UN-Habitat report connects advances in sanitation to wider urban development

The recent second assembly of UN-Habitat, the United Nations Human Settlements Progamme, in Nairobi (Kenya) in early June, saw the launch of a unique global study about challenges and advances in the management of wastewater and faecal sludge. Produced by a consortium led by WSUP and which included Aguaconsult, ESAWAS, UCLC, Thuyloi University, and GSMA, […]


Produced by a consortium led by WSUP, this Global Report on Sanitation and Wastewater Management in Cities and Human Settlements is a global reference on sanitation and wastewater in urban settings. It takes stock of the sanitation and wastewater management situation, both in terms of service levels and the supporting functions required to enable service provision at scale. Drawing from existing literature and primary data in 18 cities across Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America, the report underlines the scale of the challenge in strengthening wastewater and faecal sludge management at the global level, while also highlighting actions being taken by governments, development partners, city planners, utilities, service providers and researchers around the globe. Focus is on service levels, containment and treatment systems, treatment performance, policies and regulations and institutional arrangement, planning and investment, monitoring, and financial performance.

For the full report, fact sheet, and additional information, go to the report page on the UN Habitat website.

Download the report

Help WSUP develop its new website

Dear WSUP friends and supporters, we are redesigning our website! We are in the process of building a new website, easier to use and more attractive, and we would love to have your help. In order to better understand where and how you and other readers would like to find content on the new WSUP […]


A path to faster and more effective change: fighting non-revenue water

This year’s theme for World Water Day, Accelerating Change, reminds us all of the urgent need to improve provision of clean water and safe sanitation around the world. At WSUP, we believe that combating waste of water and resources is essential if governments, utilities and communities are to speed up their journey towards water, sanitation […]


WSUP’s Wonderful Women in WASH

While Aklima sees herself as a facilitator, Pascaline wants to build her own sanitation marketing business The growing number of female leaders in water, sanitation and hygiene is improving communication with local communities and unleashing new approaches and ideas. On this year’s International Women’s Day, we focus on two of WSUP’s women who are transforming […]


Annual Report 2021-2022 shows progress of WSUP’s work in Africa and Asia

WSUP’s 2021-2022 Annual Report has been launched, showing how our organisation’s work in Southern Africa and Asia has advanced even more, with different initiatives in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in low-income urban areas. It was a particularly important year for WSUP’s activities promoting good WASH services for women and girls. Another highlight was its […]


From climate adaptation efforts to a stronger push for better living conditions for women and girls, in 2021-2022 WSUP advanced further in its work providing clean water and decent sanitation and promoting appropriate hygiene in low-income urban communities.

Our 2021-2022 Annual Report shows the result of WSUP’s activities, benefitting more than 1 million people in the past year, across Africa and South Asia. In the period, we achieved:

618,418 people with improved water access;

580,730 residents with improved sanitation services;

168,454 people with improved access to good hygiene;

and mobilised more than $12 million in additional investment.

Lord Paul Boateng, WSUP’s chairman, wrote:

“In addition to our work with households and families, we are also investing more and more in providing clean water and decent toilets in schools, helping reduce student absences and improving the educational chances for children, particularly girls.”

Ed Mitchell, who in 2022 assumed the position of WSUP’s CEO, writes:

“Together with our supportive partners, we can take pride in what we’ve done so far, but we also need to raise our sights and ambitions to reach many more people in desperate need.”

Letter from Bangladesh: Climate mitigation in Chattogram

This is the first in a series of articles, named “Letter from…”, written by WSUP’s teams in the main countries where we operate (Bangladesh, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Zambia, and Madagascar). This letter comes from Bangladesh and focuses on the impact of floods in the country. By Abdus Shaheen, in Dhaka Bangladesh has survived a number […]


World Water Day: videos show groundwater’s challenges and value

While we use World Water Day 2022 to celebrate groundwater and make it visible, two things become clear: the water from aquifers faces a number of different threats, and those who benefit from this source understand well its importance. In Chattogram, Bangladesh, pollution from a badly managed sanitation system has affected the quality of aquifers. […]


Time to give groundwater a little respect

Groundwater: a key resource for towns and cities around the world struggling to provide enough water for their thirsty residents. It has many advantages over surface water, as it is often more reliable, nearer to households, less vulnerable to pollution, and more resilient to climate variability. With urban populations in Africa and south Asia continuing […]