The Lancet Commission on water, sanitation and hygiene, and health

[...]interventions often demand a large investment of time and financial resources from those least able to bear the costs, and underestimate or overlook the structural challenges faced by people living in poverty. [...]the true costs of these so-called low-cost approaches are often born by women as the de-facto water managers or caregivers who are tasked with additional responsibilities, reinforcing gender inequalities.14 International attention focuses almost exclusively on low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs), suggesting WASH is no longer a truly global concern. [...]the cost of achieving universal access to at least safely managed WASH services will be immense but so too are the potential benefits. [...]the Commission will make concrete recommendations for reform focused on the establishment of national systems that are capable of both professionalised delivery of WASH services for all and responding to key challenges such as climate change and rapid urbanisation.