World Toilet Day 2024: History, Theme and Significance
The purpose of World Toilet Day is to raise awareness about how many people in the world still lack basic sanitary facilities.
India is always accused of having the largest population who are deprived of the right to sanitation and water. According to the Government of India, the country became open-defecation-free (ODF) in October 2019. … 17 states and 5 UTs already have declared and verified all their districts to be ODF under Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen).” The claim that India is 100 percent open-defecation-free raises many questions. However, World Health Organization and UNICEF released July 1, 2021, stated that at least 15 percent of the total population in India defecates in the open. One percent of the urban and 22 percent of the rural population practice open defecation in the country.
Also, the offer of proper sanitation brings a remarkable return. For every $1 invested in basic sanitation, the return is $2.5. In the case of basic sanitation in rural areas, every $1 return on average more than $5 in saved medical costs and increased productivity.
History of World Toilet Day
Jack Sim founded the World Toilet Organization in Singapore. Jack Sim (born 1957) is the founder of the Restroom Association of Singapore, the World Toilet Organization, the World Toilet Day initiative, and the Bottom of the Pyramid (BoP) Hub. Formerly from the construction industry, he decided to devote the rest of his life to social work. The WTO began pushing for global recognition for World Toilet Day and, in 2007, the Sustainable Sanitation Alliance (SuSanA) began to actively support World Toilet Day, too. The UN declared the right to water and sanitation a human right on 28 July 2010.
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The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation issued the Reinvent the Toilet Challenge, asking innovators to design a waste-free commode in order to reconsider how we flush. Singapore had tabled the resolution, Sanitation for All, to raise awareness of the global challenge of sanitation and toilets. World Toilet Day was declared an official UN day in 2013
The theme of World Toilet Day 2024
According to the latest WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) report, progress on sanitation and hygiene is badly off track. For the 3.6 billion people currently without safely managed sanitation, it’s clear there will be no sustainable future without toilets. Governments must work four times faster and ensure toilets for all by 2030. WHO and UNICEF are calling on the government and their partners to urgently transform sanitation for better health, environments, economies, and societies in the State of the World’s sanitation report. The report sets out ways forward under the SDG 6 Global Acceleration Framework drawing on the latest data, evidence, and case studies.
The theme for World Toilet Day 2024 is “Toilets – A Place for Peace.” This theme emphasizes the importance of safe sanitation in promoting peace, dignity, and protection for billions of people worldwide. It highlights how access to safe toilets can improve public health, environmental health, and overall quality of life, especially in conflict-affected and vulnerable areas.
Significance of World Toilet Day
World Toilet Day, observed annually on November 19, is a significant global initiative aimed at addressing the global sanitation crisis. The day was established by the World Toilet Organization in 2001 and became an official United Nations Observance in 2013.
The significance of World Toilet Day includes:
- Raising Awareness: It brings attention to the fact that 3.5 billion people still lack access to safely managed sanitation. This lack of sanitation leads to serious health issues, including the spread of diseases like cholera and diarrhea.
- Promoting Action: The day encourages action to tackle the sanitation crisis and achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6, which aims for “water and sanitation for all” by 2030.
- Highlighting Vulnerabilities: It emphasizes how conflict, climate change, disasters, and neglect threaten sanitation services, leading to untreated human waste spreading in the environment.
- Advocating for Peace and Dignity: Safe toilets are essential for public and environmental health, providing dignity and protection, especially in conflict-affected and vulnerable areas.
- Encouraging Investment: The day calls for more investment and better governance of sanitation to create a fairer, more peaceful world.
World Toilet Day is a platform for individuals, organizations, and communities to come together, share information, and advocate for better sanitation practices globally. It’s a day to unite people worldwide in the fight for safe and accessible sanitation for all.
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