A/HRC/45/39 31. The consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, affecting both developed and developing countries throughout the world, should be thoroughly evaluated, and comprehensive policies and programmes should be adopted, with the participation of civil society, in order to ensure the better preparation of societies to respond to infectious diseases, to prevent their spread and to ensure adequate treatment and recovery health services for all concerned, giving the utmost attention to the protection of vulnerable groups. 32. Ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education for all (Sustainable Development Goal 4) is also presented by most States as a central priority of sustainable development. Some States affirm that they focus on extending access to early childhood education and to vocational schools, whereas others focus on increasing the number of young women in higher education, in particular at the university level, in scientific and technical fields. Many States underline the need to improve access to education for low-income and rural students and to close the digital gap, by ensuring that all students have reliable Internet access. There is a global learning crisis, however, given that more than 55 per cent of children of primary and lower-secondary school age lack minimum proficiency in reading and mathematics, one third of school-age children are out of school and girls face barriers to access to education in some parts of the world. 33. In their voluntary national reviews, States do not include specific measures or a timetable for achieving the targets contained in the 2030 Agenda, including those concerning primary and secondary school, education and training for the labour market, elimination of illiteracy and support of developing countries in that field. Due to the paramount importance of high-quality education for all to leaving no one behind, more efforts should be concentrated to ensure adequate infrastructure and teacher training, to ensure that all adults learn to read and write and to promote substantial progress in that field in all countries, with the participation of local government, local communities and all stakeholders, including education professionals. 34. Taking into account the close relationship between access to water, access to food and the elimination of poverty, many countries referred to progress made in providing access to safe drinking water, but noted remaining challenges in rural areas, including with regard to access to sanitation and hygiene. They mention the existence of competing demands for water resources for households, manufacturing, energy, agriculture and food production, as well as the adverse impacts of climate change, conflicts and natural disasters, which challenge water availability. Some States reported steps taken to diversify sources of water, including by recycling, reclaiming and desalinating water. 35. Although some progress has been made, recent reports show that, in 2019, around 2.1 billion people were still living without safe drinking water 8 and that accelerated action was needed to provide more people with safely managed drinking water and sanitation. To that end, States should adopt specific targets responding to those challenges and to ensure an increased supply of fresh water, the efficient management of resources and the coordination of water use by different competing sectors, so as to ensure full respect for the basic human rights of access to water, food, health and sanitation for all those who are at risk of being left behind. 36. Sustainable Development Goal 10 is directly related to the elimination of poverty and concerns the reduction of inequality within and among countries. According to the report of the Secretary-General on progress made towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, in 92 countries offering data, 1 per cent of the population receives 75 per cent of the overall income, whereas 40 per cent of the population receives less than 25 per cent of income, 2 billion people lack access to waste collecting services and one quarter of urban residents live in slums. 37. Sustainable Development Goal target 10.1 is, by 2030, to progressively achieve and sustain income growth of the bottom 40 per cent of the population at a rate higher than the national average. States are asked to ensure equal opportunities and reduce income 8 Message of the Secretary-General on the occasion of World Water Day, 22 March 2019. 9