The Rt Hon Andrew Mitchell, MP
Secretary of State for International Development
Department for International Development
1 Palace Street
London
SW1E 5HE

21 April 2011


Dear Andrew,

I am writing to urge you to do everything you can to ensure that all the Millennium Development Goals are met and surpassed. In particular, I draw your attention to the target to halve, by 2015, the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation.

I understand that whilst the world is on track to meet the drinking water target, much remains to be done in some regions. The UN states that accelerated and targeted efforts are needed to bring drinking water to all rural households, as safe water supplies remain a challenge in many parts of the world. Half the population of developing regions live without sanitation, there are disparities in urban and rural sanitation coverage, and improvements in sanitation are bypassing the poor.

I look forward to hearing from you about what steps the Government will be taking to ensure global ambitions in these areas can be increased.

Yours sincerely,

Caroline Lucas, MP, Brighton Pavilion

Read the reply from the Department for International Development (in two parts: 1 2 )