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Sustainable Development Goals

Nations back ambitious clean water and sanitation goals this decade

The voluntary commitments that came from the conference – the first such gathering since a U.N. water conference in Argentina in 1977 – fall far short of a legally binding agreement like the 2015 Paris Agreement for climate change.

,   and  John Heilprin
3 min read
Poor ambient water quality in poor countries is often related to low levels of wastewater treatment.
Poor ambient water quality in poor countries is often related to low levels of wastewater treatment, the U.N. says, while in richer countries agricultural runoff is a bigger problem. (AN/Ivan Bandura/Unsplash)

The United Nations concluded its first major water conference in almost half a century, hoping to rally momentum for helping the 2 billion people who lack safe drinking water and 3.6 billion people without basic sanitation.

The conference, which drew 10,000 participants to U.N. headquarters in New York and online, led to about 700 nonbinding commitments from governments, nonprofits and businesses to a new "Water Action Agenda" and other follow-up steps under consideration including creation of a U.N. Special Envoy on Water.

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Sustainable Development Goals — U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) — Global Issues — Paris Agreement 2015

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