Blog 1: Italy

Sustainable Developmental Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

 ITALY

The Sustainable Developmental Goal that I chose to blog about is SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation. By 2030, the United Nations has put into place goals that will better water and sanitation conditions. Listed below are some of the targets for 2030 regarding water and sanitation:

1.       Achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all. 

2.       Achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations.

3.       Improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally.

4.       Increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity.

5.       Implement integrated water resources management at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation as appropriate.

6.       By 2020, protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes.

7.       Expand international cooperation and capacity-building support to developing countries in water- and sanitation-related activities and programs, including water harvesting, desalination, water efficiency, wastewater treatment, recycling and reuse technologies.

8.       Support and strengthen the participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation management.

Who? ITALY

Let’s Talk About Implementation/ Strategy:

Ø  UNDESA: The Global Initiative for Rationalizing Water Information System goal is to develop comprehensive water systems.

·       AIM- strengthen monitoring capacities in measuring progress toward internationally agreed goals and targets.

Ø  OEGD: “sustainable financing for access to water” which is an integrated initiative that may help find innovative models to guarantee equitable and sustainable access to water.

Monitoring SDG6:

Ø  Rapid Environmental and Health Risk Assessment (REHERA)- consists of an integrated methodology for an environmental and health rapid risk assessment, in case of severe industrial accidents.

·       A software that is recognized internationally and is available online for free and can be used anywhere with the only necessity of short training for risk assessment purposes.

·       Prevents rivers and ground water contamination from industrial plants and contaminated sites.

·       Allows to take preventative measures for their protection.

Cost of SDG6 for Italy? Unknown.

Water and Sanitation V.S Climate Change:

Ø  Climate change adds pressure to existing threats to the sustainability of freshwater resources; population growth, socio-economic and technological changes and the resulting rising demand for water (Paper 16).

Availability of Water and Sanitation: “As indicated at the outset, the human right to water is defined as the right of everyone to sufficient, safe, acceptable, physically accessible and affordable water for personal and domestic uses. Personal uses “ordinarily include drinking, personal sanitation, washing of clothes, food preparation, personal and household hygiene. 46 In the view of the Independent Expert on human rights obligations relating to water and sanitation, availability of sanitation facilities means a sufficient number of sanitation facilities to ensure that waiting times are not unreasonably long” (Paper 16).

Inquiring minds want to know:

Is SDG1 a priority for this country?

Ø  Water and sanitation are said to be two areas of high priority in Italy to Sustainable Development.

Is this an issue for the Italy?

Ø  Water and sanitation are current and consistent issues for Italy that are monitored by the REHERA and implemented by UNDESA and OEGD who have been mentioned above.

Is this currently being addressed by the country?

Ø  Yes, UNDESA and OEGD are two implementation strategies that are constantly in place to address issues regarding water and sanitation in Italy that REHERA alerts and brings to the country’s attention.

Resources:

Substantiable Developmental Goals. Retrieved from https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdg6.

Climate Change and the Human Rights to Water and Sanitation1 Position Paper. Retrieved from https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/Water/Climate_Change_Right_Water_Sanitation.pdf.

Sfara, Giorgio. (2008, May 11). Intervention on water and sanitation. Retrieved from https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/italy_12may_water.pdf.