Global norms and capacity building: Hand hygiene for All (HH4A)

Good hand hygiene is a highly cost-effective public health measure, and a cornerstone of safe and effective health care. It is crucial to protecting against a range of diseases. It is also critical to combatting antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The Hand Hygiene for All Global Initiative aims to implement WHO’s global recommendations on hand hygiene and work to ensure lasting infrastructure and behavior. This WHO and UNICEF-led initiative calls for countries to lay out comprehensive roadmaps to ensure hand hygiene is a mainstay of infection prevention and control (IPC) and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) efforts. The Global Initiative is designed around three stages: Responding to the immediate pandemic, Rebuilding infrastructure and services, and Reimagining hand hygiene in society. New Hand Hygiene Guidelines for Community Setting are forthcoming.

Collaborating Entity(ies)

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)

Contributing Action Number

CA1.36

Primary Entry Point

1: Lead and inspire collective action

Additional Entry Point(s)

2: Engage better for countries

Output(s)

Output 1.1: Water and sanitation issues are a strategic leadership priority for the UN System

Output 1.2: Action is inspired by compelling and unified UN system communications and messaging on water

Output 2.1: Expertise and resources are fully leveraged by the UN system to support countries, with emphasis on the water and sanitation needs of developing countries

Output 2.2: Diverse stakeholders and partnerships are mobilized by the UN system to support countries’ progress on water and sanitation

SDG 6 Target(s)

SDG target 6.4: Increase water-use efficiency and ensure freshwater supplies

Type of Engagement

Convening of stakeholders

Policy advice and thought leadership

Normative support (e.g. development of normative guidance, guidelines and standards)

Capacity development and technical assistance

Geographical Scope

Global level

More Information

https://www.who.int/initiatives/hand-hygiene-for-all-global-initiative

Leading Entity

World Health Organization (WHO)

United Nations System-wide Strategy for Water and Sanitation

The Contributing Actions are key initiatives supporting the United Nations System-wide Strategy for Water and Sanitation, aligning individual and joint efforts across UN entities and partnering organizations to advance global water and sanitation goals. These actions are integrated into the Collaborative Implementation Plan (CIP) Results Framework 2025-2028, which provides a structured approach to achieving system-wide impact through coordinated UN efforts.
The Priority Collaborative Actions outlined in the framework focus on enhancing water security, improving governance, strengthening climate resilience, and accelerating progress on sanitation and hygiene. By fostering system-wide collaboration among UN agencies, these actions help drive policy coherence, knowledge sharing, and innovative solutions to address the world’s most pressing water challenges.