FM urges global action for safe water, sanitation, and health for all
26 March 2023
Staff Reporter :
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has urged the international community to take global action for safe water, sanitation and health for all.
"About 78 per cent of healthcare facilities had access to water and 51 per cent had access to sanitation services globally in 2021. Around10 percent of these facilities used by 780 million people had no sanitation service. In this context, it is necessary for us to take more urgent steps than before to ensure safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene for everyone in global healthcare facilities", the minister said.
The Foreign Minister said this at a high-level conference titled "Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Healthcare Facilities: Lesson Learned and the Way Forward," jointly organised by Hungary and the Philippines at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on Friday.
Quoting the examples of Bangladesh, he said, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has taken visionary leadership in ensuring safe water, sanitation, and health regulations for all people in the country.
Referring to the National Strategy for Water supply and Sanitation 2021, he said that in Bangladesh around 98 percent of our people have access to drinking water, more than 80 per cent to improved sanitation facilities, nearly 75 per cent to hand-washing facilities.
He further emphasised that Bangladesh has made remarkable progress in the field of sanitation and is a leading example for other developing countries to follow.
Dr. Momen, in light of Bangladesh's successful experiences, made specific recommendations to the international community to address the lack of progress in water, sanitation, and health regulations worldwide.
At the event, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto, Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources Maria Antonia Yulo Loyzaga of the Philippines, and Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure of Georgia Irakli Karseladze also spoke.
Many high-ranking officials from various UN and international organisations, employees of water projects, international NGOs, and private sector participants were present at the event.
Apart from this, the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh participated in a high-level event titled "Revitalising Social Protection Policies for Creating More Accessibility to Drinking Water", jointly organised by the Bangladesh Social Scientists Foundation, BRAC, AOSED, BWOT, JAGO NARI, Gram Unnayan Sangathon and SDA.
In the afternoon, he had a bilateral meeting with Nick Nazmi Nick Ahmad, the Minister of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change of Malaysia, where they discussed various issues related to mutual interests between the two countries.
