Ensuring water, sanitation and hygiene in schools

The child’s right to education, and water and sanitation are human rights that cannot be taken away or compromised. Children deserve a healthy learning environment with easy access to safe and sustainable water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services. Lack of access to adequate WASH facilities can lower attendance and educational achievement in schools. A considerable proportion of children in the WHO European Region attend schools that do not provide sufficient WASH services that meet pupils’ needs. A lack of adequate toilets, toilet avoidance, dehydration, poor hand hygiene and inadequate provisions for menstrual hygiene management are common phenomena across the Region. Good WASH services respect the rights of the child by ensuring that children are healthy and able to learn. WASH in schools is a priority under the Protocol on Water and Health.

Adequate provision of WASH in schools:

• protects the rights and preserves the dignity of children by providing them with access to safe, acceptable and reliable WASH services;
• is non-discriminatory and ensures equitable access to quality education;
• helps create conducive learning environments;
• is a means of disease prevention and promotes health and well-being;
• needs to provide sustainable infrastructure, which includes operation, maintenance and management.

Our work

WHO/Europe supports countries by enabling them to set targets towards achieving adequate WASH services in schools that meet pupils’ needs. In facilitating this process, WHO assists countries in creating informed policies and strengthening surveillance. The process of setting targets and monitoring their implementation facilitates reporting under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and contributes to global and regional monitoring instruments. WHO/Europe also promotes and fosters collaboration with the education sector and provides advocacy materials and practical guidance for school-based WASH management and education for health promotion.

Commitments

The work done by WHO/Europe is central to achieving several SDGs, particularly SDG 3 on ensuring and promoting health and well-being, SDG 4 on providing quality education and promoting lifelong learning, and SDG 6 on safe, adequate and equitable water and sanitation for all. The Ostrava Declaration on Environment and Health (2017) also stipulates actions towards ensuring safe and equitable access to water and sanitation facilities in the Region. Moreover, it is central to meeting the target of the 2016 Paris Declaration on partnerships for the health and well-being of our young and future generations, of making every school a health promoting school. The Protocol on Water and Health is the primary implementation instrument in the European Region, prioritizing WASH in institutions and facilitating the development of integrated policies and targets to achieve universal access to WASH in schools.