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

Trocaire - Catholic Agency for World Development

1973 Kildare Ireland G v

Tunza Southeast Asia Youth Environment Network

SEAYEN Singapore Singapore F

UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo

UNMIK 1999 Pristina Kosovo E g

UN Nutrition

2020 Rome Italy E y

UN-Water

2003 New York NY USA E gy

UNANIMA International

2002 New York NY USA F y

UNESCO Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education

1961 Bangkok Thailand E g

UNESCO Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau for Communication and Information

1948 Delhi India E g

UNESCO Centre for Water Law, Policy and Science

Dundee UK G

UNESCO International Centre for Water Security and Sustainable Management

i-WSSM 2017 Daejeon Korea Rep G g

UNESCO Office for the Pacific States

1984 Apia Samoa E g

UNGSII Foundation

Vienna Austria J f

Union Européenne Contre les Nuisances des Avions

UECNA 1968 Milly-sur-Thérain France D

Union européenne des vétérinaires hygiénistes

UEVH 1966 Brussels Belgium D

Union internationale des services médicaux des chemins de fer

UIMC 1949 Paris France C

Union Latinoamericana de Mujeres

Red ULAM 2008 D

Union of the Electricity Industry - Eurelectric

1999 Brussels Belgium D t

Unione Volontariato Internazionale per lo Sviluppo e La Pace

UVISP-Assisi 1987 Bastia Umbra Italy G

United Mission for Relief & Development

UMR Washington DC USA G

United Nations

UN 1945 New York NY USA A gy

United Nations Children's Fund

UNICEF 1946 New York NY USA F fg

United Nations Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries

UN-REDD Programme 2008 Geneva Switzerland E g

United Nations Commission on Science and Technology for Development

CSTD 1992 Geneva Switzerland E g

United Nations Conference on Environment and Development

UNCED S cg

United Nations Development Programme

UNDP 1965 New York NY USA E g

United Nations Economic and Social Council

ECOSOC 1945 New York NY USA E g

United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

UNECE 1947 Geneva Switzerland E g

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

UNESCO 1945 Paris France B g

United Nations Environment Programme

UNEP 1972 Nairobi Kenya E g

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 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

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