Barriers and Opportunities for Sanitation and Water for All, as Envisaged by the New Delhi Statement

Abstract

Today, 884 million people lack access to water and 2.6 billion lack access to sanitation. In the past 20 years, there has been important progress made in these areas at the international level. But despite some milestones, significant challenges remain to be addressed. Some of these milestones reflect recommendations from the New Delhi Statement, which endorsed the principle of ‘Some for All Rather than More for Some’, and its four guiding principles, 1 as do some of the remaining challenges. Other trends have emerged since then, as well. This article identifies the main political developments over the last 30 years and examines some barriers to the progress of attaining universal water and sanitation provision. It also outlines some of what we have done or not done in implementing the concepts contained in the New Delhi Statement, and identifies some key lessons for the future.