Sec. 2. Findings
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Congress finds the following: The Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005 ( Public Law 109–121 ; 119 Stat. 2533)— makes access to affordable, equitable, and sustainable clean water, sanitation, and hygiene for developing countries a specific policy objective of United States foreign assistance programs; requires the United States Government to— develop a strategy to elevate and further the United States foreign policy and foreign assistance objective to provide affordable and equitable access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene in developing countries; and improve the effectiveness and targeting of United States assistance programs undertaken in support of that strategy; codifies Target 10 of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals; and seeks to reduce by half between 1990 (the baseline year) and 2015— the proportion of people who are unable to reach or afford safe drinking water; and the proportion of people without access to basic sanitation.
For maximum effectiveness of assistance, safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene must be coordinated with and reflected in programs and strategies for food security, global health, environment, education, gender equality, and conflict prevention and mitigation. On February 2, 2012, the United States national intelligence community released a National Intelligence Estimate on Global Water Security, which found that— over the next decade, countries of strategic importance to the United States will experience water shortages, poor water quality, or floods, that will risk instability or state failure and increase regional tensions; water problems may pose a risk to global food markets and economic growth, and may harm the economic performance of important trading partners; water stresses compound existing problems, such as poverty, social tension, and ill-health and without good management of water food supplies will be reduced and water borne diseases will increase; and pressure will arise for a more engaged United States to make water a global priority and to support major development projects.
On August 1, 2008, Congress passed House Concurrent Resolution 318, which— supports the goals and ideals of the International Year of Sanitation; and recognizes the importance of sanitation on public health, poverty reduction, economic and social development, and the environment. According to the 2005 Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, commissioned by the United Nations, more than one-fifth of the world’s population relies on freshwater sources that are either polluted or excessively withdrawn.
Healthy ecosystems provide multiple water-related services, such as flood control and water purification, upon which human security, health and well-being depend. Therefore, measures aiming to maintain or restore those services ensure the long-term sustainability of strategies to secure safe and reliable access to water and sanitation. While progress is being made on safe water and sanitation efforts— more than 783,000,000 people throughout the world lack access to safe drinking water; and approximately 35 percent of the total global population does not have access to basic sanitation services.
A lack of access to clean water and adequate sanitation has disproportionate, and too often deadly impacts on children: Water and sanitation-related disease, despite being preventable, remains one of the most significant child health problems worldwide. Diarrhea is the most serious of these diseases, alone killing over 3,000 children each day, and is the second biggest cause of death in children in the post neonatal period, aged one month to 5 years. Ninety percent of all people that die from diarrheal disease are children under the age of 5.
Eighty-eight percent of diarrheal disease is attributed to unsafe drinking water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene. Even when bouts of diarrhea don’t kill, these episodes can physically and mentally stunt children, affecting them for the rest of their lives. Having adequate and appropriate water supply and sanitation facilities in schools is a major factor influencing whether children, and especially adolescent girls, attend school. Adequate sanitation facilities and practices contributes to reducing malnutrition in children, improves the quality of life and dignity of girls and women, protects the environment, and generates economic benefits for communities and nations.
The health and environmental consequences of unsafe drinking water and poor sanitation are significant, accounting for nearly 10 percent of the global burden of disease, and as further indicated by the following: At any given time, half of the hospital beds in developing countries are occupied by patients suffering from diseases associated with lack of access to safe drinking water, inadequate sanitation, and poor hygiene. More than 3,575,000 people die each year from water-related disease.
Chronic or acute diarrhea can lead to cognitive delays, with severe repercussions for economic development. Lack of adequate sanitation contaminates rivers worldwide, as one of the most significant sources of water pollution. Every day, 2,000,000 tons of untreated sewage and industrial and agricultural waste are discharged into the world’s freshwaters. Clean water and sanitation are among the most powerful drivers for human development. They extend opportunity, enhance dignity, and help create a virtuous cycle of improving health and rising wealth.
Diseases linked to unsafe water and poor sanitation, as well as the time and energy women often devote to collecting water, significantly reduce economic productivity in less developed countries and promote lifecycles of disadvantage. Expanding access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene, while protecting the natural infrastructures that store, deliver, and purify water for nature and people, are essential steps in reducing the global burden of disease, advancing sustainable economic and social development, protecting basic human rights, preventing violence against girls and women, and mitigating sources of conflict associated with water scarcity, mass migration, and water related disasters, both within and between countries.
Nearly 1,000,000,000 people across the globe still suffer from chronic hunger. Water scarcity and poor water management reduce agricultural productivity and add pressures on valuable fisheries, posing a major threat to food security and local livelihoods, and limits the ability of the world to provide the resources necessary for the doubling of food production that will be required to meet the demands of a projected population of 9,000,000,000 people by 2050. 2.8 billion people in more than 48 countries are expected to face severe and chronic water shortages by 2025, with major impacts on energy and food security, development, livelihoods, human health, and natural infrastructure.
Agriculture consumes 70 percent of all freshwater withdrawn globally. Global increases in the efficiency and productivity of both irrigated and rain-fed agriculture will be needed to meet future food production requirements. Approximately half the world’s population lives in cities, often in slums characterized by unsafe water, poor sanitation, lack of basic services, overcrowding, inferior construction and insecure tenure. According to the United Nations, women make up 70 percent of the world’s poor.
Yet, the time they spend collecting water prevents them from undertaking other activities, such as generating income or attending school. A lack of access to safe water and improved sanitation close to home and at school can impact girls’ educational attainment and retention, limiting their ability to break the cycle of poverty. Research has found increases in girls’ school enrollment when clean water points were installed closer to home, and increases in girls’ school attendance when separate latrines for boys and girls were provided on site.
Meeting Target 10 of the Millennium Development Goals for water and sanitation would provide an estimated 272,000,000 additional school days per year. A lack of water points close to home or safe, private latrines can put women and girls in isolated situations, making them more vulnerable to sexual and physical violence. Violence against women and girls has consequences ranging from psychosocial trauma to heightened risk of HIV/AIDS. Faith communities and nonprofit development and conservation organizations across the United States contribute significantly to the improvement of water, sanitation, and hygiene in developing countries.
By applying their expertise, providing services, building the capacity of local organizations, establishing long-term partnerships with local communities, empowering marginalized groups, supporting sustainable water management and serving as a voice for the poor, faith-based and nonprofit organizations complement and leverage assistance provided by the United States Government. United States businesses have developed key technologies, donated goods and services, partnered with private and public sector entities, and invested their capital to improve water and sanitation and freshwater sources in many developing countries.
Corporate actors have also partnered with other stakeholders to implement sustainable water management and water use efficiency within their plants and throughout their supply chain. Implementation of the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005 must be significantly strengthened if the purposes of section 135 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 ( 22 U.S.C. 2152h ; relating to assistance to provide safe water and sanitation), as added by section 5(a) of the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005, are to be met.
The monitoring and evaluation of the performance of United States foreign assistance programs and their contribution to policy, strategies, projects, program goals, and priorities undertaken by the Federal Government is essential to improving aid effectiveness.
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- Pub. L. 109-121
- 119 Stat. 2533
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