Budapest, 5 November 2025
Excellencies, distinguished delegates!
It is a pleasure to be able to speak to you today in Hungary, a country that holds a special place in the history of public health in Europe. Because this is the country of Ignaz Semmelweis, the “savior of mothers”. His groundbreaking insight that clean hands and hygienic conditions save human lives laid the foundation for modern hygiene and infection protection.
Semmelweis’ insight resonates in every hospital department and in every community concerned with safe water and hygiene. In fact, we hear the echo in our own work, underscoring that true progress in healthcare begins with cleanliness, care and respect for human life.
For two decades, the Protocol on Water and Health has supported our work to ensure equal access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene for all. I am pleased to welcome you to this seventh meeting of the Parties to the Protocol and I warmly thank my friends, Minister of the Interior Sándor Pintér and Minister of Energy Csaba Lantos, for their generous hospitality here in beautiful Budapest.
As we mark the 20th anniversary of the Protocol, we note that there is notable progress but also ongoing challenges. Acute respiratory and diarrheal diseases caused by inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene claim 33,000 lives every year in the WHO European Region. These are preventable deaths and this is where the Protocol comes in – as a powerful tool for change. I will give you three reasons for this.
The first is to ensure that safe water, adequate sanitation and hygiene are available in health facilities. Hungary has clearly placed this on the agenda. It was an honor to take part in the discussions that Hungary hosted with its Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Péter Szijjártó, during the United Nations General Assembly in September.
A shocking fact: today, 118 million people in the European Region are served by health facilities that lack basic sanitation. But without adequate water, sanitation and hygiene, unintentional harm occurs in healthcare. Imagine a mother gives birth to her child, but the midwife is unable to clean the mother and child after birth. Imagine an elderly man lying in a hospital bed unable to go to the toilet because it is too far away.
The bottom line is that water, sanitation and hygiene security must be an integral part of any investment in modern healthcare.
This is also just as important for healthcare professionals. As someone who has worked on the front lines of the fight against infectious diseases, I know how inadequate supplies and unsafe environments endanger healthcare workers.
The Protocol on Water and Health has enabled tangible progress. Using the tools developed under the Protocol, we have been able to contribute to in-depth assessments in over 1,500 healthcare facilities in ten countries, resulting in concrete improvements for tens of millions of people. We must continue to use this framework and these tools to maintain momentum.
The second key function of the Protocol is to strengthen resilience. Water, sanitation and hygiene systems are being tested like never before, requiring greater resilience to a range of stressors. Climate change is exacerbating water shortages and pollution and is acutely endangering the existence of sensitive ecosystems such as the Aral Sea basin.
Investments in resilient water, sanitation and hygiene systems are also investments in our collective ability to weather crises. The Protocol has spurred the adoption of risk-based water security planning, now used in more than 30 countries to address climate risks. By reducing vulnerabilities, these plans actively protect health and well-being. To promote further climate action, WHO/Europe launched the Pan-European Commission on Climate and Health this year, whose findings and recommendations will be available early next year.
The third important element of the Protocol is its ability to foster partnerships to strengthen shared commitment. Two years ago we signed the Budapest Declaration on Environment and Health. Last week we adopted the Second European Work Program at the 75th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe. Both place great emphasis on climate resilience, health security and the future viability of health systems.
Our work under the Protocol is essential to achieving these goals, but our success depends on our partnership.
That’s why I thank Hungary and Dr. Márta Vargha for successfully chairing the Protocol over the last three years. I would also like to thank Ms. Tatiana Molcean and her team at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe for the excellent cooperation in the secretariat of the protocol that we put together. And finally, I would like to thank my good friend, Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi, for our strong partnership in driving this agenda forward.
Dear friends, water, sanitation and hygiene security is not just a matter of comfort or convenience, but rather a matter of survival, human dignity and prosperity. As Kofi Annan once eloquently put it, “We will not defeat any of the infectious diseases that plague the developing world until we also win the battle for safe drinking water, adequate sanitation and basic health care.”
Let us use the Protocol to its fullest extent to meet our commitments to healthier future generations.
Thank you.
