Billions remain unserved as world races towards meeting the SDGs

Abstract

Some three in ten people worldwide, or 2.1 billion, lack access to safe, readily available water at home, while six out of ten or 4.5 billion, lack safely managed sanitation. This is according to the latest Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) report, Progress on drinking water, sanitation and hygiene: 2017 update and Sustainable Development Goal baselines. The JMP is a joint initiative of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The JMP has produced regular estimates of global progress on drinking water, sanitation and hygiene since 1990. The 2017 update is the most comprehensive assessment to date, and establishes the first global estimates for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) targets that deal with access to sustainable water and sanitation services. The SDG targets call for universal and equitable access for all, which implies eliminating inequalities in service levels. The targets also include hygiene, which was not addressed in the Millennium Development Goals.

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