Healthcare facilities are critical for vulnerable populations, yet inadequate water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) can turn expected care into inadvertent harm, according to Dr. Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe. He stressed that strengthening healthcare systems is essential for resilience during crises. In response, a UN-led meeting in Budapest saw more than 40 countries adopt a programme aimed at building more resilient and equitable WASH systems in healthcare and other public facilities.
The 7th session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Protocol on Water and Health, co-led by the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and WHO, highlighted the Protocol as the only legally binding international treaty explicitly linking environmental protection, water governance, and public health. It has helped countries translate commitments into tangible improvements, such as expanding safe drinking water, protecting biodiversity, and strengthening disease surveillance.
Despite progress, major challenges persist. In Europe, 118 million people use healthcare facilities lacking basic sanitation, 70 million lack safely managed drinking water, and 185 million lack safe sanitation. These vulnerabilities are being exacerbated by climate-related events like droughts and floods, as well as emerging threats such as cyberattacks. UNECE Executive Secretary Tatiana Molcean emphasized that while multilateral cooperation is making an impact, significant work remains.
The Protocol provides practical, evidence-based tools, including an equitable access scorecard and water safety planning, which are in use in over 30 countries. To date, it has supported more than 1,500 facility assessments and informed policies in schools, hospitals, and urban planning. Countries across the pan-European region have committed to safe water and sanitation for all through initiatives like the Budapest Declaration and the Sustainable Development Goals, with the Protocol providing guidance on practical implementation.
Concrete actions under the Protocol include ensuring safe water, sanitation, and menstrual hygiene in schools, monitoring wastewater for viruses such as COVID-19, controlling Legionella bacteria in domestic water systems, and developing plans for carbon-neutral water services. Ahead of the UN climate summit in Brazil, UNECE urged governments to integrate water and sanitation systems into climate resilience strategies, a point reinforced by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who noted that progress on water and sanitation underpins multiple Sustainable Development Goals.
