The World Health Organization (WHO) has developed its water, sanitation, hygiene (WASH) and waste strategy 2026–2035, outlining how it will strengthen its contribution to improving health through WASH actions within and beyond the organization, according to a press release published by UN-Water on 20 July 2026. The strategy defines a decade-long roadmap for WHO’s engagement with partners, investors, and member states. It sets out how the agency plans to align its work with global health and development priorities. The plan responds to persistent gaps in access to safe water and sanitation worldwide. It also addresses emerging pressures on WASH systems across all regions.
WHO’s vision for WASH is “to substantially improve health through the safe management of water, sanitation and hygiene services in all settings”. This vision guides the strategy’s overall direction and priorities. It reflects a long-standing commitment by WHO to health-centered WASH action. The strategy builds on progress achieved since 2015. It also acknowledges the scale of work still required to close service gaps.
Unsafe WASH still drives at least 1.4 million preventable deaths each year. Climate shocks, outbreaks, migration and ageing infrastructure present additional challenges to global WASH progress. Despite gains since 2015, 2.1 billion people still lack safely managed drinking water. This figure includes 106 million people who drink directly from untreated surface sources. The strategy is designed to help address these persistent risks.
In addition, 3.4 billion people still lack safely managed sanitation, including 354 million who practise open defecation. To respond, the strategy aims to reinforce and strengthen WHO’s relationship with WASH partners. It seeks to mobilize investment for the sector over the coming decade. It also strengthens alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals, the UN System-wide Strategy for Water and Sanitation, and relevant regional policy frameworks. The approach builds on synergies between the SDGs, health and WASH.
The 2026–2035 strategy consolidates WHO’s approach to WASH and waste across the next ten years. It focuses on partnerships, investment, and policy alignment as its core pillars. The document is available for download from the WHO publications platform. It provides the reference framework for WHO’s WASH engagement over the coming decade. Further updates from across the UN-Water family are published on the UN-Water news channel.
