Healthier Hearts Foundation

The Healthier Hearts Foundation acknowledges the persistent global challenges associated with access to safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene. Despite notable advancements, billions of people still lack these essential provisions, underscoring the urgent need for concerted action to achieve universal coverage by 2030. Current forecasts underscore the necessity for significant boosts in global progress: a sixfold increase for drinking water, fivefold for sanitation, and threefold for hygiene. Although there has been a 9 percent improvement in water use efficiency, concerns remain regarding water stress and scarcity, particularly with 2.4 billion individuals residing in water-stressed countries as of 2020, a situation exacerbated by conflicts and climate change.

The Healthier Hearts Foundation faces a pressing reality with just seven years remaining: only 15.4 percent of Goal 5 indicators, based on available data, are currently "on track," while 61.5 percent are moderately close, and 23.1 percent significantly lag behind the 2030 targets. Progress has been notably slow across various fronts, with projections painting a bleak picture: an estimated 300 years to eradicate child marriage, 286 years to bridge legal protection gaps and dismantle discriminatory laws, 140 years for women to achieve equal representation in positions of power and leadership, and 47 years to attain parity in national parliaments. Urgent action is paramount, requiring political leadership, substantial investments, and comprehensive policy reforms to dismantle systemic barriers obstructing the realization of Goal 5. Embracing gender equality as a fundamental principle is crucial, permeating national policies, budgets, and institutions to foster meaningful change.