3 July 2017: The Water Supply & Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) is investigating the situation of migrants and refugees in humanitarian emergencies, and will present the findings at a workshop co-organized with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in September 2017. Separately, WaterAid and clothing company H&M have launched a partnership to provide water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in schools.

The WSSCC-UNHCR workshop will take place on 27 September 2017, during the Human Rights Council (HRC) session in Geneva, Switzerland. Titled ‘Leave No One Behind: WASH in Humanitarian Emergencies,’ the workshop will highlight UN Member States’ obligation to ensure access for all to WASH facilities, without discrimination. The information to be presented is drawn from consultations with refugees and migrants in Ventimiglia, Italy and Assam, India.

From 2008-2016, WSSCC activities provided access to “improved” toilets for 12.8 million people, hand-washing facilities for 20 million, and helped end open defecation for over 15 million people.

The WSSCC is a multi-stakeholder partnership of more than 3,600 members from 141 countries, including governments, NGOs, and water sector professionals. Its 2016 Progress Report highlights the achievements made possible through its funding arm, the Global Sanitation Fund (GSF), since the fund was established in 2008. The GSF has received more than US$117 million for activities in 13 countries, contributed by the governments of Australia, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.

In 2016, the fund provided for WASH professionals to take part in 10 inter-country study exchange programmes with the aim of promoting ideas, innovation and good practice. The GSF is the only global fund specifically focusing on sanitation and hygiene, and WSSCC Director Chris Williams highlighted the GSF’s contribution to achieving target 6.2 of the SDGs (sanitation for all). For instance, from 2008-2016, WSSCC activities provided access to “improved” toilets for 12.8 million people, and hand-washing facilities for 20 million, while helping to end the practice of open defecation for over 15 million people.

In other sanitation news, WaterAid and the H&M Foundation announced their partnership on a three-year program to provide WASH in schools. An exhibition connected with the project demonstrates the experience of water scarcity from the perspective of schoolchildren, and will be on display during World Water Week in Stockholm, Sweden, under the name ‘Noori Tales: Stories from the Indus Delta.’ [WSSCC Press Release on Workshop] [GSF Progress Report 2016] [UN-Water Press Release] [WaterAid Online Gallery]