This month, I had the unique opportunity to attend the High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in the United Nations, as part of the Bangladesh Government’s delegation. Falling outside of my usual deskbound way of working, this was an eye-opening experience on the complexities of the UN system, the dynamics of state and civil society, and the overwhelming necessity of keeping the 2030 Agenda front and centre if we are to reach everyone, everywhere with safe water, sanitation and hygiene.

The first day of the HLPF ended with the thematic review of Goal 6 – one of the highlights of my week, bringing country level progress to the global stage in three hours of rapid-fire speeches from different governments and major groups representatives. It was heartening to see state after state acknowledge the foundational role of WASH in achieving the SDGs (and to see that even UN sessions face technical glitches!), but also concerning that sanitation and hygiene were so sidelined in the dialogue. Without water, sanitation and hygiene working together, we cannot ensure people’s health, development or dignity, and it is those who are most vulnerable – children, women and girls, persons with disabilities, the elderly – who are most affected. When a child under 5 dies every two minutes from diarrhoea caused by inadequate toilets and dirty water, there is a need for more urgency and action from all of us, but especially the political leadership represented in the HLPF.