Global Water Security & Sanitation Partnership (GWSP) – Rising to the Challenges of 2020

Nov 16, 2020 | Jennifer J. Sara
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The year 2020 has been shaped by interlocking crises: the COVID-19 pandemic that threatens to roll back years of hard-won development progress, the struggles of delivering the water-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the impacts of climate change that continue to devastate communities across the world. 

First, the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted to the world the critical need for water to not only prevent the spread of the disease, but also to revitalize economies, employment opportunities, health outcomes, and the environment. This year starkly demonstrated the tremendous gaps in access to water supply, sanitation, and hygiene services, which are particularly evident in COVID-19 hotspots, health care facilities, informal settlements, and fragile and conflict-affected states.