Editing International development (section)

====Water and sanitation====
{{See also|Water, sanitation and hygiene}}

In development, this is the provision of water and sanitation ([[toilet]]s, [[bathing]] facilities, a healthy environment) of sufficient quantity and quality to supply an acceptable [[standard of living]]. This is different from a relief response, where it is the provision of water and sanitation in sufficient quantity and quality to maintain life.<ref name="sphere">Sphere Project. (2004)</ref>

The provision of water and sanitation is an [[engineering]] challenge, as well as a societal and political challenge as it includes education and [[Behavior change (public health)|behaviour change]] elements and is closely connected with shelter, politics and human rights.

The seventh Millennium Development Goal was to ''ensure environmental [[sustainability]]'', including ''reducing by half the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe [[drinking water]]'' and ''achieving significant improvement in lives of at least 100 million [[slum]] dwellers, by 2020''.  [[UN-Water]], a body of 26 UN agencies that work on water issues, is responsible for the triennial [[UN World Water Development Report]] which monitors progress towards the [[Millennium Development Goals]] related to water.  The World Water Assessment Programme, which produces the Report, has articulated how eight of the MDGs are linked to water resources.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unesco.org/water/wwap/facts_figures/mdgs.shtml|title=World Water Assessment Programme – United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization|website=www.unesco.org|access-date=29 April 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091028110058/http://www.unesco.org/water/wwap/facts_figures/mdgs.shtml|archive-date=28 October 2009}}</ref>