Box 1 Summary of related guidance and initiatives

Guidance and standards

WHO (2008) Essential Environmental Health Standards in Health Care

WHO (2016) Guidelines on core components of infection prevention and control programmes at the national and acute health care facility level

WHO (2019) Minimum requirements for infection prevention and control. Geneva: World Health Organization

CDC and ICAN (2019) Best Practices for Environmental Cleaning in Healthcare Facilities in Resource-Limited Settings. Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services

WHO (2020) Cleaning and disinfection of environmental surfaces in the context of COVID-19. Interim guidance

WHO (2020) Core competencies for infection prevention and control professionals. Geneva: World Health Organization

World Health Assembly Resolutions

World Health Assembly (WHA 72). 2019. Agenda Item 6.6, Patient Safety. Resolution on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Health Care Facilities

World Health Assembly (WHA 73). 2020. Agenda Item 3. Resolution on COVID-19 Response

Calls to action/initiatives

WHO (2015) Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance

WHO/UNICEF (2018) Meeting the challenge: responding to the global call to action on WASH in health care facilities

WHO (2020) Urgent health challenges for the next decade

WHO Patient Safety Flagship: A Decade of Patient Safety 2020–2030

WHO (2021) Global Patient Safety Action Plan 2021–2030. Towards Eliminating Avoidable Harm in Health Care. Third draft, January 202

Implementation resources

WHO (2017) Water and Sanitation for Health Facility Improvement Tool (WASH FIT): a practical guide for improving quality of care through water, sanitation and hygiene in healthcare facilities

WHO, UNICEF (2019) Water, sanitation and hygiene in health care facilities: practical steps to achieve universal access

WHO (2019) Implementation manual to prevent and control the spread of carbapenem-resistant organisms at the national and health care facility level. Geneva: World Health Organization