A WHO staff member delivered a keynote presentation at the Water Science and Technology Association 11th Gulf Water Conference held in Muscat, Oman from 20 to 22 Oct 2014. Over 350 participants from the Arabian Gulf region attended the conference. The presentation stressed the public health importance of water and sanitation, reported on latest finding on the burden of disease caused by inadequate water and sanitation region, and discussed the role of national public health authorities in health-based regulation, monitoring and surveillance of water and sanitation services. During the conference it was noted that most water agencies, governments and experts use the WHO guidelines on drinking water quality (http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/guidelines/en/) as their normative reference; however, requests were made for additional guidance on the use of desalinated water.