Much work has happened in the past 10 years, and much remains to be done. Here are some key moments in the global effort to improve and secure global health with WASH:
2026: Rome
In the largest gathering of its kind, dozens of faith-based organizations gathered in Rome, steps from the Vatican, to increase commitment to the growing global movement to get WASH into healthcare facilities.
2025: Washington National Cathedral
In the largest gathering of its kind, dozens of faith-based organizations gathered in Washington DC from around the globe to share insights, best practices, and commit/re-commit to WASH in HCF.
202O: Vatican launches WASH pilot
The Catholic Church, the largest unified healthcare provider in the world, launched a unique global initiative to get WASH into 150 healthcare facilities in 23 countries, covering care for 28 million people.
2019: 100 commitments made!
More than $120 Million in Commitments Announced at Historic Convenings for Global Health
In 2019, philanthropies, non-governmental organizations, faith-based organizations, U.S. government agencies, financial institutions, corporations, universities, a Nobel laureate, a First Lady and the UN Secretary-General made history in global health — to ensure that every person, wherever they live, will receive healthcare at a hospital or health clinic where sustainable water, soap and toilets are available. Funding commitments to get to WASH)into healthcare facilities were publicly announced, totaling more than $120 million, with millions more in technical assistance, research, evaluation, training, long-term maintenance strategies, and advocacy. Thousands of healthcare facilities stand to benefit across some 50 countries throughout Africa, Latin America, and Asia. [See summary of commitment here.] Young professionals from around the world added their voices with this 2-minute video. This U.S.-based event was followed by a global event in Zambia organized by WHO and UNICEF, to focus on country action and global work plans.
Leaders from dozens of private organizations offered commitments alongside the World Bank, World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), U.S. Department of State, and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Among the dozens of dignitaries offering commitments:
Conrad N. Hilton Foundation’s President and CEO, Peter Laugharn, a leader in WASH funding, offered the keynote and a $13.5 million commitment: “Part of our commitment is financial. But that’s not the most important part of our commitment. We’re developing a new model of partnership and collaboration through demonstration sites at the district-level in six countries that focuses on strengthening the capacity of local actors. We see this as benefiting not only the WASH community, but others working in health and education, too.”
Nobel Laureate Dr. James Cobey, speaking on behalf of the 80+ member organizations of The G4 Alliance, committed to advocating for clean and safe WASH in the world’s health facilities as an essential requirement for safe surgery: “Each year, more than 234 million surgical procedures are performed globally for a wide range of common conditions requiring surgical care. Every single surgical procedure poses a risk of infection. For those that take place in health facilities without basic WASH…safely performing even the most basic surgical intervention is nearly impossible. Many studies show that surgical site infections are the most costly, common — and dangerous — hospital infections. How can even the most skilled health worker perform safe surgery and avoid infection without clean water and sanitation?”
First Lady of the Republic of Colombia and Goodwill Ambassador for SDG 17, María Juliana Ruiz, announced a Latin American First Ladies Initiative by video: “At the Concordia Summit that convened recently in Bogota Colombia, as Goodwill Ambassador for the 17th SDG [Sustainable Development Goal] —yes that one that calls for partnership — I call on First Ladies through Latin America to join me in championing this cause. Our children must have the opportunity to grow up strong and healthy, nourished, and free of preventable diseases.”
World Vision Vice President of Water, Dr. Greg Allgood, announced World Vision’s commitment to provide basic WASH services in 800 rural healthcare facilities in 35 countries where they work, serving an estimated 7.2 million people at a cost of approximately $100 million, between 2019-2021: “All too often what should be a joyous occasion, the miracle of birth, instead becomes a death sentence for the baby and/or mother. This commitment will change that risk in the next few years for millions of people by ensuring adequate WASH services for the people in the least developed countries.”
White Ribbon Alliance (WRA) Deputy Executive Director, Kristy Kade, described ground-breaking results from its recently released, What Women Want campaign, which asked women what they wanted for quality maternal and reproductive health services. 1.2 million responses from 114 countries later, the top two responses were the desire for respectful and dignified healthcare, followed by the strong belief that a dignified experience must include healthcare facilities with running water, indoor toilets, clean beds and sheets. “If we cannot provide the most rudimentary needs, including water, sanitation and hygiene, we will never prevent women from dying during pregnancy and childbirth or create an environment where girls grow up empowered to understand and direct their own reproductive health,” Kade said. “If we want women and girls to visit health centers, if we want them to adhere to recommended advice, if we want better health outcomes, their agenda needs to become our agenda.”
