Responding to the 2006 UN Human Development Report on water and sanitation, International Development Secretary Hilary Benn, announced that the UK recognises the right to water as he launched a call for a Global Action Plan to solve the water crisis.

“There are too many international agencies working on water and sanitation, and not enough action; too many meetings and working groups and not enough pipes and taps”, Benn said.

Benn presented his call for a major reform of the international system in a Global Action Plan. The plan stresses more coordinated monitoring and planning both at the international and national levels. It also calls on multilateral donors to focus more on water for the poorest.

Related news: Human Development Report 2006: G8 to lead global action plan against world water and sanitation crisis, Source Bulletin, Nov 2006 ; Funding: UK increases aid for water in Africa, research and good governance, Source Weekly, 25 Jul 2006

Contact: Department for International Development (DFID), UK, enquiry@dfid.gov.uk

Source: DFID, 9 Nov 2006

Tags: monitoring & evaluation, policies & legislation