Clean water supplies and adequate sanitation are essential, and basic, human requirements. Despite the world's technological sophistication and achievements, UN figures suggest that globally, 1.1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water, while 2.6 billion do not have adequate sanitation. The consequences of this deprivation are as far-reaching as they are shameful: a child dies every 15 seconds from diarrhoeal disease, attributable mainly to poor water supply and sanitation, and it is estimated that failure to meet the MDG on water and sanitation is costing poor countries US$84bn per year. Yet it is generally accepted that, quite apart from the moral imperatives arising from the human suffering, investment in sanitation can bring a 14-fold return, helping communities towards self-sufficiency.

The future policies of donor governments could largely determine the pace of human development in the poorest regions of the world. The triennial World Water Fora, now in their twelfth year, seek to improve the situation for this sector of the population, by influencing national agendas and the creation of structures and cooperations between international, national and local bodies.