Engineers Without Borders USA, Executive Director Cathy Leslie, P.E.: “This is truly a moment in history and we must not let this opportunity pass. This is a moment where we can solve a major humanitarian challenge.” EWB-USA committed to include healthcare facilities in all its community WASH projects; and to technically support healthcare facility efforts to improve WASH including wastewater treatment. “All too often, the pathogen-laden wastewater is not treated and, even worse, is directly discharged into rivers and streams. These are the same rivers and streams that provide drinking water for people downstream…It is heartbreaking that a place of healing is actually spreading disease.”
Government and multilateral organization representatives included:
U.S. State Department Director, Office of International Health and Biodefense, Jerry Mallory: “As the foreign policy lead on these issues we are pleased and committed to use our platform to elevate this issue on the global agenda. The Department of State remains committed, both in the global fora and critically at the country level, and we use and coordinate with our U.S. embassies overseas to keep this issue at the top of the agenda.”
USAID Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Global Health, Dr. Monique Wubbenhorst: “We will support WASH in health facilities as a critical component of efforts to improve health and strengthen health systems, as well as prevent and control infections across Africa, Asia and Latin America through our missions’ activities in these countries. These activities are vital to our programs and it can help increase the quality of healthcare as well as strengthen health systems.”
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Global WASH Coordinator, Center for Global Health, Rick Gelting explained that CDC’s work provides “technical assistance, guidance and training to help partners scale-up what works, effective interventions. So, by doing this, we can help to make the work of our partners more efficient and effective. The guidelines that we develop are also used by organizations worldwide.”
World Bank Water Global Practice Senior Economist, Claire Chase: “The World Bank's Water Practice is financing WASH in health facilities in at least nine countries across five regions,” but recognizing the complexities, Chase added, this “will not be solved through greater resources alone. Through the Global Water Security and Sanitation Partnership Multi-Donor Trust Fund, we are embarking on an analytical work program that looks at the relationship between WASH and healthcare facilities and quality of care, and seeks to better understand the institutional bottlenecks that prevent the sustainable delivery of WASH services in healthcare facilities.”
World Health Organization (WHO) Water, Sanitation, Hygiene and Health Unit Coordinator, Bruce Gordon said Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has committed to working with the whole WHO system and UN partners “to make sure that WASH in healthcare facilities is prioritized, is planned for effectively and appropriately, and is implemented.” Adding this appeal, “Please count on us as a partner. Please join us. Please make the effort and the commitments relentless and sustainable, and let’s make sure we have a vision that every healthcare facility has fully functional water. This effort to increase investments matters and we feel that your contributions will be a vital catalyst to correct this crisis.”
UNICEF Public Partnerships Manager Sean Snyder said, “Healthcare facilities must be places of healing, not harm.” UNICEF is aiming to reach at least 5,000 healthcare facilities between 2018 to 2021, with basic WASH through the implementation of its WASH programs; and, in collaboration with Emory University, has developed a workshop for WASH in healthcare facilities for hospital administrators, policy makers and managers.
The convening’s co-sponsors underscored the availability of WASH in healthcare as fundamental to global health:
Global Water 2020 Principal, David Douglas:
“Tens of thousands of hospitals and clinics are operating less as centers of healing than centers of infection. This gathering is the latest confirmation that safe, sustainable, WASH in healthcare facilities at long last occupies the spotlight of global health attention. This unprecedented collection of commitments confirms that these organizations will never allow the issue of WASH in healthcare facilities to be ignored again."
Global Health Council Executive Director, Loyce Pace:
“The impact of WASH on all other global health sectors cannot be overlooked. We cannot see improvements in maternal and child health and nutrition, as well as improving pandemic response and addressing antimicrobial resistance, if WASH services, particularly in clinics and hospitals, remain inadequate. This gathering presents the global health and WASH communities with an historic Call to Action to ensure quality health care services by recognizing the importance of WASH in all facets of our work.”
