For hundreds of millions of people around the world, safe water and proper sanitation remain a challenge according to the UN Children’s Agency (UNICEF).

Ministers from several dozen countries, both developed and developing, are meeting in Washington, DC to discuss ways of speeding up global access to these basic necessities of life.

The April 20 Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) High Level Meeting brings together the SWA Partnership of donors and agencies with ministers responsible for finance, sanitation and hygiene portfolios.

The SWA says for too long, sanitation and water supply in developing countries have suffered from a lack of attention and a lack of progress that became a downward spiral.

Julie Walker spoke with Sanjay Wijesekera, UNICEF’s global chief of Water and Sanitation who is attending the meeting about the issues faced.

Duration: 5’00”