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 Carbon Reduction and Offset Alliance

ICROA 2008 Geneva Switzerland E

International Center for Aquaculture and Aquatic Environments

1970 Auburn AL USA G

International Center for Biosaline Agriculture

ICBA 1999 Dubai United Arab Emirates E

International Center for Integrated Water Resources Management

ICIWaRM Alexandria VA USA G

International Center for Promotion of Enterprises

ICPE 1974 Ljubljana Slovenia E gy

International Center for Urban Water Hydroinformatics Research and Innovation

ICUH 2008 Incheon Korea Rep G

International Center on Qanats and Historic Hydraulic Structures, Yazd

ICQHS 2005 Yazd Iran Islamic Rep E

International Centre for a Water Civilization

1998 Mogliano Veneto Italy G

International Centre for Coast Ecohydrology

ICCE 2009 Faro Portugal E y

International Centre for Infrastructure Futures

ICIF London UK N

International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development

ICIMOD 1981 Kathmandu Nepal E g

International Centre for Sustainable Carbon

ICSC 1975 Gloucester UK E g

International Centre for Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems

SDEWES Centre Zagreb Croatia G

International Centre for Water Cooperation

ICWC Stockholm Sweden G

International Centre for Water Hazard and Risk Management

ICHARM 2006 Ibaraki Japan G g

International Centre for Water Management Services

cewas Willisau Switzerland G

International Centre for Water Resources and Global Change

ICWRGC Koblenz Germany E g

International Centre of Water for Food Security

IC Water Wagga Wagga NSW Australia G

International Chemical Trade Association

ICTA 1991 The Hague Netherlands E t

International Christian Aid Relief Enterprises

ICARE 1982 Surry Hills NSW Australia G

International Cleantech Network

ICN 2009 Copenhagen Denmark F

International Co-operative Alliance

ICA 1895 Brussels Belgium A y

International Commission for the Hydrology of the Rhine Basin

1970 Utrecht Netherlands D g

International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River

ICPDR 1998 Vienna Austria E gy

International Commission for the Protection of the Water Lake Geneva

1962 Nyon Switzerland G

International Commission for the Rights of Aboriginal Peoples

ICRA International 1988 Fontenay-sous-Bois France E

International Commission of the Meuse

1998 Liège Belgium E g

International Commission on Atmospheric Chemistry and Global Pollution

ICACGP 1957 Bremen Germany E v

International Commission on Biological Effects of Noise

ICBEN 1968 The Hague Netherlands E v

International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage

ICID 1950 Delhi India B

International Commission on Large Dams

ICOLD 1928 Paris France B

International Commissions for the Protection of the Moselle and Saar

ICPMS 1961 Konz-Saarburg Germany E g

International Committee of the Red Cross

ICRC 1863 Geneva Switzerland F v

International Committee on Contaminated Land

ICCL 1993 Vienna Austria E

International Committee on Food Microbiology and Hygiene

ICFMH 1953 Girona Spain E v

International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS

ICW 1992 F v

International Confederation of Cleft Lip and Palate and Related Craniofacial Anomalies

ICCPCA 1969 E v

International Confederation of Contamination Control Societies

ICCCS 1972 Istanbul Türkiye D

International Confederation of Water Transport Workers' Unions

ICWTWU 1992 Moscow Russia D

International Conference on Air Quality - Science and Application

Hatfield UK S c

International Conference on Artificial Reefs and Related Aquatic Habitats

CARAH S c

International Conference on Chemical Reactors

CHEMREACTOR S c

International Conference on Clean and Green Energy

ICCGE 2012 S c

International Conference on Emerging Contaminants

EmCon S c

International Conference on Engineering for Waste and Biomass Valorisation

WasteEng S c

International Conference on Environmental Contamination

Edinburgh UK S c

International Conference on Gas-Liquid and Gas-Liquid-Solid Reactor Engineering

GLS Rugby UK S c

International Conference on Marine Waste Water Discharges and Coastal Environment

S c

International Conference on Mercury as a Global Pollutant

ICMGP S c

International Conference on Water Jetting

1972 Bedford UK S c

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