Vatican representative, Tebaldo Vinciguerra, Official of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, underscored the dicastery's recent call to prioritize schools and “healthcare centres (hospitals, clinics, outpatient dispensaries) owned and managed by the Catholic Church" and its call for measures “to be taken aimed at improving the aforementioned elements wherever needed, for example: the construction of infrastructure, the sharing of technology, the development and updating of procedures."
Peter Yeboah, who represents 41 network organizations in 32 sub-Saharan countries as the Chairman of Africa Christian Health Association Platform (ACHAP), traveled from Ghana to attend. ACHAP has started evaluating dozens of healthcare facilities within its network: “We have realized that our mission of improving equitable access to quality healthcare cannot be attained without integrating WASH in our healthcare system. There’s a growing WASH consciousness that is resonating amongst our staff, patients and the communities we serve. I believe it is time to harness the enormous interests, expertise and experiences available to enable our healthcare facilities to be WASH compliant. We recognize that the risk of missing this opportunity means settling into a tolerance of the status quo, with adverse consequences on health outcomes. Therefore, ACHAP will continue to model, implement and scale up sustainable WASH in our healthcare facilities, as our contribution towards achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in sub-Saharan Africa.”
Bruce Wilkinson CEO, U.S.-based Catholic Medical Mission Board (CMMB): “Insufficient clean water and sanitation in healthcare facilities threaten the most vulnerable among us: pregnant women and newborns. The most basic requirement is safe access to enough clean water and to improved sanitation facilities—because without these building blocks, every other healthcare investment we make is undermined. Proven, cost-effective solutions are available, but implementing them will require that multiple sectors work together. It is time for global leaders to make this collaboration happen. Lives are at stake. The faith-based health facilities are willing and are key to providing clean water and sanitation.”
Rick Santos, senior advisor at Lutheran World Relief and IMA World Health: “Providing safe water and sanitation facilities at health centers impacts the whole community and needs to include the whole community to be successful. It begins to influence water and sanitation practices in the communities served by the health facility, leading to a stronger health system and a healthier population. Extreme poverty can only end when a community is healthy."
2018: As more evidence builds about the dire conditions in healthcare facilities, UN Secretary-General António Guterres issues a global Call to Action to improve WASH services.
2015: WASH conditions inside healthcare facilities are measuredd for the first time.
2026: Rome
In the largest gathering of its kind, dozens of faith-based organizations gathered in Rome, steps from the Vatican, to increase commitment to the growing global movement to get WASH into healthcare facilities.
2025: Washington National Cathedral
In the largest gathering of its kind, dozens of faith-based organizations gathered in Washington DC from around the globe to share insights, best practices, and commit/re-commit to WASH in HCF.
202O: Vatican launches WASH pilot
The Catholic Church, the largest unified healthcare provider in the world, launched a unique global initiative to get WASH into 150 healthcare facilities in 23 countries, covering care for 28 million people.
2019: 100 commitments made!
More than $120 Million in Commitments Announced at Historic Convenings for Global Health
In 2019, philanthropies, non-governmental organizations, faith-based organizations, U.S. government agencies, financial institutions, corporations, universities, a Nobel laureate, a First Lady and the UN Secretary-General made history in global health — to ensure that every person, wherever they live, will receive healthcare at a hospital or health clinic where sustainable water, soap and toilets are available. Funding commitments to get to WASH)into healthcare facilities were publicly announced, totaling more than $120 million, with millions more in technical assistance, research, evaluation, training, long-term maintenance strategies, and advocacy. Thousands of healthcare facilities stand to benefit across some 50 countries throughout Africa, Latin America, and Asia. [See summary of commitment here.] Young professionals from around the world added their voices with this 2-minute video. This U.S.-based event was followed by a global event in Zambia organized by WHO and UNICEF, to focus on country action and global work plans.
Leaders from dozens of private organizations offered commitments alongside the World Bank, World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), U.S. Department of State, and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Among the dozens of dignitaries offering commitments:
Conrad N. Hilton Foundation’s President and CEO, Peter Laugharn, a leader in WASH funding, offered the keynote and a $13.5 million commitment: “Part of our commitment is financial. But that’s not the most important part of our commitment. We’re developing a new model of partnership and collaboration through demonstration sites at the district-level in six countries that focuses on strengthening the capacity of local actors. We see this as benefiting not only the WASH community, but others working in health and education, too.”
