The 2021 World Water Week starts today. Its theme – "Building Resilience Faster," will be incorporated into issues such as the climate crisis, water scarcity, food security, health, biodiversity, and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
But the accessibility of clean drinking Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) services are a human right, further reinforced by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
WASH services also play a key role to ensure the ability to exercise other human rights and fundamental freedoms for all persons with disabilities. WASH investments that include persons with disabilities will lead to "Building Resilience Faster".
Call to Action
- All WASH actors need to: Identify Organisations of Persons with Disabilities and Organisations of Older Persons in your context to partner with on inclusive WASH and climate change programmes.
- Governments need to: Consider the ways that climate events and natural disasters disproportionately impact access to WASH for older persons and persons with disabilities.
- Governments and WASH actors: Identify barriers to inclusive WASH and work together with older persons and persons with disabilities to find solutions to design and implement resilient WASH interventions and adaptations that leave no one behind, regardless of gender, age or disability status.
Visit the new resource page on disability inclusive WASH: https://www.internationaldisabilityalliance.org/DisabilityInclusiveWASH to learn more.
