ABSTRACT
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe specified ‘that access to water must be recognised as a fundamental human right because it is essential to life on earth and is a resource that must be shared by humankind’. The microbiological quality of water is essential to preventing infectious and parasitic diseases, such as cholera, typhoid, dysentery, hepatitis, giardiasis, guinea worm, and schistosomiasis. A milestone to accelerate efforts toward meeting the water-related challenges is the 2016 UN General Assembly Resolution “International Decade for Action - Water for Sustainable Development” that began in March 2018. The World Health Organization (WHO) has promoted links between hygiene and health, endorsing safe sanitation systems and practices, offering guidance to encourage international, national, and local sanitation policies and actions that protect public health and the environment. Hygiene and sanitation are recognized in the WHO’s Constitution, and for decades water, sanitation, and hygiene issues have been a constant in the Organization’s initiatives and strategies.
