COVID-19 - UN-Water and World Health Organisation warn Governments report insufficient funding for hygiene measures
- June 5, 2020
- Posted by: Elaine Coles
- Category: Global, Investment and Finance, Water Issues
UN-Water and the World Health Organisation have warned that Governments are reporting insufficient funding and human resources needed to implement hygiene measures during the Coronavirus crisis.
The warning comes in a new publication setting out their findings on how governments and external support agencies (ESAs) are supporting hygiene and sanitation measures during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Launching the publication – Hygiene: UN-Water GLAAS findings on national policies, plans, targets and finance – UN-Water and WHO said that understanding how governments and external support agencies (ESAs) are addressing hygiene is critical during the COVID-19 pandemic and will continue to be so after. Approaches to increase handwashing with soap and provide infrastructure for hygiene, as well as activities to promote and complement hygiene practices, contribute to improved public health.
The report summarizes data collected by the UN-Water Global Analysis and Assessment of Sanitation and Drinking-Water (GLAAS) initiative led by the World Health Organization.
Hygiene: UN-Water GLAAS findings covers the national policies, plans, targets and finance governments and ESAs are putting in place governments to enable hygiene promotion, facilities and handwashing with soap.
Key messages
The report’s key messages are:
- Countries have national policies and plans for hygiene; however, they lack the financial and human resources to fully implement them.
- Governments report insufficient funding for hygiene to achieve national targets.
- Household expenditures are high compared to government expenditure.
- Hygiene data are limited in availability and quality.
- The lack of an internationally agreed-upon definition of hygiene provides challenges for reporting on and comparing hygiene data
The UN-Water and the World Health Organization (WHO) have acknowledged the financial support provided by the following organisations to produce the report:
- Agence Française de Développement (AFD), France;
- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF);
- Department for International Development (DFID), UK ;
- Directorate-General for International Cooperation (DGIS), the Netherlands;
- Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Switzerland
Click here to download Hygiene: UN-Water GLAAS findings on national policies, plans, targets and finance