Brazil was elected host country for the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP 30) to be held in the city of Belém do Pará, Amazon Region, between November 10 and 21, 2025. The fact that it will be held in an urban area in the heart of the Amazon rain forest is a powerful image of the importance of protecting environment despite urban development. This brings to light the importance of discussing several aspects of urban and environmental sustainability, in the 21st century.

The characteristics and roles of large cities reveal the constant and deeply interconnected relationships between local, national, and global dynamics. Urban spaces serve as arenas of conflict, innovation, and negotiation—socio-spatial processes that demand careful theorization. When it comes to basic sanitation services, such as water supply and sewage management, development often produces unequal exposure to environmental risks and unequal access to safe water, particularly for socio-environmentally vulnerable populations and minority groups, producing scenarios of environmental injustice.

One of the trend topics to be discussed at COP30 is how developed countries can provide financial support to developing countries for climate action. In this sense, the water and sanitation topic may be explored in the debates and also the privatization of water and sanitation services in general.

In this Research Topic, we aim to discuss issues about water supply and sanitation services universal access around the world, especially on how this topic will be addressed at COP 30, both by developed and developing countries that are still far from universal access to drinking water and basic sanitation.

In this sense, we expect that articles brings research, official data and information, recent water and sanitation policies and even reports from the COP 30 meetings, informing and discussing how COP 30 participants discussed the subject of water and sanitation.

The viewpoint of all authors involved in this topic will be highly considered for this research topic: participation of organized civil society, governments, legislative bodies, national and international committees and councils, media and journalists and private companies.

We welcome Original Research, Review, Policy and Practice Review, Brief Research Report, Case Report, Community Case Study, Mini Review, Perspective and Policy Brief articles.

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Water and Sanitation discussions in the context of the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties