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Inclusive Urban Sanitation Initiative

The initiative aims to reshape the global agenda on urban sanitation over the coming years. It forms part of IWA’s work to promote inclusive, resilient, water-wise and sanitation-secure cities. To further the aims of the initiative, IWA has launched a dedicated campaign – SanitAction – to gather the support and collaborative action needed to secure progress. A central goal of IWA’s initiative will be to engage a wide range of stakeholders, not least the public sector, operators, academics, regulators and other key actors. Supported by this input, the initiative will build on current approaches to progress a widely applicable framework that can support elaboration and exchange on actionable guidance, case studies and peer exchanges and so advance inclusive urban sanitation, especially in low- and middle-income countries.
Contributing Action Number
CA1.13
Primary Entry Point
1: Lead and inspire collective action
Additional Entry Point(s)
4: Accelerate progress and transformational change
5: Account through joint review and learning
Output(s)
Output 2.2: Diverse stakeholders and partnerships are mobilized by the UN system to support countries’ progress on water and sanitation
Output 4.3: Institutional and human resources capacity development support that responds to national needs and priorities is provided by the UN system, contributing to a skilled water and sanitation workforce
SDG 6 Target(s)
Cross-cutting work on SDG 6
SDG target 6.2: Achieve access to sanitation and hygiene and end open defecation
Water-related work on other SDGs
Type of Engagement
Convening of stakeholders
Geographical Scope
Global level
Estimated Annual Budget
1-10 million USD

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.