Access to water and sanitation is a universal right

19.11.2015, Chiredzi District, Zimbabwe. Toilet facilities at the Ruware primary school. — Access to water and sanitation is a human right. Schoolchildren washing their hands in front of the toilet facilities at the Ruware primary school in Chiredzi District, Zimbabwe. © Andreas Steiner, SDC

Today, around 844 million people have no access to safe drinking water. The SDC is working to ensure that people have reliable supplies of drinking water and adequate sanitation. Recognised as a human right since 2010, access to drinking water and sanitation are essential to meeting basic human needs.

SDC focus

Water is common property, and access to drinking water and sanitation is a human right. The SDC works to ensure that people have adequate supply of drinking water and access to sanitation and treatment plants enabling them to maintain adequate hygiene. Switzerland has extensive expertise in the field of water that is recognised across the globe and supports a range of activities:

applied research and innovation
financing to improve access to water and wastewater disposal worldwide
developing new approaches to services and new partnerships with the private sector (water stewardship)
upscaling of infrastructure programmes. It also provides capacity building and training to ensure that facilities function properly.

The SDC brings the practical experience it has gained to political dialogue between governments, the private sector and civil society in order to promote mutual learning and support the implementation of workable, sustainable solutions.

Background

According to the UN, around 844 million people currently have no access to drinking water. Furthermore, 2.3 billion people live without adequate sanitation facilities and 892 million still practice open defecation. Poor sanitation conditions alone cause 80% of the diseases prevalent in developing countries. Around the world, 1,000 children under the age of five die every day from diarrhoeal diseases as a result of drinking contaminated water. However, in many cases the problem is not due to a shortage of water as such but rather to the absence of national and international funding commitments to provide access to water of suitable quality where it is needed. For that reason, the SDC seeks to cooperate with all stakeholders in developing a system that in the long term will enable everyone to enjoy access to clean drinking water.

Current projects

Capacity Building for Low Carbon and Climate Resilient City Development in India (CapaCITIES)

01.08.2024 - 31.07.2026

India’s 8000+ cities contribute to more than 70% of its GHG emissions and are highly vulnerable to climate change impacts. The CapaCITIES exit phase will consolidate results of the Ph. 1 and 2 of the Indo-Swiss collaboration on low carbon and climate resilient urban development, support institutionalisation for autonomous implementation of Net-Zero Climate Resilient City Action Plans by cities, and disseminate and upscale results at the national level.

Boosting collective action for improved water quality management

01.08.2024 - 31.07.2028

Using a water stewardship approach, the programme aims to improve the quality and management of water as a shared resource, while ensuring sustainable business development in the Greater Mekong Region. In this 2nd phase, Switzerland will continue to support the World Wide Fund for Nature’s engagement with small and medium enterprises as well as other stakeholders, to reduce water pollution and improve water governance at river basin level.

Assistance multisectorielle pour les populations affectées par les déplacements, Beni & Oicha, Nord Kivu

22.07.2024 - 31.07.2026

Les conflits armés à l’est de la RDC entrainent des déplacements récurrents de population, des violences sur les civils, la perte de moyens d’existence ainsi que des besoins humanitaires importants. Dans la continuité des deux phases antérieures, cette intervention vise à renforcer la résilience des populations affectées par les conflits par une intervention en sécurité alimentaire, moyens de subsistance et eau, hygiène et assainissement, dans 4 zones de santé du territoire de Beni, au Nord Kivu.

Production des Connaissances et Appui Institutionnel pour une gestion intégrée des Ressources en Eau au Tchad - ResEau

01.06.2024 - 31.05.2028

Le Tchad subit fortement les effets du changement climatique avec des pluviométries aléatoires. Le sous-sol du Tchad dispose d’un important potentiel en eau. Faute de compétences nationales, ces ressources en eau restent très peu mobilisées. La DDC renforce, à travers ce projet, les compétences et les connaissances nationales pour favoriser une gestion durable de ces ressources et contribue ainsi à la résilience du Tchad face aux changements climatiques.

