Uzbekistan Joins Protocol on Water and Health

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Uzbekistan has joined the Protocol on Water and Health, a supplement to the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes, marking one of the key events of the Protocol meeting held from 5 to 7 November in Budapest. With this accession, the number of participating countries in the agreement, aimed at strengthening water supply, sanitation, and hygiene systems in the WHO European Region, has reached 29, the UN News reports.

Olga Mirshina, a specialist from the Committee on Sanitary and Epidemiological Welfare and Public Health of the Ministry of Health of Uzbekistan, speaking at the event, emphasized that for a country with an arid climate, issues of hygiene, sanitation, and water supply are of particular importance.

“Uzbekistan is located in the heart of Central Asia and is significantly affected by the consequences of climate change and water scarcity. We decided that the Protocol will serve as a tool to help advance initiatives ensuring safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene at all public facilities,” Mirshina said.

The Protocol on Water and Health, in force since 2005, is the only international legally binding instrument that directly links environmental, water resource, and public health issues. Its goal is to ensure universal access to safe water, adequate sanitation, and hygienic conditions.

Ministers and delegates from more than 40 countries are participating in the Budapest meeting. They are sharing experiences in addressing critical water safety challenges and approving an action plan 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, played a key role in the 2010 UN General Assembly recognition of the human right to water and sanitation. Since then, it has contributed to strengthening this right across the European region and serves as a model for other parts of the world.

According to Tatiana Molchan, Executive Secretary of UNECE, over the past two decades the Protocol has helped improve the quality of drinking water and promote hygiene practices; however, significant challenges remain for countries.

“As the effects of climate change intensify, public health emergencies increase, environmental conditions deteriorate, and new threats, including cyber risks, emerge, the tasks before us become even more urgent,” Molchan noted. “To build a safe and sustainable future, it is necessary to invest in equitable and reliable water supply, sanitation, and hygiene systems,” she added.

In his address, UN Secretary-General António Guterres emphasized that the work under the Protocol helps shape policies and investments aimed at improving access to safe water and sanitation, preventing disease, and strengthening public health. He recalled that 2 billion people worldwide still lack access to safe drinking water, while 1.4 billion annually face the consequences of inadequate sanitation.

According to WHO, in the European region 118 million people receive healthcare in facilities lacking basic sanitation, and 14 people die each day from diseases related to unsafe water and poor hygiene.