April 20, 2012
USAID officially joins Sanitation And Water For All partnership
Washington, DC - WaterAid welcomes today’s announcement by USAID Administrator
Dr. Rajiv Shah that USAID will join the Sanitation and Water for All
(SWA), a global multi-stakeholder partnership that brings developing and
donor countries together with civil society to tackle the water and
sanitation crisis.
Water and sanitation ministers from nearly 50 countries debated a joint Ministerial statement to inform today's High-Level Meeting of the Sanitation and Water for All Partnership, setting out ambitious commitments.
WaterAid/ Dermot Tatlow/ Panos Pictures
David Winder, CEO of WaterAid in America said, “We are thrilled that the
US government will officially join the partnership. WaterAid is one of
the original members of this dedicated group working toward universal
access to safe drinking water and sanitation. The decision to join the
partnership is a strong indication of the US government’s commitment to
the sector."
The lives of 2.5 million people around the world
would be saved each year if everyone had access to safe water and
adequate sanitation, according to a new report released this week by
WaterAid.
Governments could save more lives and help reduce poverty by meeting their international commitment to invest in sanitation and to fully achieve this MDG target.
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David Winder, CEO, WaterAid, America
The report,
Saving lives, (PDF 190KB) highlights that if governments meet the
Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target to halve the proportion of the
world’s population without sanitation by 2015, the lives of 400,000
children under age five will be saved worldwide – over 100,000 in
Nigeria alone.
Winder said, “We all profess to care about the
world’s children. Governments could save more lives and help reduce
poverty by meeting their international commitment to invest in
sanitation and to fully achieve this MDG target. The need for action is
overwhelming—1.4 million child deaths each year can be attributed to
poor sanitation and lack of access to safe drinking water. Only the
combined weight of our expertise will shrink this number to zero.”
The
US government announcement that it will join the partnership is a
critical step toward making these commitments real, in collaboration
with civil society and other governments from around the world. In
addition, broader participation in SWA will enhance efforts to build
capacity and strengthen developing country governments and civil
society, enabling them to save more lives.
The announcement was
made as 70 ministers from governments around the world attended the SWA
High Level Meeting on April 20, 2012 in Washington DC. The SWA meeting
this week is part of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank
spring meetings and brings together governments, NGOs, the private
sector and civil society.
For interview requests or additional information, please contact Susannah Gold, Media Officer, WaterAid, on + 1 917 207 5375 /
sgold@wateraidamerica.org
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The
Saving Lives: sanitation and water for all would save 2.5 million lives every year
report can be
downloaded here
(190KB)
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The Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) partnership is the key global inter-governmental partnership that brings developing and donor countries together to tackle the water and sanitation crisis. The SWA High Level Meeting will take place in Washington DC on April 20, 2012. The High Level Meeting is part of the official World Bank / IMF Spring Meeting program. More information about the Sanitation and Water for All partnership can be found here:
www.sanitationandwaterforall.org