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Sanitation

Sanitation must be a global priority, covering access, evacuation, treatment and reuse of waste. While the world has set itself the goal of universal access to sanitation by 2030, more than 1.5 billion people do not have satisfactory access to basic sanitation services, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Objectives

Access to toilets for all is a priority that must also be accompanied by measures to manage domestic wastewater. In developing countries, around 90% of domestic and industrial wastewater is discharged untreated, polluting habitats, water supply resources and ecosystems (UNEP-UN-Habitat, Sick Water, 2010). The consequences of these delays are enormous in terms of public health, gender equity, preservation of freshwater ecosystems, and economic and social development.

To improve this situation, the members of the French Water Partnership make the following recommendations:

  1. Access to basic sanitation for all must remain a global priority, as stipulated by the human right to sanitation declared by the United Nations General Assembly in 2010;
  2. Sanitation access projects must be systematically combined with hygiene promotion campaigns. Improving sanitation facilities is not enough;
  3. In implementing international initiatives, all stages of the sanitation cycle must be taken into account, from collection to treatment and valorization.

Actions should be implemented through four strategic guidelines:

  1. Develop access to collective and non-collective sanitation and hygiene;
  2. Collect and discharge wastewater;
  3. Treat wastewater and runoff;
  4. Depending on local needs and uses, valorize and reuse treated effluent and sludge.

The involvement and empowerment of local stakeholders is essential. Local authorities have a key role to play in implementing and improving local public water and sanitation services. Each local authority should have its own strategy, drawn up in consultation with all local stakeholders in response to local demands and needs. The collaboration that needs to be developed requires acknowledgement and dialogue between the various stakeholder groups (local authorities, associations, private companies, users), along with training and technical assistance.

Establishing sustainable financing mechanisms based on local or national resources is essential to the long-term viability of the system, in particular through the implementation of the “3Ts”: Tariffs, Taxes and Transfers.

It is important to set up international monitoring mechanisms for access to sanitation and wastewater management.