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

International Crisis Aid

ICA 2000 St Louis MO USA G

International Cultural Diversity Organization

ICDO Vienna Austria J

International Dark-Sky Association

IDA 1988 Tucson AZ USA G v

International Data Centre on Hydrology of Lakes and Reservoirs

HYDROLARE 2009 St Petersburg Russia E g

International Desalination Association

IDA 1984 Topsfield MA USA C

International Ecological Engineering Society

IEES 1993 Wädenswil Switzerland D

International Economic Association Interatomenergo

IEA Interatomenergo 1973 Moscow Russia D eg

International Electrotechnical Commission

IEC 1906 Geneva Switzerland C

International Emergency Management Organization

IEMO 2006 Nouakchott Mauritania C g

International Emissions Trading Association

IETA 1999 Geneva Switzerland D

International Environmental Specimen Bank Group

IESB Dessau-Rosslau Germany C

International Environmental Technology Centre

IETC 1992 Osaka Japan E g

International Eurasia-Press Fund

IEPF 1992 Baku Azerbaijan F f

International Federation of Angling in Fresh Waters

1972 Rome Italy K

International Federation of Dental Hygienists

IFDH 1973 Rockville MD USA D

International Federation of Private Water Operators

AquaFed 2005 Paris France C

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

1919 Geneva Switzerland B

International Food and Agribusiness Management Association

IFAMA 1990 Corvallis OR USA D

International Forum on Sustainable Value Chains

ISVC 2013 Horgen Switzerland F

International Foundation for the Protection of Drinking Water

1983 Auckland New Zealand G f

International Friendship League

IFL 1926 Ross-on-Wye UK F y

International Fund for Agricultural Development

IFAD Rome Italy F fg

International Gas Union

IGU 1931 London UK C y

International Generator Technical Community

IGTC N

International Grid Trust Federation

IGTF F y

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 Organization

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 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 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

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