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

United Nations Environment Programme

UNEP 1972 Nairobi Kenya E g

United Nations Global Compact

UNGC 2000 New York NY USA F y

United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names

UNGEGN 1959 New York NY USA E g

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

UNHCR 1951 Geneva Switzerland E g

United Nations Institute for Training and Research

UNITAR 1963 Geneva Switzerland E gj

United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei

UNISFA 2011 F g

United Nations International Computing Centre

UNICC 1971 Geneva Switzerland E g

United Nations Mine Action Service

UNMAS 1997 New York NY USA E g

United Nations Non-Governmental Liaison Service

NGLS 1975 New York NY USA E g

United Nations Office at Geneva

UNOG Geneva Switzerland E g

United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction

UNDRR 1999 Geneva Switzerland E g

United Nations Office for Project Services

UNOPS 1973 Copenhagen Denmark E g

United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

OCHA 1992 New York NY USA E g

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

UNODC 1997 Vienna Austria E g

United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia

UNRCCA 2007 Ashgabat Turkmenistan E g

United Nations Regional Information Centre for Western Europe

UNRIC 2004 Brussels Belgium E g

United Nations Sustainable Development Group

UNSDG 1997 New York NY USA E g

United Nations University - Institute for Water, Environment and Health

UNU-INWEH 1996 Hamilton ON Canada K j

United Nations Volunteers

UNV 1971 Bonn Germany F g

United Purpose

UP 1976 Cardiff UK G

United Religions Initiative

URI 1993 San Francisco CA USA F

UnitingWorld

1977 Sydney NSW Australia G

Unity of Nations Action for Climate Change Council

UNAccc 2021 Vadodara India G

Universal Peace and Violence Amelioration Centre

UPVAC 2015 Jos Nigeria G

Universala Medicina Esperanto-Asocio

UMEA 1908 Trier Germany C v

Universities Council on Water Resources

UCOWR 1962 Carbondale IL USA N

University of the Arctic

UArctic 2001 Rovaniemi Finland D

Unto

Orlando FL USA G

UNUM OMNES International Council of Catholic Men

ICCM 1948 Vatican City Vatican C

Urban Climate Resilient Infrastructure & Strategic Planning

UCRISP San Francisco CA USA G

US/Canada Hydrographic Commission

US/CHC 1977 Monte Carlo Monaco K bg

Utility Communicators International

1921 Sandy Springs GA USA N

Utility Economic Development Association

UEDA Larchmont NY USA G

Value Health Africa

VAHA Bamenda Cameroon G

Verdens Skove

1983 Aarhus Denmark G

Verra

2005 Washington DC USA F

VGB PowerTech

VGB 1920 Essen Germany D

VIVAT International

2000 New York NY USA E

WASH Alliance International

WAI 2011 Amsterdam Netherlands G y

WASH United

2010 Berlin Germany G

WASTE

1983 The Hague Netherlands G

Waste Free Oceans

WFO Brussels Belgium F

Waste Free Waters

2011 Klimmen Netherlands G

Water 1st International

2005 Seattle WA USA G

Water and Development Information for Arid Lands Global Network

G-WADI 2004 Paris France F y

Water and Sanitation for Africa

WSA 1988 Ouagadougou Burkina Faso E

Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor

WSUP 2004 London UK G y

Water and Sanitation Programme

WSP Washington DC USA E g

Water Center for the Humid Tropics of Latin America and the Caribbean

1992 Panama Panama E g

Water Engineers for the Americas

WEFTA 2002 Santa Fe NM USA G

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