MONROVIA, LIBERIA-As the global community is gearing up for the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), a conglomeration of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) wants the Liberian delegation at the conference prioritize water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), as change in the climate has a negative impact on the WASH sector.

COP26 takes place from October 31 to November 12, 2021, in Glasgow, the United Kingdom, and will bring together parties from across the world to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

At a two-day workshop held in Sinkor over the weekend, members of the Liberia Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) Committee on Climate Change and WASH (LCCCW) believed that the climate crisis is a water and sanitation crisis, emphasizing the need for action to mitigate the impact.

The participants stressed the need for climate action and water, sanitation and hygiene to go hand in hand, and integrate water and sanitation into climate policies and strategies with communities placed in the driver’s seat.

At the end of the workshop, the CSOs released a statement, “The Sinkor Declaration” in which they called on the Liberian Government, through its delegation, to the climate summit to prioritize the inclusion of WASH into Climate Change.

The workshop was sponsored by Sanitation and Water for All (SWA), a global partnership of governments, donors, civil society organizations and other development partners working together to coordinate high-level action, improve accountability and use scarce resources more effectively.

It was held under SWA’s Mutual Accountability Mechanism, and brought together more than thirty Civil Society Organizations (CSOs).