Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH)

    Reliable water supplies and access to sanitation have been recognised as human rights. They also constitute a separate goal (SDG 6) under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and they play an important role for achieving other SDGs, for instance those on health, food security, gender equality, education, and climate action. That is why the German Development Ministry (BMZ) is continuing to expand its support for SDG 6.

    A person washes their hands at a well in Yei, South Sudan.

    At present, the international community is far off track on achieving SDG 6. Over two billion people have no reliable access to safe drinking water. Some 3.5 billion people have no safely managed sanitation. And about two billion people have no handwashing facility with soap and water available at home.


    German activities

    Development activities in the field of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) are an effective and very cost-effective way of reducing poverty and improving people's overall living conditions. The BMZ's goal is to put a stronger focus on the importance of WASH and to mainstream this topic across sectors in international processes.

    The Ministry is also assisting its partner countries in improving WASH services in public facilities such as schools and health centres. Based on close cooperation with national line ministries, the BMZ supports both education campaigns and infrastructure development. Another area addressed by German activities is the improvement of water and wastewater management in order to foster human, animal and environmental health (One Health).

    German development cooperation programmes to foster WASH are increasingly relying on a holistic approach, which involves systems strengthening. Efforts address all interrelated factors, such as policies and legislation, institutions, planning, financial resources, infrastructure, regulations, accountability, monitoring, water management, learning and adaptation. It is important to take account of the dynamic interactions between these factors in order to ensure that people enjoy permanent, universal access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene.

    In line with its strategy on feminist development policy, the BMZ is putting a special focus in its WASH activities on the rights and interests of girls and women and other marginalised groups. This focus includes support for improved menstrual health and hygiene, and the construction of accessible, gender-separated toilets (see also Water and gender).

    In detail

    As at: 13/06/2024