The UN deputy secretary general and was the Swedish foreign minister. He has brokered any number of deals between warring parties and negotiated the world’s development targets. He reels off the statistics to show how far there is yet to go: “1.8 billion people worldwide drink contaminated water;2.4 billion people lack improved sanitation. In poor countries, 90% of sewage is discharged untreated into rivers, lakes and coastal areas. He fears that in an age of climate change, population growth and the burgeoning of cities, access to water will become a factor in more disputes.

Key Takeaways:

• The human right to water, says Eliasson, is a “historic, noble, even sacred, mission and cause”.
• If we continue on our current path, the world may face a 40% shortfall in water availability by 2030.
• Water and sanitation are relevant to human rights, peace and development.

“1.8 billion people worldwide drink contaminated water; 2.4 billion people lack improved sanitation. In poor countries, 90% of sewage is discharged untreated into rivers, lakes and coastal areas. An estimated 800 to 900 children under the age of five die every day from diarrhoeal diseases.”

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2016/sep/09/thirst-for-saving-lives-united-nations-water-man-jan-eliasson-deputy-secretary-general