Global norms and capacity building: Sanitation and Health guidelines

Safe and climate resilient sanitation systems are fundamental to protect public health. WHO supports capacity building and implementation through guidelines and tools on sanitation and health. The WHO Guidelines on Sanitation and Health summarize the evidence on the effectiveness of a range of sanitation interventions and provide a comprehensive framework for health-protecting sanitation, covering policy and governance measures, implementation of sanitation technologies, systems and behavioural interventions, risk-based management, and monitoring approaches. Critically, the guidelines articulate the role of the health sector in maximizing the health impact of sanitation interventions. WHO supports implementation of the guidelines and derivative products (such as sanitation safety planning sanitary inspection, sanitation workers, system and pathogen factsheets, climate resilient sanitating guidance) working in alignment with keys partners such as UNICEF, WaterAid and the World Bank .
Leading Entity
World Health Organization (WHO)
Contributing Action Number
CA3.20
Primary Entry Point
3: Align UN system support for integration
Additional Entry Point(s)
4: Accelerate progress and transformational change
Output(s)
Output 3.2: Integrated policy frameworks to manage water and sanitation across sectors are supported by the UN system using latest data and evidence
Output 4.5: Governance of water and sanitation is improved through UN system support, including with emphasis on the needs of developing countries
SDG 6 Target(s)
SDG target 6.2: Achieve access to sanitation and hygiene and end open defecation
SDG target 6.3: Improve water quality, wastewater and safe reuse
Water-related work on other SDGs
Type of Engagement
Normative support (e.g. development of normative guidance, guidelines and standards)
Geographical Scope
Global level
More information
https://www.who.int/teams/environment-climate-change-and-health/water-sanitation-and-health/sanitation-safety

Leading Entity

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.