Water and sanitation services are critical for public health. The importance of these services is reflected in SDG 6 and the associated targets 6.1, 6.2 and 6.3. Much progress remains to be made to achieve these targets, but it is already becoming clear that greater ambition is needed. This paper looks at three global challenges: the need to increase the level of service to protect public health including infectious respiratory diseases; the role of sanitation in combatting anti-microbial resistance (AMR); and the urgent need to build more climate-resilient services. We need to upgrade the SDG targets to focus on universal access to piped water on premises, to incorporate action on AMR in definitions of safe sanitation and to embed actions to improve resilience, which take into account the greater ambition called for in the SDG 6 targets. This requires a shift in thinking in the sector, away from relying on households and communities to manage their services to properly funded, professional services staffed by trained technical, managerial and finance staff. This will require more public finance and better use of financial instruments that have proved effective in other sectors. Increasing our ambition will mean the world can achieve the aim of universal access to safe, sustainable, and resilient services and protect public health.

水和卫生服务对公共卫生至关重要。这些服务的重要性体现在可持续发展目标 6 和相关目标 6.1、6.2 和 6.3 中。要实现这些目标还有很多进展，但很明显需要更大的雄心。本文着眼于三个全球挑战：需要提高服务水平以保护包括传染性呼吸道疾病在内的公共卫生；卫生设施在对抗抗微生物药物耐药性 (AMR) 方面的作用；以及迫切需要建立更具气候适应能力的服务。我们需要升级可持续发展目标，将重点放在普遍获得室内自来水，将抗微生物药物耐药性的行动纳入安全卫生的定义，并纳入提高复原力的行动，其中考虑到可持续发展目标 6 中所要求的更大雄心. 这需要该部门转变思维，从依赖家庭和社区来管理他们的服务，转向由训练有素的技术、管理和财务人员提供资金充足的专业服务。这将需要更多的公共财政和更好地利用已在其他部门证明有效的金融工具。增强我们的雄心将意味着世界可以实现普遍获得安全、可持续和有弹性的服务并保护公众健康的目标。