Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
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November 6, 2025 Climate and environment
Uzbekistan joined the Protocol on Water and Health, supplementing Convention on Transboundary WatersThis was one of the key events of the Protocol's meeting in Budapest, which is taking place from November 5 to 7. The document now brings together 29 parties working to strengthen water, sanitation, and hygiene systems in WHO European Region.
Issues of hygiene, sanitation, water, and health are highly relevant for Uzbekistan, which has an arid climate, said Olga Mirshina, a specialist with the Committee for Sanitary and Epidemiological Welfare and Public Health of the Ministry of Health of Uzbekistan, who attended the meeting.
"Uzbekistan is located in the center of Central Asia and is a country that is profoundly impacted by both climate change and water supply issues," she said. According to Mirshina, the region's arid climate impacts sanitation conditions and the water supply system.
"We decided that the Protocol would be one of those tools that would help us and facilitate our continued promotion of safe drinking water, safe sanitation, and the implementation of safe hygiene in all public facilities," the specialist explained.
The protocol helps ensure the population has access to clean water.
Protocol, which has been in force for two decades—since 2005—helps countries ensure access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene for all segments of the population. This unique, legally binding document remains the only international agreement directly linking the environment, water resources, and health.
Ministers and other delegates from more than 40 countries gathered in Budapest to discuss experiences addressing critical issues and a work program for the next three years.
The Protocol, jointly administered by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the WHO Regional Office for Europe, paved the way for the recognition of the human right to water and sanitation by the UN General Assembly in 2010. Since then, it has played a key role in promoting this right in the region and serves as a model for other parts of the world.
Over the past two decades, the document has contributed to improving drinking water quality and developing hygiene practices. However, as UNECE Executive Secretary Tatiana Molchan noted, many challenges remain.
"The task before us becomes even more urgent."
“As the impacts of climate change intensify, health emergencies multiply, environmental conditions deteriorate, and new threats such as cyberthreats emerge, our task becomes even more urgent,” she stressed.
“To build a safe and secure future, we must invest in sustainable and equitable water, sanitation, and hygiene systems,” Molchan added.
In his address to the meeting participants, the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres noted that work under the Protocol “has shaped policies and investments aimed at improving access to safe water and sanitation, preventing water-related diseases, and improving human health.”
He recalled that 2 billion people in the world still do not have access to clean drinking water, and 1.4 billion people die every year due to poor sanitation.
According to the WHO, 118 million people in the European Region receive healthcare in facilities lacking basic sanitation. Every day, 14 people in the region die from diseases related to unsafe water and poor hygiene.
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