Nobel Laureate Dr. James Cobey, speaking on behalf of the 80+ member organizations of The G4 Alliance, committed to advocating for clean and safe WASH in the world’s health facilities as an essential requirement for safe surgery: “Each year, more than 234 million surgical procedures are performed globally for a wide range of common conditions requiring surgical care. Every single surgical procedure poses a risk of infection. For those that take place in health facilities without basic WASH…safely performing even the most basic surgical intervention is nearly impossible. Many studies show that surgical site infections are the most costly, common — and dangerous — hospital infections. How can even the most skilled health worker perform safe surgery and avoid infection without clean water and sanitation?”
First Lady of the Republic of Colombia and Goodwill Ambassador for SDG 17, María Juliana Ruiz, announced a Latin American First Ladies Initiative by video: “At the Concordia Summit that convened recently in Bogota Colombia, as Goodwill Ambassador for the 17th SDG [Sustainable Development Goal] —yes that one that calls for partnership — I call on First Ladies through Latin America to join me in championing this cause. Our children must have the opportunity to grow up strong and healthy, nourished, and free of preventable diseases.”
World Vision Vice President of Water, Dr. Greg Allgood, announced World Vision’s commitment to provide basic WASH services in 800 rural healthcare facilities in 35 countries where they work, serving an estimated 7.2 million people at a cost of approximately $100 million, between 2019-2021: “All too often what should be a joyous occasion, the miracle of birth, instead becomes a death sentence for the baby and/or mother. This commitment will change that risk in the next few years for millions of people by ensuring adequate WASH services for the people in the least developed countries.”
White Ribbon Alliance (WRA) Deputy Executive Director, Kristy Kade, described ground-breaking results from its recently released, What Women Want campaign, which asked women what they wanted for quality maternal and reproductive health services. 1.2 million responses from 114 countries later, the top two responses were the desire for respectful and dignified healthcare, followed by the strong belief that a dignified experience must include healthcare facilities with running water, indoor toilets, clean beds and sheets. “If we cannot provide the most rudimentary needs, including water, sanitation and hygiene, we will never prevent women from dying during pregnancy and childbirth or create an environment where girls grow up empowered to understand and direct their own reproductive health,” Kade said. “If we want women and girls to visit health centers, if we want them to adhere to recommended advice, if we want better health outcomes, their agenda needs to become our agenda.”
Engineers Without Borders USA, Executive Director Cathy Leslie, P.E.: “This is truly a moment in history and we must not let this opportunity pass. This is a moment where we can solve a major humanitarian challenge.” EWB-USA committed to include healthcare facilities in all its community WASH projects; and to technically support healthcare facility efforts to improve WASH including wastewater treatment. “All too often, the pathogen-laden wastewater is not treated and, even worse, is directly discharged into rivers and streams. These are the same rivers and streams that provide drinking water for people downstream…It is heartbreaking that a place of healing is actually spreading disease.”
Government and multilateral organization representatives included:
U.S. State Department Director, Office of International Health and Biodefense, Jerry Mallory: “As the foreign policy lead on these issues we are pleased and committed to use our platform to elevate this issue on the global agenda. The Department of State remains committed, both in the global fora and critically at the country level, and we use and coordinate with our U.S. embassies overseas to keep this issue at the top of the agenda.”
USAID Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Global Health, Dr. Monique Wubbenhorst: “We will support WASH in health facilities as a critical component of efforts to improve health and strengthen health systems, as well as prevent and control infections across Africa, Asia and Latin America through our missions’ activities in these countries. These activities are vital to our programs and it can help increase the quality of healthcare as well as strengthen health systems.”
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Global WASH Coordinator, Center for Global Health, Rick Gelting explained that CDC’s work provides “technical assistance, guidance and training to help partners scale-up what works, effective interventions. So, by doing this, we can help to make the work of our partners more efficient and effective. The guidelines that we develop are also used by organizations worldwide.”
World Bank Water Global Practice Senior Economist, Claire Chase: “The World Bank's Water Practice is financing WASH in health facilities in at least nine countries across five regions,” but recognizing the complexities, Chase added, this “will not be solved through greater resources alone. Through the Global Water Security and Sanitation Partnership Multi-Donor Trust Fund, we are embarking on an analytical work program that looks at the relationship between WASH and healthcare facilities and quality of care, and seeks to better understand the institutional bottlenecks that prevent the sustainable delivery of WASH services in healthcare facilities.”
