In September 2000, the 189 UN Member States adopted eight goals for promoting human development, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).  These goals are based on the belief that a country will be able to sustain social and economic development only if resources are invested in the development of its citizens.  The seventh goal is to sustain the human environment, and one of its targets is the subject of this report: "Halve, by 2015, the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking-water and basic sanitation".

The present JMP Report 2006, was prepared by the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme. It is intended as a "reality check" for individual countries and the international community on how far we have come, and where we need to focus next, to achieve the 2015 goals.

The report provides coverage data for water and sanitation for 1990 and 2004 at national, regional and global levels, as well as an analysis of trends towards 2015. Although published in 2006, the report covers progress towards the seventh MDG up to the year 2004. This is the last year for which comprehensive data are available.

This report aims at helping policy-makers, scientists and others who wish to build sector capacity at national and subnational levels. Please note that the figures found in the present MDG assessment report may differ from those found on this web site, since the web-site data are regularly updated.