The MDGs and the human rights to water and sanitation 2010, para. 7

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Paragraph text: The Millennium Development Goals can offer a valuable vehicle for the progressive realization of economic, social and cultural rights. However, the onset of the global financial and economic crises, on top of the global water, sanitation, food and climate crises, has put the resolution of the Goals at risk. The world appears on track to meet the water target, although there are significant problems when one goes beyond global aggregates and examines regional and in-country disparities. According to the latest estimates, 884 million people worldwide rely on unimproved water sources. Of these, 84 per cent live in rural areas. Sanitation is of greater concern still, as it is one of the least likely to be targets. Some 2.6 billion people worldwide are without improved sanitation and 1.2 billion people - mostly in rural areas - continue to practice open defecation. If the current rate of progress is maintained, the sanitation target will be missed by 13 percentage points, meaning that, by 2015, 2.7 billion people will still be without access to improved sanitation. And even if the targets are met, many people will still not have access to water and sanitation. Hence, efforts to realize access to both sanitation and water must be reinforced.

Body: Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation

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