World Health Organization (WHO) Water, Sanitation, Hygiene and Health Unit Coordinator, Bruce Gordon said Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has committed to working with the whole WHO system and UN partners “to make sure that WASH in healthcare facilities is prioritized, is planned for effectively and appropriately, and is implemented.” Adding this appeal, “Please count on us as a partner. Please join us. Please make the effort and the commitments relentless and sustainable, and let’s make sure we have a vision that every healthcare facility has fully functional water. This effort to increase investments matters and we feel that your contributions will be a vital catalyst to correct this crisis.”
UNICEF Public Partnerships Manager Sean Snyder said, “Healthcare facilities must be places of healing, not harm.” UNICEF is aiming to reach at least 5,000 healthcare facilities between 2018 to 2021, with basic WASH through the implementation of its WASH programs; and, in collaboration with Emory University, has developed a workshop for WASH in healthcare facilities for hospital administrators, policy makers and managers.
The convening’s co-sponsors underscored the availability of WASH in healthcare as fundamental to global health:
Global Water 2020 Principal, David Douglas:
“Tens of thousands of hospitals and clinics are operating less as centers of healing than centers of infection. This gathering is the latest confirmation that safe, sustainable, WASH in healthcare facilities at long last occupies the spotlight of global health attention. This unprecedented collection of commitments confirms that these organizations will never allow the issue of WASH in healthcare facilities to be ignored again."
Global Health Council Executive Director, Loyce Pace:
“The impact of WASH on all other global health sectors cannot be overlooked. We cannot see improvements in maternal and child health and nutrition, as well as improving pandemic response and addressing antimicrobial resistance, if WASH services, particularly in clinics and hospitals, remain inadequate. This gathering presents the global health and WASH communities with an historic Call to Action to ensure quality health care services by recognizing the importance of WASH in all facets of our work.”
Vatican representative, Tebaldo Vinciguerra, Official of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, underscored the dicastery's recent call to prioritize schools and “healthcare centres (hospitals, clinics, outpatient dispensaries) owned and managed by the Catholic Church" and its call for measures “to be taken aimed at improving the aforementioned elements wherever needed, for example: the construction of infrastructure, the sharing of technology, the development and updating of procedures."
Peter Yeboah, who represents 41 network organizations in 32 sub-Saharan countries as the Chairman of Africa Christian Health Association Platform (ACHAP), traveled from Ghana to attend. ACHAP has started evaluating dozens of healthcare facilities within its network: “We have realized that our mission of improving equitable access to quality healthcare cannot be attained without integrating WASH in our healthcare system. There’s a growing WASH consciousness that is resonating amongst our staff, patients and the communities we serve. I believe it is time to harness the enormous interests, expertise and experiences available to enable our healthcare facilities to be WASH compliant. We recognize that the risk of missing this opportunity means settling into a tolerance of the status quo, with adverse consequences on health outcomes. Therefore, ACHAP will continue to model, implement and scale up sustainable WASH in our healthcare facilities, as our contribution towards achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in sub-Saharan Africa.”
Bruce Wilkinson CEO, U.S.-based Catholic Medical Mission Board (CMMB): “Insufficient clean water and sanitation in healthcare facilities threaten the most vulnerable among us: pregnant women and newborns. The most basic requirement is safe access to enough clean water and to improved sanitation facilities—because without these building blocks, every other healthcare investment we make is undermined. Proven, cost-effective solutions are available, but implementing them will require that multiple sectors work together. It is time for global leaders to make this collaboration happen. Lives are at stake. The faith-based health facilities are willing and are key to providing clean water and sanitation.”
Rick Santos, senior advisor at Lutheran World Relief and IMA World Health: “Providing safe water and sanitation facilities at health centers impacts the whole community and needs to include the whole community to be successful. It begins to influence water and sanitation practices in the communities served by the health facility, leading to a stronger health system and a healthier population. Extreme poverty can only end when a community is healthy."
2018: As more evidence builds about the dire conditions in healthcare facilities, UN Secretary-General António Guterres issues a global Call to Action to improve WASH services.
2015: WASH conditions inside healthcare facilities are measuredd for the first time.
More information at:
www.washinhcf.org
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