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

European Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage Laboratory Infrastructure

ECCSEL 2017 Trondheim Norway F g

European Chemicals Agency

ECHA 2007 Helsinki Finland D g

European Chlorinated Solvent Association

ECSA 1989 Brussels Belgium E

European Christian Organisations in Relief and Development

EU-CORD 1997 Brussels Belgium E y

European Clinical Research Infrastructure Network

ECRIN 2004 Paris France D

European College of Aquatic Animal Health

ECAAH 2014 Messina Italy E

European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization

CENELEC 1973 Brussels Belgium D

European Conference of Triga Reactor Users

Istanbul Türkiye S c

European Cooperation in Science and Technology

COST 1971 Brussels Belgium E g

European Decontamination Institute

EDI 2013 Brussels Belgium D

European Dental Hygienists Federation

EDHF Stockholm Sweden D

European Distribution System Operators' Association for Smart Grids

EDSO 2010 Brussels Belgium D

European Drinking Water Cooler Association

EDWCA 2001 Saunderton UK G

European Engine Power Plants Association

EUGINE Frankfurt-Main Germany G

European Federation for Freshwater Sciences

EFFS 2005 D

European Federation of Clean Air and Environmental Protection Associations

EFCA 1996 Pfinztal Germany D y

European Federation of National Associations of Water and Waste Water Services

EurEau 1975 Brussels Belgium D

European Federation of Waste Management and Environmental Services

1981 Brussels Belgium D

European Fismeal and Fish Oil Producers

European Fishmeal 1963 Copenhagen Denmark E t

European Greenways Association

EGWA 1998 Madrid Spain D

European High Temperature Reactor Technology Network

HTR-TN 2000 Brussels Belgium F

European Hygienic Engineering Design Group

EHEDG 1989 Amsterdam Netherlands E

European Infrastructure for Translational Medicine

EATRIS 2013 Amsterdam Netherlands D

European Institute of Research on Water Policy

2007 Brussels Belgium F j

European Investment Casters' Federation

EICF 1955 Redditch UK D

European Irrigation Association

EIA 1991 Brussels Belgium D

European Lighting Clusters Alliance

ELCA 2011 Piombino Dese Italy D

European Multidisciplinary Seafloor and water-column Observatory

EMSO Rome Italy E

European Network for Economic Cooperation and Development

EUCED Lisbon Portugal G

European Network for Qualitative Inquiry

ENQI 2017 Leuven Belgium F

European Network of Experimental and Representative Basins

ERB 1986 Liptovsky Mikulas Slovakia F

European Network of Freshwater Research Organisations

EurAqua 1993 Helsinki Finland D

European Network of Political Foundations

ENoP 2006 Brussels Belgium F

European Noise Barrier Federation

ENBF 2009 Brussels Belgium D

European Pesticide Residue Workshop

EPRW S c

European Plant Science Organisation

EPSO 2000 Brussels Belgium D y

European PPP Operating Companies in Infrastructure and Services

E3PO 2008 Brussels Belgium D y

European Rail Infrastructure Managers

EIM 2001 Brussels Belgium D y

European Recycling Platform

ERP 2002 Cernusco sul Naviglio Italy F

European Regional Centre for Ecohydrology of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Lodz

ERCE PAS 2006 Lódz Poland E g

European Small Islands Federation

ESIN 2001 Westport Ireland F

European Society for Literature, Science and the Arts

SLSAeu Basel Switzerland D

European Society for Sonochemistry

ESS 1990 Milan Italy D

European Suppliers of Waste to Energy Technology

ESWET 2004 Brussels Belgium D

European Tissue Symposium

ETS 1971 Brussels Belgium F

European Transport Workers' Federation

ETF 1958 Brussels Belgium E

European Underwater Federation

EUF Faverges France D

European Union for Responsible Incineration and Treatment of Special Waste

EURITS 1993 Mechelen Belgium D

European Union of Water Management Associations

EUWMA 1996 The Hague Netherlands D

European Utilities Telecom Council

EUTC Brussels Belgium E

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