The COVID-19 pandemic is a reminder of the crucial role of safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services as a first line of defense in preventing and controlling the spread of infectious diseases. However, safe access to water and sanitation should not be taken for granted in the pan-European region: despite significant progress, over 16 million people lack access to essential drinking water, and more than 31 million are in need of basic sanitation. Moreover, significant inequities persist between rural and urban areas, and vulnerable and marginalized communities, such as homeless people, nomadic populations, and people living in informal settlements, face systemic barriers to accessing WASH services. At the same time, efforts to ensure access to water and sanitation need to go hand in hand with enhancing the climate resilience of WASH services. Indeed, if WASH services are not designed, built, and operated in a way that enables them to withstand the increasing impacts of climate change, risks would increase for human health and well-being, as well as for the environment, including water-related ecosystems.

The objective of the project is to strengthen the capacity of policymakers and water and wastewater operators in target countries in the UNECE region to develop and implement policies and measures aimed at ensuring equitable access to climate-resilient water, sanitation and hygiene services for inclusive COVID-19 recovery and enhanced resilience in the water and sanitation sector. The project seeks to address diverse challenges in an integrated manner and combines an equity lens with a focus on climate change resilience in the WASH sector. Additionally, the project is designed with a human rights approach and will contribute to the progressive realization of the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation. The project further integrates a gender perspective, which is indispensable to make sure that WASH services are adequate and acceptable for all users and that they do not contribute to the preparation of discriminatory practices.