Sixty-fourth session
Item 55 (a) the provisional agenda*
Sustainable development: implementation of Agenda 21,
the Programme for the Further Implementation of
Agenda 21 and the outcomes of the World Summit on
Sustainable Development
Report of the Secretary-General
Summary
Despite significant efforts by Governments, organizations and other stakeholders, progress has been somewhat slow and uneven towards reaching the Millennium Development Goal target of halving, by 2015, the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation: 41 per cent of the global population — some 2.5 billion people — still lack access to basic sanitation facilities.
In its resolution 61/192, entitled "International Year of Sanitation, 2008", the General Assembly encouraged all States, the United Nations system and all other relevant stakeholders to increase awareness of the importance of sanitation and to promote action at all levels. Not only did the Year provide an opportunity to put the issue of sanitation in the spotlight, it galvanized the efforts and thinking of the international community to work more effectively and coherently. Advocacy efforts during the Year attracted widespread interest and inspired wide-ranging actions and partnerships.
This momentum is expected to continue well beyond the Year with the key message that sanitation matters and is an important development issue. However, future efforts will need to approach the sanitation issue in a much broader context and encompass all its aspects, including provision of basic sanitation services, sewerage, and wastewater treatment and reuse.
* A/64/150.
