PH leads new initiative to promote water, sanitation, hygiene in healthcare facilities in UN  

         Left Photos:Ambassador Enrique A. Manalo and H.E. Ms. Zsuzsanna Horvath, Permanent Representatives of the Philippines and Hungary, and Mr. Stewart Simonson, Assistant Director General of the World Health Organization, spearheaded the launch of the Group of Friends in support of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) in Healthcare Facilities (HCF) on 10 December 2021. Right: Ambassador Enrique A. Manalo (Photos from NYPM)

UNITED NATIONS, NEW YORK, 16 December 2021 – Recognizing the critical role of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services in healthcare facilities (HCF) for strong health systems, effective COVID-19 response and implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in general, the Philippines, with Hungary and the World Health Organization (WHO) launched a new Group of Friends (GoF) on 10 December 2021 in support of WASH in HCF to raise awareness and profile of the subject matter in discussions and decisions made in the United Nations.

Ambassador Enrique A. Manalo, Permanent Representative of the Philippines, recalled a global call to action made by UN Secretary-General António Guterres in March 2018 that underlines access to WASH in healthcare facilities as fundamental to the achievement of universal health coverage. Ambassador Manalo stressed that WASH services are the most essential means to combat antimicrobial resistance, ensure infection prevention and control and provide safe environments for maternal and child care. He further said that investing in WASH is the necessary foundation for a healthy and productive population, which does not only save lives but also provide economic benefits.

Ambassador Manalo also shared that the Philippines, in partnership with WHO, developed the Green and Safe Health Facility Manual as a response to the global call of minimizing the carbon footprint of the health sector. The Manual sets the minimum green and safe standards for hospitals and health facilities. Water efficiency, sanitation and hygiene is included as one of the performance standards in the manual.

Ambassador Zsuzsanna Horváth, Permanent Representative of Hungary, highlighted that WASH is a first line of defense against COVID-19. Aside from advocating for the inclusion of WASH in healthcare facilities in high-level agendas in the UN, Ambassador Horváth informed the meeting that the GoF will serve as an informal platform at the UN to exchange information, share best practices and support initiatives, and mobilize resources directed at addressing WASH in healthcare facilities.

WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in a recorded message, emphasized that WASH in healthcare facilities is one of the best investments as it can help to stop the spread of disease. He urged the group to advocate for WHO’s recommendations to implement national roadmaps with appropriate financing; monitor progress in improving WASH services; support the health workforce to sustain WASH services and practices; and to integrate WASH into health programming, including the COVID-19 response.

“WASH is a global public good and is inextricably linked to health security,” Mr. Stewart Simonson, WHO Assistant Director-General, stressed at the launch. More than 1.8 billion people do not have access to reliable and adequate WASH services and that hospitals and other healthcare facilities in low-income settings suffer from the same lack of access to WASH services. He stressed that instituting reliable and meaningful WASH services can generate savings in health expenditures. WASH is not only a good health policy but a sound investment in infrastructure.

A Group of Friends at the United Nations is a coalition of Member States that work together to advance a common agenda within the multilateral system. As co-chairs of the GOF in support of WASH in healthcare facilities, the Philippines and Hungary, will work with other group of friends, Member States, the United Nations system and other stakeholders, in building back better for a more sustainable and equitable future, particularly in efforts to advocate for and facilitate adequate access to WASH in healthcare facilities. END

For more information, visit https://www.un.int/philippines/ and https://web.facebook.com/PHMissionNY