The Protocol on Water and Health states that the provision of drinking water and sanitation must ensure equitable access to these services for all members of the population. Three critical factors have been identified as crucial to ensuring equitable access to water and sanitation: reducing geographical disparities, overcoming barriers faced by vulnerable and marginalized groups, and addressing affordability concerns.

The Equitable Access Score-card 2.0, featured in this publication, is an analytical tool designed to help governments and other stake-holders establish a baseline measure of the equity of access to water and sanitation, identify related priorities, evaluate progress through a process of self-assessment, and discuss further actions to be taken.

It builds upon lessons learned in applying the first version of the Score-card across the pan-European region as well as specific challenges arising from emergency situations, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and climate-induced extreme weather events. The publication contains recommendations on planning the self-assessment and concrete examples of the benefits of using the Score-card 2.0 in different settings. Parties to the Protocol, countries and other stakeholders are invited to use the Equitable Access Score-card 2.0 to support the implementation of SDG 6 and other global and regional processes aimed at realizing the human rights to water and sanitation.