In 2015, the world committed to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6, as part of the 2030 Agenda, the promise that everyone would have safely managed water and sanitation by 2030. "The latest data show that governments must work on average four times faster to meet SDG 6 on time, but this is not a situation that any single actor or group can solve", in words of the United Nations. "Water affects everyone, so we need everyone to take action."
Dysfunction throughout the water cycle undermines progress on all major global issues, from health to hunger, gender equality to jobs, education to industry, and disasters to peace. Billions of people and countless schools, businesses, healthcare centers, farms, and factories are being held back because their human rights to water and sanitation still need to be fulfilled. World Water Day 2023 to be held on 22 March is about accelerating change to solve the water and sanitation crisis.