Global Civil Society & the UN Sustainable Development Goals

Goal 6: Ensure access to water and sanitation for all

Clean Water & Sanitation


Clean, accessible water for all is an essential part of the world we want to live in and there is sufficient fresh water on the planet to achieve this. However, due to bad economics or poor infrastructure, millions of people including children die every year from diseases associated with inadequate water supply, sanitation and hygiene.

Water scarcity, poor water quality and inadequate sanitation negatively impact food security, livelihood choices and educational opportunities for poor families across the world. At the current time, more than 2 billion people are living with the risk of reduced access to freshwater resources and by 2050, at least one in four people is likely to live in a country affected by chronic or recurring shortages of fresh water. Drought in specific afflicts some of the world’s poorest countries, worsening hunger and malnutrition. Fortunately, there has been great progress made in the past decade regarding drinking sources and sanitation, whereby over 90% of the world’s population now has access to improved sources of drinking water.

To improve sanitation and access to drinking water, there needs to be increased investment in management of freshwater ecosystems and sanitation facilities on a local level in several developing countries within Sub-Saharan Africa, Central Asia, Southern Asia, Eastern Asia and South-Eastern Asia.

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

Freshwater Action Network South Asia

FANSA 2007 Lalitpur Nepal E

FRIEND / Hindu Kush-Himalayan

HKH-FRIEND 1996 Kathmandu Nepal K g

FRIEND/Alpine and Mediterranean Hydrology

FRIEND/AMHY 1991 Montpellier France K gv

Fund for Latin American Irrigated Rice

1995 Cali Colombia F fy

Fundação Centro Internacional de Educação, Capacitação e Pesquisa Aplicada em Aguas

HidroEx 2009 Frutal Brazil G fg

Fundación Centro Internacional de Hidrologia Subterranea

FCIHS 1991 Barcelona Spain N f

Gas Infrastructure Europe

GIE 2002 Brussels Belgium D

GCP Europe

1949 Brussels Belgium D

GEMS/Water

1978 Nairobi Kenya K g

Gender and Water Alliance

GWA 2000 Dieren Netherlands B

Gift of the Givers Foundation

1992 Pietermaritzburg South Africa N f

Global Agriculture and Food Security Program

GAFSP 2010 Washington DC USA E g

Global Aid Foundation

1993 F fv

Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives

GAIA 2000 Berkeley CA USA C

Global Alliance for Ministries and Infrastructures for Peace

GAMIP Delta BC Canada C v

Global Alliance for the Rights of Older People

2011 C y

Global Alliance of Social Enterprises in Travel & Tourism

GASET 2021 Bangkok Thailand J

Global Alliances for Water and Climate

GAfWaC 2016 E g

Global Battery Alliance

GBA 2017 Cologny Switzerland C y

Global Biosaline Network

GBN Dubai United Arab Emirates G

Global Cabin Air Quality Executive

GCAQE 2006 London UK C

Global Citizenship Alliance

GCA 2015 Salzburg Austria C

Global Clean Water Desalination Alliance

GCWDA 2015 C

Global Commons Institute, London

1991 London UK G j

Global Community Monitor

GCM 2001 El Cerrito CA USA G

Global Coral Reef Alliance

GCRA 1990 Cambridge MA USA N

Global Development Research Centre

GDRC 2000 Kobe Japan G

Global Diaspora Confederation

GDC 2020 F

Global Engineering Deans Council

GEDC 2008 Fairfax VA USA E

Global Environment and Natural Resources Institute

GENRI 2013 Fairfax VA USA G j

Global Fellowship of Christian Youth

Global Fellowship 1963 Hemel Hempstead UK F

Global Greens

2001 Brussels Belgium F

Global Harmonization Initiative

GHI 2007 Vienna Austria F

Global Hope Mobilization

GLOHOMO Lilongwe Malawi G

Global Hygiene Council

GHC 2006 J

Global Impact

1956 Alexandria VA USA G y

Global Information Infrastructure Commission

GIIC 1995 Washington DC USA G

Global Infrastructure Alliance for Internet Safety

GIAIS 2004 F

Global Infrastructure Basel Foundation

GIB Foundation 2008 Basel Switzerland F f

Global Infrastructure Connectivity Alliance

GICA 2016 Singapore Singapore E y

Global Infrastructure Hub

GI Hub 2014 Sydney NSW Australia E

Global Initiatives for Sustainable Development and Humanitarian Action

GI Kathmandu Nepal G

Global Institute for Disease Elimination

GLIDE 2017 Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates J

Global Institute for Water, Environment and Health

GIWEH 2007 Geneva Switzerland C j

Global Interfaith WASH Alliance

GIWA 2013 Rishikesh India J

Global Lighting Association

2007 Ipswich QLD Australia F y

Global Network for Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production

RECPnet 2010 Vienna Austria F y

Global Off-Grid Lighting Association

GOGLA 2012 Utrecht Netherlands E y

Global Outreach Doctors

2014 Santa Fe NM USA G

Global Parliament of Mayors

GPM 2016 The Hague Netherlands F v

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