Thank you Chair.

On behalf of the Permanent Missions of the Philippines and Hungary as co-chairs of the Group of Friends in support of WASH in Healthcare Facilities, along with a core group consisting of Colombia, Egypt, Nepal, and Poland, I am pleased to introduce the resolution before us entitled “Sustainable, safe and universal water, sanitation, hygiene, waste and electricity services in health care facilities.” 

In 2019, Member States committed through a World Health Assembly resolution to meet the target of universal access to water, sanitation, waste management and hygiene services in health care facilities by 2030.

Although some progress has been made since that resolution, many critical gaps remain. It is deeply concerning that one in five health care facilities lacks basic water, one in five has no sanitation, one in two lacks basic hand hygiene; one in four does not segregate health care waste, and furthermore, one billion people access health care facilities without reliable electricity or without electricity access at all.

The situation is most dire in the least developed countries where, for example, only 21% of health care facilities have basic sanitation services, whereas, the target for 2025 is 80%.

Fully functioning WASH, waste and electricity services are a crucial aspect of preventing infections, reducing anti-microbial resistance (AMR), ending preventable maternal and newborn deaths, and responding to outbreaks and emergencies.

The political declarations of the recent health-related high-level meetings approved by the heads of state, recognized the importance of water, sanitation, hygiene, waste management and electricity services in health-care facilities for health promotion, disease prevention and the safety of both patients and health workers, and highlighted the need for urgent universal and equitable access to these services as a crucial aspect of pandemic prevention, preparedness and response as well as functioning of health systems in general. It is crucial to translate this political endorsement into action on the ground.

Considering population growth, climate change, and urbanization, ensuring these services in healthcare facilities is an integral part of delivering health across the SDGs.

The present resolution focuses on three main areas where action is urgently needed:

• Integrate WASH, waste and electricity services into health planning, programming, financing and monitoring at all levels
• Regularly monitor and review progress, and strengthen accountability
• Develop and empower the health workforce to deliver and maintain WASH, waste and electricity services, and practice good hygiene.

With this resolution, it is our intent to ensure that the discussions on sustainable, safe and universal WASH, waste and electricity services are integrated in other high-level relevant discussions here in the UN, in particular on Universal Health Coverage, Antimicrobial Resistance and interlinkages across the SDGs, among others.

We wish to thank the WHO teams, both here in New York and Geneva, for the Secretariat support they provided Member States on this important issue. 

Excellencies and colleagues, from Geneva, we have brought this important issue here in New York, to the attention of the General Assembly in response to a very clear and urgent need for stronger multilateral collaboration to strengthen and consolidate Member State commitments, leadership and investments.

We thank those who have already co-sponsored the resolution and invite others to likewise register their support and co-sponsor the same, to facilitate real and transformative impact on the ground.

Thank you. END