A/66/255 38. The economic benefits of such improvements are staggering. By some estimates, the combined cost-benefit ratio for meeting both the water and sanitation Millennium Development Goal targets is 8 to 1. 47 39. Universal access to water and sanitation combined could produce benefits of US$ 170 billion in countries non-members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.47 These benefits are particularly felt in improved health: for instance, through averted cases of diarrhoea and savings in the treatment of illnesses caused by lack of access to water and sanitation. 48 Indeed, the total global disease burden in terms of disability-adjusted life years could be reduced by at least 10 per cent through investment in improvements to water and sanitation services. 49 The benefits of a household connection also have considerable positive impacts on reducing child mortality; one study carried out in Argentina found that increased household connections reduced child mortality in the poorest municipalities by 24 per cent. 50 The economic benefits of improved access to water and sanitation include increased productivity of adults and school attendance of children, both of which may be affected by chronic illness that stems from poor hygiene. 51 40. Not all benefits can be monetized. Intangible benefits, such as time saved and dignity gained, warrant careful consideration for their impact on human well-being. The particularly positive impact for women and girls of investing in water and sanitation is crucial for realizing human rights obligations related to gender equality. Environmental benefits are also difficult to put a figure on, but may be enormous, given that improving water and sanitation services helps combat environmental degradation. III. Targeting resources effectively A. Human rights and targeting 41. Successfully mobilizing the resources needed to ensure universal access does not by itself guarantee success in fully realizing the rights to water and sanitation. Human rights principles offer three basic considerations which should guide States and international donors when determining how to allocate resources for water and sanitation. First, resources should initially be directed towards meeting obligations of immediate effect. 52 States can then build on that foundation to more fully realize the rights and move to higher levels of service. Second, States and donors must vigorously promote non-discrimination in their water and sanitation programmes and policies, looking to eliminate disparities in access based on, inter alia, race, colour, ethnic origin, religion, gender, economic status or citizenship. Finally, the __________________ 47 48 49 50 51 52 14 Ibid., p. vi. Ibid., pp. 25-29. Annette Prüss-Üstün and others, Safer Water, Better Health: Costs, Benefits and Sustainability of Interventions to Protect and Promote Health (Geneva, World Health Organization, 2008), p. 7. R. W. A. Franceys, “Charging to enter the water shop?”, p. 210. Hutton, Haller and Bartram, “Economic and health effects”, p. 30. Draft guidelines for the realization of the right to safe drinking water and sanitation (see E/CN.4/Sub.2/2005/25), para. 2.3 (a). 11-44364