Saving lives: sanitation and water for all would save 2.5 million lives
On 20 April 2012, ministers from around the world will meet in Washington DC to discuss how to address the crisis in safe water supply, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). This will be the second High Level Meeting of the Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) partnership. Launched in 2010, SWA brings together developing country governments, donors and civil society organisations committed to accelerating progress towards universal access to WASH through increased and more effective investment. The 2012 SWA High Level Meeting is specifically calling on world leaders to keep their promises and to support the 57 countries currently most off-track to achieve their MDG targets for sanitation. WaterAid estimates that if these countries achieve their MDG targets for sanitation by 2015, at least 400,000 additional children’s lives would be saved. This short paper highlights why the meeting is so important, sets out the case for investment in WASH, and summarises what needs to be done to get countries back on track.