Global Civil Society & the UN Sustainable Development Goals

Goal 6: Ensure access to water and sanitation for all

Clean Water & Sanitation


Access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene is the most basic human need for health and well-being. Billions of people will lack access to these basic services in 2030 unless progress quadruples. Demand for water is rising owing to rapid population growth, urbanization and increasing water needs from agriculture, industry, and energy sectors.

The demand for water has outpaced population growth, and half the world’s population is already experiencing severe water scarcity at least one month a year. Water scarcity is projected to increase with the rise of global temperatures as a result of climate change.

Investments in infrastructure and sanitation facilities; protection and restoration of water- related ecosystems; and hygiene education are among the steps necessary to ensure universal access to safe and affordable drinking water for all by 2030, and improving water-use efficiency is one key to reducing water stress.

There has been positive progress. Between 2015 and 2022, the proportion of the world’s population with access to safely managed drinking water increased from 69 per cent to 73 per cent.

Name Acronym Founded City HQ Country/Territory HQ Type I Type II

International Ground Water Modelling Center

IGWMC 1978 Princeton NJ USA G

International Groundwater Resources Assessment Centre

IGRAC Delft Netherlands E

International Group of Research Reactors

IGORR 1989 Saint-Paul-lez-Durance France E

International HCH and Pesticides Association

IHPA 1998 Holte Denmark D

International Health Cooperative Organisation

IHCO 1996 Barcelona Spain E

International Hydrographic Organization

IHO 1919 Monte Carlo Monaco B g

International Hydrologic Environment Society

IHES Gyeongsan Korea Rep D

International Hydrological Programme

IHP 1975 Paris France F g

International Hydropower Association

IHA 1995 London UK C

International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory

INL 2005 Braga Portugal G g

International Initiative for a Sustainable Built Environment

iiSBE 2001 Ottawa ON Canada F

International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis

IIASA 1972 Laxenburg Austria D j

International Institute for Infrastructure Resilience and Reconstruction

IIIRR Calgary AB Canada D

International Institute for Sustainable Development

IISD 1990 Winnipeg MB Canada F j

International Institute for Water Administration

Sophia Antipolis France K j

International Institute of Administrative Sciences

IIAS 1930 Brussels Belgium B jy

International Institute of Innovative Acoustic Emission

I3AE Kyoto Japan C j

International Institute of Inspiration Economy

IIIE 2015 Hamad Town Bahrain D j

International Institute of Noise Control Engineering

IINCE 1974 Zagreb Croatia C j

International Institute of Refrigeration

IIR 1908 Paris France B gj

International Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning Association

IKECA 1989 Philadelphia PA USA N

International Labour Organization

ILO 1919 Geneva Switzerland B g

International Life Saving Federation - Americas

1993 Galveston TX USA E

International Life Saving Federation of Europe

ILSE 1994 Bad Nenndorf Germany E

International Lignin Institute

ILI 1991 Orbe Switzerland E j

International Lithosphere Program

ILP 1980 Columbia MO USA F

International Maritime Organization

IMO 1948 London UK B g

International Medical Corps

IMC 1984 Los Angeles CA USA G

International Medical Health Organization

IMHO 2004 Columbus OH USA G

International Mine Water Association

IMWA 1979 Lakewood CO USA C

International Network for Water and Ecosystem in Paddy Fields

INWEPF 2004 Tokyo Japan F

International Network of Basin Organizations

INBO 1994 Paris France F g

International Network of Water Training Centres

INWTC 2008 Paris France D

International Network on Children's Health, Environment and Safety

INCHES 1998 Ellecom Netherlands F

International Network to Promote Household Water Treatment and Safe Storage

INHWTS 2003 Geneva Switzerland F

International Occupational Hygiene Association

IOHA 1987 Burton on Trent UK D

International Ocean Noise Coalition

IONC 2002 Wädenswil Switzerland F y

International Office for Water

IOW 1991 Paris France E

International Oil Pollution Compensation Funds

IOPC Funds 1978 London UK F fg

International Oil Spill Conference

IOSC 1969 Washington DC USA S c

International Organisation of Vine and Wine

OIV 1924 Dijon France C gy

International Organization for Educational Development

IOED 2014 Delhi India G v

International Organization for Natural Bathing Waters

2009 Bremen Germany D

International Organization for Standardization

ISO 1947 Vernier Switzerland B

International Organization for Water Operators Partnerships

WOPS International Barcelona Spain J

International Orienteering Federation

IOF 1961 Karlstad Sweden C

International Orthodox Christian Charities

IOCC 1992 Baltimore MD USA G

International Paleolimnology Association

IPA 2006 E

International Peatland Society

IPS 1968 Jyväskylä Finland C

International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association

IPIECA 1974 London UK F yt

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