As the UN General Assembly draws to a close, UN-Water pauses to reflect on the immense accomplishment of achieving a dedicated Goal on water and sanitation and the collaboration that went into making the past week such a success.

The formal adoption of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 at the UN Summit in New York represents a monumental achievement for the water community. Throughout this past week’s events, UN-Water has engaged in various high-level discussions that celebrate progress to date and reinforce its readiness to consolidate UN efforts to support Member States as they begin implementing the ambitious 2030 Agenda.

There were several highlights for UN-Water throughout the week. First, UN-Water participated in a high-level side event during the Summit organized by the Permanent Missions of Finland, Hungary, Switzerland, Tajikistan and Thailand, entitled, Catalyzing Implementation and Achievement of the Water-related SDGs. Among other topics, the discussion touched on various means of implementation, including monitoring, financing, and partnership with the private sector and civil society, with many countries and organizations announcing specific commitments to achieving SDG 6.

Second, UN-Water co-organized a side event during the high-level UN General Assembly opening co-sponsored by the Netherlands, South Africa, Bangladesh, and Hungary entitled, Making it Happen: Ending Inequalities and Ensuring Sanitation, Water and Hygiene for All as a Basis for Achieving the SDGs. On behalf of the four hosting Member States, the Director General for Development Cooperation at the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Christiaan Rebergen, addressed the session, with opening remarks provided by the UN Assistant Secretary General, Thomas Gass and the UN-Water Chair, Michel Jarraud.