As the Water Action Decade reaches its halfway mark, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has highlighted the alarming reality that billions of people worldwide still lack access to safe drinking water and sanitation. Mr. Gilbert F. Houngbo, the ILO Director-General, emphasized that nations must urgently act on their promises to drive transformation towards a water-secure world.
In a paper titled “Protecting the Rights to Water,” Mr. Houngbo stressed the critical importance of safe and adequate water and sanitation, comparing it to the air we breathe. He stated that living without these basic necessities, even temporarily, poses a significant existential threat and leads to dangerous and destabilizing conditions.
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) recognized the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation in 2010 and 2015, respectively, acknowledging that these rights are interconnected with all other human rights and align with the objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Mr. Houngbo emphasized that the human right to water entails providing sufficient, safe, and affordable water for personal and domestic use, including drinking, sanitation, hygiene, and food preparation. Similarly, the human right to sanitation requires accessible and affordable access to safe and hygienic sanitation that respects privacy and dignity.
Despite the established obligations on Member States to protect these rights, many people around the world continue to be deprived of safe water and sanitation. This gap in access to basic necessities, especially for children, has devastating consequences and hinders the progress towards achieving SDG 6 by the end of this decade.
The ILO Director-General called for renewed efforts to fulfill Agenda 2030’s vision of universal access to safe water and sanitation, urging nations to take concrete actions to bridge the gap and create a water-secure world for all.
 calls on nations to urgently act on their pledges and drive transformation towards a water-secure world. Highlighting the interconnectedness of these basic human rights with all other SDGs, the ILO emphasizes the need for renewed efforts to fulfill Agenda 2030's vision of universal access to safe water and sanitation.){kind=link}