanitation and hygiene, has joined the signatories to underline its belief that decision-making by governments, in collaboration and with multiple stakeholders, leads to more effective and sustainable solutions.
“By joining this vital and timely call, we underline the need for a scalable Global Fund that can effectively address the sanitation and hygiene crisis through a transformative and long-term approach,” said Hind Khatib-Othman, Executive Chair of the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC). “We urge world leaders to increase investment in sanitation, hygiene and menstrual health through the new Sanitation and Hygiene Fund,” she adds.
The signatories commit to five goals
WSSCC and other signatories have agreed to provide access to water, sanitation and hygiene and to eliminate inequalities (leave no one behind, take care of people with Covid-19). Objective: to also work in collaboration with all stakeholders in a coordinated manner to improve water and sanitation services in order to protect populations from the pandemic.
Also as part of this global action, Signatories will ensure that water and sanitation systems are resilient and sustainable to protect human health and to support national health systems. They will also prioritize the mobilization of funds to support countries in their response to this crisis by providing long-term solutions for access to water, sanitation and hygiene for all.
The Heads of State, Government and Heads of UN agencies, international financial institutions and civil society will finally provide accurate, transparent and rational information, based on scientific facts and accessible to all.
Inès Magoum
