A/HRC/RES/45/8 Deeply concerned that the lack of access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene underlies severe human costs, such as poor health and high mortality rates, and major economic losses, and affirming that affordability, accessibility, availability and quality, as human rights criteria ensuring the realization of the rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, require, inter alia, that water, sanitation and hygiene facilities and services are within the safe physical reach of all sections of the population without discrimination of any kind, and are accessible at a price that is affordable to all, Recognizing that sustained access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene facilities is essential to preventing infectious diseases, and that people without or with inadequate access to water, sanitation and hygiene facilities are at a much higher risk of contracting and passing on diseases, Deeply concerned that the COVID-19 pandemic perpetuates and exacerbates existing inequalities, and that those most at risk are persons in vulnerable and marginalized situations, recognizing the need to expand as a matter of utmost urgency access to adequate water and sanitation services, including for menstrual hygiene management, and to ensure continued access to existing services in this regard, and gravely concerned that 3 billion people worldwide lack basic hand-washing facilities at home, which is the most effective method of preventing the spread of COVID-19, Expressing concern that climate change has contributed and continues to contribute to the increased frequency and intensity of both sudden-onset natural disasters and slow-onset events, and that these events have adverse effects on the full enjoyment of all human rights, including the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, Recognizing that, while the implications of climate change-related impacts and environmental damage for the enjoyment of the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation affect individuals and communities around the world, the consequences are felt most acutely by those segments of the population that are already in vulnerable and marginalized situations, such as people living in informal settlements, people living in small island developing States and the least developed countries, rural and local communities and people facing desertification, land degradation, drought and water scarcity, and rising water levels due to storm surges, sea level rise and flooding, and recognizing also that indigenous peoples, because of their specific situation and nature, may be among the first to face the direct consequences of climate change owing to their dependence upon and close relationship with the environment and its resources, Deeply concerned that women and girls often face particular barriers in their enjoyment of the rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, which are exacerbated in humanitarian crises, and that in many parts of the world they shoulder the main burden of collecting household water, which constitutes a major impediment to the achievement of their economic empowerment, independence and social and economic development, Deeply concerned also that widespread silence and stigma surrounding menstruation and menstrual hygiene mean that women and girls often lack basic information thereon and are excluded and stigmatized, and are thus prevented from realizing their full potential, Deeply concerned further that the lack of access to adequate water and sanitation services, including for menstrual hygiene management, especially in schools, workplaces, health centres and public facilities and buildings, negatively affects gender equality and women’s and girls’ enjoyment of human rights, including the rights to education, health, safe and healthy working conditions and to participate in public affairs, Deeply concerned that women and girls are particularly at risk of and exposed to attacks, sexual and gender-based violence, harassment and other threats to their safety while collecting household water, when accessing sanitation facilities outside their homes or when, in the absence of adequate sanitation facilities, practising open defecation and urination, which limits their ability to move freely and safely in the public sphere, Deeply concerned also that persons with disabilities, especially children with disabilities, often face barriers in accessing water and sanitation facilities, as such facilities are often inaccessible and inappropriate for meeting their needs, which affects their ability to live independently and participate fully in all aspects of life, including education and 3