• worldwide some 2.6 billion people without access to any kind of improved sanitation
• 2.2 million deaths caused by sanitation-related diseases and poor hygienic conditions
• most affected group: children under the age of 5
• progress towards the MDG in sanitation is much too slow, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia
• sanitation rarely receives the required attention and priority by politicians and civil societies alike despite its key importance on many other sectors and for achieving most of the MDGs
• the political will has been largely lacking when it comes to place sanitation high on the international development agenda

The overall goal of the SuSanA is to contribute to the achievement of the MDGs by promoting sanitation systems which take into consideration all aspects of sustainability.

The MDGs and the UN's "International Year of Sanitation 2008" are highly appreciated by the "Sustainable Sanitation Alliance" as they help push sanitation high up in the political agenda. The main focus of the work of the "Sustainable Sanitation Alliance" will be to promote the implementation of sustainable sanitation systems in large scale water and sanitation programmes, in line with the strategies proposed e.g. by WHO, UNDP-PEP, UNSGAB and UNESCO.

The main objective of a sanitation system is to protect and promote human health by providing a clean environment and breaking the cycle of disease. In order to be sustainable, a sanitation system has to be not only economically viable, socially acceptable, and technically and institutionally appropriate, it should also protect the environment and the natural resources.