The U.N. General Assembly declared March 22 as World Water Day in 1993, but it was only in 2010 when, through a resolution that rallied donors and international organizations to help developing countries gain access to safe and affordable drinking water and sanitation, the organization recognized access to water supply and sanitation as a human right.
Just a year before water supply and sanitation was officially named a human right by the United Nations, aid to the sector peaked at $6.8 billion. Disbursements dropped to $5.4 billion in 2010 and $5.1 billion in 2011, but rebounded to $6.3 billion in 2012.
In 2013, the latest year for which official development assistance figures are available from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, water supply and sanitation assistance was at $5.7 billion — slightly higher than 2010 and 2011 levels.