challenges main article: sustainable development goals § challenges climate change further information: wash § climate change, and water security § climate change climate change makes it harder to achieve sdg 6 target 1 (universal access to safe drinking water). this is because climate change can increase weather-related shocks, namely droughts, heavy rain and temperature extremes. this, in turn can cause damage to water infrastructure and water scarcity. impact of covid-19 pandemic the covid-19 pandemic could affect the ability of water utilities to meet sdg 6 by increasing losses on revenues that would otherwise be used to make investments. the covid-19 pandemic has greatly affected the urban poor living in the slums with little or no access to clean water. the pandemic has shown the importance of sanitation, hygiene and adequate access to clean water to prevent diseases. according to the world health organization, handwashing is one of the most effective actions one can take to reduce the spread of pathogens and prevent infections, including the covid-19 virus. monitoring progress high-level progress reports for all the sdgs are published in the form of reports by the united nations secretary general. additionally, updates and progress can also be found on the sdg website which is managed by the united nations. in many cases, surrogate indicators will have to be used to measure progress (or the lack of it). thus, implementation of the sdgs implies continuous monitoring and periodic evaluation to check whether the direction and pace of development are right. in april 2020, united nations secretary-general antónio guterres said: “today, sustainable development goal 6 is badly off track" and it “is hindering progress on the 2030 agenda, the realization of human rights and the achievement of peace and security around the world". links with other sdgs sustainable development goals the sdgs are highly interdependent. therefore, the provision of clean water and sanitation for all is a precursor to achieving many of the other sdgs. wash experts have stated that without progress on goal 6, the other goals and targets cannot be achieved. for example, sanitation improvements can lead to more jobs (sdg 8) which would also lead to economic growth. sdg 6 progress improves health (sdg 3) and social justice (sdg 16). recovering the resources embedded in excreta and wastewater (like nutrients, water, and energy) contributes to achieving sdg 12 (sustainable consumption and production) and sdg 2 (end hunger). ensuring adequate sanitation and wastewater management along the entire value chain in cities contributes to sdg 11 (sustainable cities and communities) and sdg 1 (no poverty). sanitation systems with a resource recovery and reuse focus are getting increased attention. they can contribute to achieving at least fourteen of the sdgs, especially in an urban context. organizations the sustainable sanitation alliance (susana) has made it its mission to help achieve targets 6.2 and 6.3. global organizations such as oxfam, unicef, wateraid and many small ngos as well as universities, research centers, private enterprises, government-owned entities etc. are all part of susana and are dedicated to achieving sdg 6.