Topic:
Country: Nigeria
Delegate Name: Hope Orban
United Nations Development Program
Access to Water and Sanitation
Federal Republic of Nigeria
Hope Orban
Forest Hills Eastern
Access to water and sanitation is an intense global issue. The World Health Organization predicts that half of the global population will live in areas without consistent access to clean water by the year 2025. Lack of safely-managed drinking water is connected to many health problems including cholera, diarrhoea, dysentery, hepatitis A, and polio. All of these diseases can spread through unclean and unregulated water. Poor wastewater management systems result in a loss of economic productivity as well as a loss in physical health of a country’s citizens because of sanitation-related illnesses and the costs that come with treating them. A challenge with providing access to clean water around the world is creating sustainable ways for global access of clean water. The UNDP must find a solution that provides a way that is both practical and sustainable.
Nigeria struggles deeply with water security issues. UNICEF estimates that over 70,000 children under five die annually due to water-borne diseases. According to USAID, only 33% of the population has access to sanitation. The Borgen Project estimates that only 19% of Nigerians have access to adequate drinking water. Clean water collection is also a significant issue in Nigeria. The burden of taking long journeys to get clean water often falls on women, not allowing them to attend school and be members of society in the way that men are. Though Nigeria has been embroiled with attacks from terrorist groups, specifically Al-Qaeda, it is attentive to issues on water and sanitation. In an attempt to combat these problems, Nigeria launched a 13 year national action plan to ensure total access to sustainable and regulated WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) services by 2030. They have developed the National Urban Water Sector Reform Program (NUWSRP) which focuses on increased access to quality piped water in urban areas, infrastructure improvements, and water utility and sustainability.
Nigeria is making great progress in making access to clean water and regulated sanitation services for its citizens, but more must be done to insure these resources globally. Nigeria would like to continue funding and receive funding to help finance programs like NUWSRP that help with WASH issues. Surrounding countries also struggle with issues involving water and sanitation, so Nigeria hopes to partner with these regions to create solutions to common problems. Nigeria would like to collaborate with organizations such as UNICEF who know what resources are needed to improve water and sanitation in the country and how to implement them. By funding programs that promote improvements for water and sanitation in Nigeria, and partnering with other countries with similar needs and organizations like UNICEF, the United Nations hope to bring about continuing improvement in this difficult issue in the world.
