https://www.wateraid.org/uk/media/FCDO-Annual-Report
“Today, the UK Government has vowed to push forward with a ‘modern and effective development vision’. Without prioritisation of essentials like clean water, sanitation and hygiene in tackling humanitarian disasters, pandemics and the climate crisis, this vision remains out of reach.
“Water scarcity is a global emergency and is vital to our national security. It bolsters economic growth, cements political stability and ensures we are protected against health crises that don’t respect borders. Yet 1 in 10 people live without it, pushing livelihoods to the brink of insecurity. This is why the British public voted it as their priority for UK aid spending.
"To have any chance of success the UK Government's development vision of the future must be built on the solid foundation of access to water, sanitation and hygiene for everyone, everywhere, to protect both the future of millions in poverty and the British people from the biggest challenges of our time.”
ENDS
For media queries, please contact Safeeyah Kazi-Fehil, Senior Media Officer, safeeyahkazi-fehil@wateraid.org or call WaterAid’s press line on 020 7793 4537, or email pressoffice@wateraid.org.
Notes to editors
About WaterAid
WaterAid is an international not-for-profit determined to make clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene normal for everyone, everywhere within a generation. We work alongside communities in 22 countries to secure these three essentials that transform people’s lives. Since 1981, WaterAid has reached almost 29 million people with clean water, and over 29 million with decent toilets.
For more information, visit our website wateraid.org/uk; follow us on BlueSky or find us on Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram.
- 703 million people in the world – almost one in ten – don’t have clean water close to home.
- 2.2 billion people in the world – more than one in four – don’t have safe water.
- Almost 2 billion people in the world – one in four – lack soap and/or water to wash their hands at home, if they have a place at all.
- 1.5 billion people in the world – almost one in five – don’t have a decent toilet of their own.
- Almost 400,000 children under five die every year due to diseases caused by unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene. That's more than 1000 children a day, or almost one child every one and a half minutes.2
- Investing in safely managed water, sanitation and hygiene services provides up to 21 times more value than it costs.3
- Worldwide, women and girls spend 200 million hours every day collecting water.
1: WHO/UNICEF (2023), Progress on household drinking water, sanitation and hygiene 2000-2022: special focus on gender (accessed 11 Jul 2023)
2: WHO (2023), Burden of disease attributable to unsafe drinking-water, sanitation and hygiene: 2019 update (accessed 24 Jul 2023)
3: WaterAid (2021), Mission-critical: Invest in water, sanitation and hygiene for a healthy and green economic recovery (accessed 1 Nov 2023).
4: UNICEF (2016). Collecting water is often a colossal waste of time for women and girls. (accessed 9 Jan 2024)
