The WASH vision and mission
The attainment by all peoples of the lowest possible burden of water and sanitation-related disease through primary prevention, as guided by the 2018-2025 WASH Strategy..
- Providing leadership in Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene related issues (by making authoritative statements, influencing policy and coordinating networks of partners and collaborating centres)
- Normative work (mainly on water quality, but also on monitoring approaches and interventions, usually resulting in guidelines and best practice texts)
- Providing evidence (through various monitoring activities, but also through commissioned research)
- Supporting Member States (through technical cooperation and capacity building)
- Responding to emergencies (the role in the Health Cluster - WASH in healthcare - and in the WASH cluster - restoring safe water supplies and adequate sanitation)
- Knowledge management (through analysis, synthesis and dissemination of reliable and credible information)
Unit Head, Water, Sanitation, Hygiene and Health
Our Team
Our Team
Dr Sophie Boisson
Sanitation and WASH epidemiologist
Water Sanitation and Health
Ms Jennifer De France
Lead, Drinking-water safety
Water Sanitation and Health
Dr Fiona Gore
Lead, UN-Water Global Analysis & Assessment of Sanitation & Drinking-water
Water Sanitation and Health
Dr Richard, Paul Johnston
Lead, WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme
Water Sanitation and Health
Dr Batsirai Majuru
Drinking-water regulation and testing
Water Sanitation and Health
Ms Kate Medlicott
Lead, Sanitation
Water Sanitation and Health
Mr Francesco Mitis
WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme
Water Sanitation and Health
Dr Margaret Montgomery
Lead, WASH in health care facilities and settings
Water Sanitation and Health
Ms Marina Takane
UN-Water Global Analysis and Assessment of Sanitation and Drinking-water and WASH Accounts
Water Sanitation and Health
Latest publications
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WHO global water, sanitation and hygiene: annual report 2024
The WHO Results Report 2024–2025 indicates that global access to safely managed drinking-water services rose from 71.0% in 2018 to a projected 87.3%...
A roadmap for advancing sanitation regulation
A roadmap for advancing sanitation regulation responds to the urgent need to strengthen sanitation regulation. It provides step-by-step guidance to help...
This document supports country-level implementation of sanitation initiatives aimed at promoting access to climate-resilient safely managed sanitation...
WHO global water, sanitation and hygiene: annual report 2023
This report summarizes the World Health Organization’s (WHO) global work on water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) during 2023. It describes how the...
Safe management of pharmaceutical waste from health care facilities: global best practices
This document provides a summary of existing, relevant recommendations for the safe management of pharmaceutical waste and uses case studies to illustrate...
Implementaton of the water and sanitation for health facility improvement tool (WASH FIT): global report
This document provides an analysis of the application of the Water and Sanitation for Health Facility Improvement tool (WASH FIT), along with case studies...
Infection prevention and control and water, sanitation and hygiene measures for home care and isolation...
This interim operational guide outlines infection prevention, control, and water, sanitation, and hygiene measures for home care and isolation of mpox...
Water, sanitation, hygiene, environmental cleaning and waste management in health care facilities: 2023...
This data update assesses the coverage of WASH services (water, sanitation, hygiene, environmental cleaning and health care waste management) in health...