King’s College London: Progressive water policy needs to be intrinsically linked to human rights and sustainability

In 2020, 2 billion people (26% of the global population) did not have access to safely managed drinking water and 3.6 billion (46%) lacked safely managed sanitation.

The policy papers look at how water policy should be tied to human rights to ensure everyone has access to clean water, sanitation and adequate food.

They also explore the need to acknowledge the true value of water, which encompasses its financial value and its cultural impact, as well as introduce a new knowledge database which will help us understand how dams impact the environment.

Focusing on these issues are vital in order to meet the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals – in particular Sustainable Development Goal 6, ‘Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all’.

We’re excited to launch our King’s Water Centre policy brief series. This series aims to inform and provide clarity on the water challenges that societies face. The briefs offer an opportunity for King’s academics to work with our research stakeholders to figure out the knowledge and insights that are truly valuable and practical in solving these challenges. The series is a way for us to connect further with the communities we’d like to work with and co-produce relevant research. We hope that these briefs will help policy decisions and aid answering some of the pressing questions related to water and sustainability.”
– Naho Mirumachi, King’s Water Centre Co-director