Author: Yang Zhenbo
What is the UN international agenda on water and toilets? What is the progress of the Sustainable Development Goal on “Clean Drinking Water and Sanitation”?
"The land and water support the people", this is the wisdom left by our ancestors. In a broad sense, "land and water" refers to the entire environment in which a place or a person lives. Economically, it refers to a person's disposable income; socially, it refers to the people he or she contacts and the education he or she receives; ecologically, it refers to water, soil, air, temperature, humidity, etc. In a narrow sense, the water in "land and water" refers to the drinking water that is necessary for our daily life, which can be used for drinking, cooking, washing, etc. As the saying goes, water is the source of life. And soil, as the name suggests, is soil, which is the matrix for the growth of crops, including feces, as the so-called "feces soil". As the population increases, water and soil have restricted people's production and life, and even brought huge negative impacts on people's survival and development. Natural water includes surface water and groundwater, which are unevenly distributed in time and space. Some natural water is not suitable for drinking. For example, some groundwater contains excessive arsenic, which can cause skin discoloration and even induce skin cancer. With the increase of human industrial, agricultural and daily life activities, limited water resources have been polluted by human activities, including biological pollution, making the already limited water resources even more scarce. Feces contains a variety of pathogenic microorganisms, which can be transmitted through water, land, hands, flies and other media, which may lead toCholera, diarrhea, etc.More than 50 diseases.Different regions have differentbathroomThe different levels of civilization in terms of facilities improvement and personal hygiene quality reflectlocalpeople, especially childrenSurvival and nutritionstatus, as well as the economic and educational development.These modernScientific evidence for“The land and water nurture the people”Ancient
Words madeA clearer and more profound interpretation. 
(Photo/Yang Zhenbo)
United Nations attentionWater and toilets are reflected infromon the international agenda since the 1970s.
International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade1981-1990)
International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decadeis based on1976 United Nations Human RightslivePlanning Department（UN-HabitatThe recommendations of the ConferenceIt was proposed at the United Nations Water Conference held in Mar del Plata, Argentina in 1977. Its stated goal is to provide all people with safe water quality, sufficient water and basic sanitation facilities (toilets) by 1990. World Health Organization（WHOIn its statement, it said,"International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade must focus on primary health care, water supply and sanitation must complement each other and serve the development of other health work together, requiring policies and projects to focus on the underserved in rural and urban areas."ten yearsThe tenet of the Decade is closely related to primary health care, and the health departments of various countries often take the lead in implementation. United Nations agencies, international financial institutions, etc. have set up projects and invested funds to support developing countries in improving drinking water and toilet services. From the global implementation situation, there is a certain conflict between the goals of the Decade and the development goals of various countries. In practice, coordination and cooperation between departments are not sufficient. In particular, the design of projects often focuses on water supply (often the responsibility of the government's economic department), while ignoring the improvement of toilets and personal hygiene (usually the responsibility of the social development department). In addition, people have different views on which services can produce the greatest health benefits..China has implemented the World Bank (The water supply and sanitation project supported by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) with a low-interest loan, the hand-pump well water supply and ventilation improved pit latrine pilot project supported by the World Health Organization (WHO), the national drinking water quality monitoring and research project supported by the World Health Organization, and the China Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Institution Improvement and Capacity Building Project supported by the European Community (EC). China's implementation of the "Ten Years" has explored experience and proposed a trinity model that needs to integrate water supply, sanitation and health education in project design and implementation. 
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Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)MDGs, 2001-2015)
existAfter the International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade1990s,United Nations OrganizationOverrepeatedlyCoveredEducation, children, environment, population, etc.Wide range of fieldsStatusDiscussions on development.April 2000,At that timeUN Secretary-General Kofi Annan signed a report entitled "We the Peoples: The United Nations for the Twenty-first Century", which puts forward a practical vision for the United Nations in the era of globalization.existAt the Millennium Summit held in September 2000, 189 countries adopted the United Nations Millennium Declaration. In 2001, the United Nations developed a roadmap for the implementation of the Millennium Declaration.and forThe Millennium Declaration's many commitmentsThe development goals were set, namely8 major goals, 21 sub-goals, and a series of measurable health and economicIndicators.There are 4 sub-goals in the 7 major goals of "ensuring environmental sustainability", includingTargetC Requirements:byBy 2015, the number of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water will be reduced touseHalve the proportion of the population with access to water and sanitation (toilets). 
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During these fifteen years, the United Nations, governments and social organizations of various countries have done their utmost toWorld Health Organization and UNICEF（UNICEF publishes progress reports annually on behalf of the United NationsReport,Urge all countries to do their best.The United Nations named the backwardness and lack of attention of "natural land" in terms of environmental sanitation (toilets)008YearIn the same year, some international organizations and institutions jointly launched the "Global Handwashing Day" (10moon15day),2010In 2000, the United Nations established access to safe drinking water and hygienic toilets as human rights.2013The United Nations will11moon19Established as"World Toilet Day". However, overall, improving toilets is still not a priority for most countries. As a result, the world is on track to meet the water target, but not the toilet target, and there are huge differences between countries. 
