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High-level meeting on water, sanitation kicks off in Ethiopia

Xinhua, March 16, 2016 Adjust font size:

A two-day high-level meeting of ministers and representatives responsible for water and sanitation kicked off Tuesday in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa.

Organized under the aegis of the Sanitation and Water for All partnership (SWA), the UN Child fund (UNICEF) and the Ethiopian government, the meeting is to deliberate on ways of achieving targets on universal access to water, sanitation and hygiene as called for in the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In his remarks at the opening of the meeting, Kevin Rudd, newly-appointed Chair of SWA and former Prime Minister of Australia, noted that the SDGs demand greater coordination and new modalities of finance.

"The Sustainable Development Goals demand both greater coordination and new modalities of finance. We need more money, and smarter ways to use the money we have," Rudd said.

Mulatu Teshome, President of Ethiopia, said the meeting would be a milestone to collectively break down the critical barriers to achieving sustainable sanitation and drinking water for everyone in the world.

"Ethiopia stands ready to share its experiences on the ONEWASH national program. Ethiopia seeks to identify best practices that we can learn from other members of the SWA partnership," said the president.

Since 2013, Ethiopia has been implementing the ONEWASH national program by undertaking various activities on water and sanitation sector.

According to the latest estimates, 32 percent of the world's population lack improved sanitation facilities, and 663 million people still do not have access to improved drinking water sources.

And diarrheal diseases caused by lack of access to clean water and sanitation, coupled with poor hygiene practices, kill 800 children under 5 years old every day.

Anthony Lake, UNICEF Executive Director, has called for more investment and better integration of different sectors towards achieving progress on water and sanitation sector.

"Safe, sustainable water, and equitable, adequate sanitation and hygiene underpin all the progress we hope to make, and have to make, for children in the next 15 years," said the UNICEF Executive Director.

"We need to invest more, better integrate our efforts across sectors, and innovate to find new ways of reaching every child, every family, and every community," said Lake. Enditem