Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been appointed as a member of the United Nations High-Level Panel on Water.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim Thursday formally announced the appointment of 10 heads of state and government, as well as two special advisers, to the panel, says a UN News Centre report.

The panel, which is aimed at mobilising effective action to accelerate the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG6), was launched at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland last January.

The SDG6 focuses on ensuring the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all, at a time of unprecedented challenges.

Apart from Hasina, the other newly-appointed panel members are Ameenah Gurib, president of Mauritius (co-chair), Enrique Peña Nieto, president of Mexico (co-chair), Malcolm Turnbull, prime minister of Australia, János Áder, president of Hungary, Abdullah Ensour, prime minister of Jordan, Mark Rutte, prime minister of the Netherlands, Jacob Zuma, president of South Africa, Macky Sall, president of Senegal, and Emomali Rahmon, president of Tajikistan.

The two special advisers are Han Seung-soo, former prime minister of South Korea and Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, minister of state for the environment of Peru.

“Ensuring water and sanitation for all is crucial for reducing poverty and achieving other Sustainable Development Goals,” said Ban Ki-moon in a statement issued by his spokesperson.

The UN chief urged all partners to mobilise SDG6 with political, financial and technological support.

Today, more than 2.4 billion people lack access to improved sanitation and at least 663 million do not have access to safe drinking water, says the UN News Centre report.

Poor sanitation, unsafe water, and the lack of hygiene lead to about 6,75,000 premature deaths annually, and estimated annual economic losses of up to seven percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in some countries.

Floods and droughts impose huge social and economic costs globally, and climate variability will make water extremes worse. If the world continues on its current path, projections suggest that it may face a 40 percent shortfall in water availability by 2030.

The UN panel will provide the leadership required to tackle these challenges and champion a comprehensive, inclusive and collaborative way of developing and managing water resources, and providing improved access to clean water and sanitation, adds the news report.