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The Chinese government attaches great importance to its commitment to the Millennium Development Goals and has invested a lot of resources in this regard.2009The Millennium Development Goals were achieved six years ahead of schedule in 2010.YearbetweenThere are more than500 million people gained access to improved drinking water sources, bringing the population with access to improved drinking water sources to 95%, of which 98% were in urban areas and 93% were in rural areas.bathroomGreat progress has also been made in improvingAt the end of 2015,havePopulation usage of 76%improveToilets, including64% of rural population and 87% of urban population, achieving the Millennium Development Goals as plannedHowever, between urban and rural areasThere is a huge difference in both quantity and qualitygap.examplelike,ChinaNot using any toiletspopulationaboutfor1%,almostAll in rural areas.
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs, 2016-2030)
In the fifteen years since the MDGs were implemented, the scientific community has conducted a great deal of research, exploring the evidence on the impact of water and sanitation service standards and their improvement on health, education, economy, climate change and other areas.sustainable development goalsIn the comprehensive designright"Clean drinking water and sanitation facilities" (SDG6) puts forward higher and more scientific requirements, including 8 sub-goals and their corresponding evaluation indicators (surface1).The United Nations has used this to rank the goals of various countries.Regular evaluation (report every two years),includeResidential users,Educational institutions and medical and health institutionsImprovements in water, sanitation and hygiene. 
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Goals/targets and specific descriptions
surface1Description of the goals and indicators for water and sanitation services in the Sustainable Development Goals (1)
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Target/Indicators and detailed descriptions |
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6.1 arrive2030equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all |
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6.1.1 Proportion of population using safely managed drinking water services |
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6.2 arrive2030By 2020, ensure that everyone has access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene and end open defecation, particularly addressing the needs of women, children and those in vulnerable situations |
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6.2.1 Proportion of population served by safely managed sanitation facilities, including handwashing facilities with water and soap |
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6.3 arrive2030Improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping, minimizing releases of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater, and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse worldwide |
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6.3.1 Safe treatment of wastewaterpercentage;6.3.2 The proportion of water bodies with good environmental water qualitypercentage |
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6.4 arrive2030Substantially increase water-use efficiency in all sectors and achieve sustainable extraction and supply of fresh water in order to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity by |
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6.4.1 Percentage change in water use efficiency over time; 6.4.2 Water stress level（Freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of total available freshwater resources) |
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6.5 arrive2030By fully implementing integrated water resources management, including through transboundary cooperation, as appropriate |
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6.5.1 Degree of implementation of integrated water resources management (0~100); 6.5.2 Proportion of inter-regional watersheds with cooperative water resource operations arrangements |
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6.6 arrive2030Protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers, and lakes |
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6.6.1 The extent to which water-related ecosystems are changing over time |
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6.a arrive2030Expand international cooperation and capacity-building support for water and sanitation activities to developing countries in the areas of rainwater harvesting, desalination, water efficiency, wastewater treatment, recycling and reuse technologies |
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6.a.1As part of government spending planningandAmount of official development assistance related to sanitation |
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6.b Support local communities’ participation in improving water and sanitation management and enhance theirLevel of participation |
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6.b.1 Business policies and procedures are in place,Percentage of local administrative units that promote participation of local communities in water and sanitation management |
Given the importance of water and sanitation,When the SDGs were first designed, some other areas also set the provision of basic drinking water and toilet facilities as their goals (see Table 2), including SDG1 (poverty eradication), SDG3 (health and well-being), SDG4 (quality education), and SDG11 (sustainable towns).
surface2 WillWater and sanitationAs a necessary conditionSDG target areas (1)
| Goals/targets and specific descriptions |
| 1.4 arrive 2030Ensure equal access for all men and women, especially the poor and the vulnerableThe right to access economic resources and enjoyBasic Services, access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, inheritance, natural resources, appropriate new technologies and financial services, including microfinance |
| 1.4.1 Their families can enjoyBasic service facilitiesProportion of population (including water supply, sanitation and hygiene facilities) |
| 3.8 Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, and access to quality health care for allBasic health careservices, and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all |
| 3.8.1 Basic health servicesCoverage(Medical and health institutions include water supply facilities, environmental sanitation facilities and personal hygiene facilities) |
| 4.a Build and improve child, disability and gender sensitive education facilities that provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all |
| 4.a.1 Provided by the schoolBasic ServicesProportion of services provided by type (including water supply facilities, sanitation facilities and personal hygiene facilities) |
| 11.1 to 2030To ensure that everyone has accessadequate, safe and affordable housing andBasic services and upgrading slums |
| 11.1.1 Proportion of urban population living in slums, informal settlements or inadequate housing (including facilities for water supply, sanitation and hygiene) |
Accelerating progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals
Midway through the SDG deadline, progress remainsslow.Among the eight sub-goals of SDG6, some indicators in some regions and countries are stagnant or even regressing. By the end of 2022, billions of people around the world still lack access to safe water supply, sanitation and hygiene services. Water shortages are becoming increasingly serious in many parts of the world, and conflicts and climate change have made the problem worse. Water pollution is another major challenge that affects human health and the environment in many countries. To achieve the SDG6 goal by 2030, water improvement needs to increase six times the current rate, toilet improvement needs to increase five times the current rate, and the provision of personal hygiene services needs to increase three times the current rate. 
