STATEMENT by Rt. Hon. Prime Minister Mr. K P Sharma Oli, at a side event organized in the margins of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4) Jointly organized by the Governments of Nepal and Burundi in collaboration with Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) FIBES Sevilla Exhibition and Conference Centre 01 July 2025, Seville, Spain

Statement
by Rt. Hon. Prime Minister Mr. K P Sharma Oli,
at a side event organized in the margins of the

Fourth International Conference on
Financing for Development (FfD4)

Jointly organized by the Governments of Nepal and
Burundi in collaboration with Sanitation and Water for All (SWA)

FIBES Sevilla Exhibition and Conference Centre

01 July 2025, Seville, Spain

His Excellency the Vice President of Burundi,
Excellencies,
Esteemed Panellists,
Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

At the outset, I am delighted to express my joy in co-organising this important event alongside the Government of Burundi.

I would also like to thank Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) for its global leadership in upholding the right to safe water and sanitation.

Your collaboration in organising this event reflects your unwavering commitment to ensuring these basic human rights.

Your tireless advocacy has brought WASH—water, sanitation, and hygiene—to the heart of the global policy discourse.

Excellencies,

WASH is not just another development goal.
It is about life, health, and human dignity.

It prevents deadly outbreaks.
It keeps children in school.
It empowers women and girls.
And it breaks the vicious cycle of poverty and disease.

Yet, despite being one of the most fundamental human needs, billions still live without access to it.

• Over 2 billion people lack safe drinking water.
• 3.5 billion do not have access to safely managed sanitation.
• Waterborne diseases are on the rise.
• Poor sanitation continues to spread deadly pathogens.
• Children still die from preventable illnesses like diarrhoea—simply because they lack clean water and safe toilets.

In many countries, this remains a major public health crisis.

To meet the goal of universal WASH coverage by 2030, we must accelerate progress—
by as much as six-fold, according to some estimates.

This demands not only commitment, but collective action.

We must work together to build a world where clean water, safe sanitation, and hygiene are guaranteed rights—not distant dreams.

Excellencies,

Nepal remains deeply committed to ensuring access to WASH for all.
Our constitution recognises access to clean water and sanitation as a fundamental right of every citizen.

We are determined to realise our national aspiration of “Prosperous Nepal, Happy Nepali”—where every household enjoys essential services, including WASH.

To this end, our government has introduced key laws, policies, and programmes to expand access.

As of 2024, Nepal has achieved 96% basic water supply coverage.
Yet challenges remain—especially in delivering quality and sustainable WASH services to all.

Excellencies,

I am pleased to announce that Nepal has joined the Heads of State Initiative (HoSI) on WASH today.

This manifests our strong political will to make WASH a national success story.

At this important juncture, I also take the opportunity to call upon all our development partners to continue supporting us in this endeavor.

With your help, we can build the infrastructure and strengthen the institutions needed to achieve our shared goals.

Together, let us create a world where no one is left behind—where every child drinks clean water, every family has a safe toilet, and every community lives with dignity.

I thank you.