Provision of CCCM, protection and social cohesion responses to Sudan crisis affected populations in Renk and Manyo Counties, Upper Nile

01.06.2024 - 31.12.2024

To respond to the needs of the growing number of refugees and returnees crossing the border into South Sudan due to the ongoing crisis in the Sudan, both in camp and host community settings. The intervention will improve CCCM, WASH2 and protection in Renk town, in the Transit Center (TC) at Renk and in the Reception Centre (RC) in Joda and Manyo.

UNICEF – Improving drinking water quality in Lebanon

01.06.2024 - 31.05.2026

Lebanon’s water sector is at risk of collapse. Therefore Switzerland, in partnership with UNICEF supports the provision of safe water through the public service. The proposed intervention is critical to the water sector and serves as emergency support to the population to avoid impacts of collapsed water systems such as cholera. It also lays the ground for longer-term improved water quality in Lebanon.

Integrated Water Resources Management in Kosovo (IWRM-K)

01.05.2024 - 30.04.2029

Switzerland assists water sector related governments, civil society and private sector stakeholders in Kosovo in the development/implementation of a national integrated and sustainable water resources management framework. Support activities combined with capacity development and awareness building will contribute to enhanced conservation, protection, quality and equitable distribution of water resources. Thus the project also contributes to good governance, reduced risks of internal and transboundary water-related conflicts, the mitigation of climate change impact as well to enhanced the health of the population.

Direct action Chad WASH Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)

01.04.2024 - 31.12.2024

Chad hosts over 565’000 refugees from the recent crisis in Sudan, adding to the 595’000 refugees already residing in the country. Acces to safe drinking water is one of the biggest challenges for the Humanitarian actors. SDC provides material to Médécins sans frontiers. for analysing potential water sources and distributing the drinking water obtained. Two SHA experts will introduce the material during a short mission to Chad.

UNICEF, EMOPS Geneva, Core Contribution 2024-2025

01.01.2024 - 31.12.2025

The Office of Emergency Programmes (EMOPS) ensures that the United Nations Children’s Fund’s (UNICEF) role in complex emergencies is clearly defined, the organization properly equipped and prepared to deliver its mandate to support the needs of children. SDC’s support to EMOPS in Geneva enables UNICEF to lead inter-agency humanitarian coordination, response and standard setting in Water and Sanitation (WASH), Education, Nutrition and Child Protection.

National Water Resources Management Project in Uzbekistan (NWRM)

01.01.2024 - 31.12.2027

The project supports the water sector reform through the development and operationalization of strategic and regulatory framework based on a full-fledged integrated water resources management approach, embracing all water users and multi-actors’ space aligned with administrative changes. This will allow to achieve climate change resilience, food and water security, increased water productivity and improved livelihoods of the rural population in Uzbekistan.

Core Contribution to the International Secretariat for Water (ISW)

01.01.2024 - 31.12.2028

A sustainable and equitable water governance and a secured access to safely managed drinking water, sanitation and hygiene are at the base of Switzerland’s efforts for having a Sustainable Development Goal 6 on water. The International Secretariat for Water is a Canada based non-governmental organisation promoting an active civil society by focussing on youth, women and indigenous people. It acts as a facilitator for political processes in support of concrete water projects.

Social Water Entrepreneurship - Catalyzing Impact with Innovative Finance

01.01.2024 - 31.08.2030

Innovative collaboration with the private sector is needed to achieve SDG 6. This program – implemented by Aqua for All and co-financed by the Dutch government - enhances access to private capital for high impact small and medium sized enterprises (SME) in the field of water, sanitation and hygiene, facilitating sustainable water and sanitation services in Least Developed and Lower-Middle Income Countries through two key innovative finance instruments: Impact-Linked Financing to SMEs and Impact Finance first loss investments in structured funds investing in water SMEs.