UN-Water | Coordinating the UN's work on water and sanitation

World Toilet Day 2023 animation of toilet and bird

World Toilet Day 2023: Accelerating Change

World Toilet Day 2023, on 19 November, will focus on the theme of ‘Accelerating Change’. World Toilet Day is an annual United Nations Observance promoted through a worldwide public campaign that encourages action to tackle the global sanitation crisis. Today, there are 3.5 billion people still living without safe toilets and 419 million people still practising ‘open defecation’. In these situations, diseases spread, killing 1,000 children under-five every single day. This global crisis poses a threat to nature...

FAO Rome Water Dialogue 2023

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) will hold its second Rome Water Dialogue from 4-5...

Female farmer, Democratic Republic of the Congo

World Food Day 2023

The World Food Day 2023 campaign, coordinated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), calls...

WMO report: “Climate change undermines nearly all sustainable development goals”

United in Science 2023 states that only 15 per cent of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are on track...

Sustainable Development Goal 6

Billions of people are still living without safely managed water and sanitation. Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 is to ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all by 2030. Achieving SDG 6 is integral to the success of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which aims to end extreme poverty and protect the planet.

2023 Data Drive

Coordinated by UN-Water, the Data Drive involves countries collecting and reporting data on SDG 6 indicators. The 2023 Data Drive focuses on seven SDG 6 indicators: total and industrial wastewater treatment; ambient water quality; water use efficiency; water stress; integrated water resources management; transboundary cooperation; and, ecosystems.

SDG 6 Data Portal

The UN-Water SDG 6 Data Portal brings all the United Nations’ water and sanitation information into one place. Designed for decision-makers, advisors, technical professionals, researchers and students, there are tools to help visualize and analyse the information, creating a clear picture of how the world is progressing towards the various SDG 6 targets.

SDG 6 Progress Reports

Monitoring progress towards SDG 6 helps policy- and decision makers identify challenges and opportunities, set priorities, communicate progress, and generate support and investment. SDG 6 Progress Reports are primarily based on national official data sources, compiled and validated by United Nations custodian agencies.

Be the change campaign

What can you do to help solve the water and sanitation crisis? In 2023, the UN is uniting the world around accelerating progress towards SDG 6. UN-Water is coordinating a global campaign asking people and organizations to ‘Be the change’ they want to see in the world. Choose from a list of #WaterActions and play your part.