（Photo/UN Water)
To promoteIn the implementation and progress of SDG6, the United Nations not only closely monitors progress and analyzes gaps (JMP), but also uses the Global Analysis and Assessment Programme for Sanitation and Drinking Water (GLASS) to understand the status of countries in governance, monitoring, human resources and financing, and assess deficiencies. In 2020, the United Nations Water Coordination Mechanism formulated the SDG6 Global Acceleration Framework, which focuses on five accelerators: financing, data and information, capacity building, innovation and governance (2). Milestones in 2023 include the United Nations 2023 Water Conference. The goal of the conference is to deepen understanding of the value of water and thus stimulate collective action to achieve the water-related goals of the 2030 Agenda. The “Water Action Agenda” will be developed through thematic dialogues and voluntary commitments by global stakeholders. The subsequent 2023 High-level Political Forum SDG6 in-depth review, the UN Water Mechanism SDG6 Synthesis Report, and the acceptance of water issues in the political declaration of the High-level Forum under the auspices of the United Nations General Assembly led to the formation of the “United Nations System Strategy on Water and Sanitation” (3). In the political declaration, member states pledged to “pay attention to water scarcity and crises and work to promote the transformation from a world full of water crises to a world with sustainable water resources and to ensure that water and sanitation are accessible and sustainably managed for all”. The United Nations General Assembly requested the Secretary-General to present the “United Nations System Strategy on Water and Sanitation” in consultation with member states before the close of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly, in order to strengthen, coordinate and implement water-priority strategies in the United Nations system, and to give special attention to the water-related needs of developing countries, including financing, technology transfer and capacity building. The General Assembly also requested the Secretary-General to provide adequate support for the strategy from existing resources. The strategy requires UN agencies to commit individually and collectively to increase their resolve, strengthen effective cooperation, and use the full resources, expertise, technology and capabilities of the UN system to improve work in the field of water and sanitation. The intention is not to see water and sanitation as an isolated sector, but the UN system as a whole, and to see the multi-sectoral field of water and sanitation as a driver of sustainable development, human rights and peace. The strategy encompasses all aspects related to freshwater, including sanitation. It covers surface and groundwater resources, the interface between freshwater and seawater, quantity and quality of freshwater resources, development, assessment, sustainable management, monitoring and use (e.g. domestic use, agriculture and interaction with soil, and ecosystem needs). The strategy also includes the sanitation cycle (people's access and use, the interaction between sanitation and freshwater, safe disposal and use of waste, including aspects of the circular economy), disaster risks, emergencies, and climate-related water and sanitation challenges.
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The strategy is consistent with other relevant UN documents and complements other existing water and sanitation strategies and plans. The strategy was developed at the midpoint of the Sustainable Development Agenda, incorporating the latest findings, data, information and scientific evidence on global progress, and drawing on the broad and in-depth experience of work in this field over the past decades. The strategy focuses on sustainable development and emphasizesSDG6 itself, and the interlinkages between water and sanitation and other SDGs.
Conclusion
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"Water and soil nourish people", people have gradually reached a consensus based on science that SDG6, namely clean drinking water and sanitation, is the basic goal of all sustainable development goals and the support for sustainable development. The themes of World Water Day and World Toilet Day in 2024 are both related to peace, "Water for Peace”,"Toilets: a Place for Peace”Water and sanitation are central to human life, but safe drinking water and sanitation are threatened for billions of people around the world by conflict, climate change, disasters and neglect.CountriesAll stakeholders need to be united to prioritize water and sanitation investments.promoteAchievement of SDG goals. (The author holds a PhD in Marine Ecology from the University of Hong Kong. He has worked at the Institute of Environment, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, where he conducted research on drinking water safety and participated in the World Bank and the European Community-assisted rural water and toilet improvement projects in China. Before retirement, he served asUNICEF water, environment and sanitation expert. Currently the director of the Toilet Development Research Center of Hainan Asia Public Welfare Research Institute.
References
1.United Nations,Report of the Inter-Agency and Expert Group on Sustainable Development Goal Indicators, E / CN.3/2016/ 2/ Rev.1 Economic and Social Council, 2016. 2.UN-Water, The Sustainable Development Goal 6 Global Acceleration Framework(https://www.unwater.org/our-work/sdg-6-global-acceleration-framework),2020. 3.UN-Water, United Nations System-wide Strategy for Water and Sanitation(https://www.unwater.org/publications/un-system-wide-strategy-for-water-and-sanitation), 2024.
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