What is World Toilet Day?
World Toilet Day is an official United Nations international observance day on 19 November to inspire action to tackle the global sanitation crisis Worldwide, 4.2 billion people live without “safely managed sanitation” and around 673 million people practice open defecation. This poses serious threats to public health, human dignity, and the environment.
Why is World Toilet Day important?
World Toilet Day is important because it raises awareness and mobilizes people to take action towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6: safe toilets and water for all by 2030. This goal is currently badly off track, as 3 billion people will still be living without safe toilets, 2 billion will be without safe drinking water and 1.4 billion will lack basic hygiene facilities by 2030. Toilets are a foundation stone of public health and play a critical role in protecting the environment Access to a safe functioning toilet has a positive impact on:
- Health: Unsafe water, sanitation, and hygiene are responsible for the deaths of around 1,000 children under five every day. Safe toilets can prevent the spread of diseases such as cholera, diarrhea, typhoid, dysentery and schistosomiasis
- Dignity: Safe toilets can ensure privacy, safety and dignity for people, especially for women and girls who face risks of harassment, violence and discrimination when they lack access to adequate sanitation facilities.
- Environment: Safe toilets can prevent the contamination of water sources and ecosystems by human excreta. They can also contribute to climate change mitigation by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from untreated wastewater and fecal sludge.
How can we celebrate World Toilet Day?
World Toilet Day is marked by communications campaigns and other activities. Events are planned by UN entities, international organizations, local civil society organizations and volunteers to raise awareness and inspire action. Some of the ways we can celebrate World Toilet Day are:
- Be like a hummingbird: The hummingbird is the symbol of World Toilet Day 2023, which has the theme of ‘Accelerating Change’ The hummingbird represents the idea of taking simple actions to help solve a big problem. We can be like a hummingbird by taking personal action to help improve toilets and sanitation systems, such as flushing our toilet less, fixing leaky pipes, contacting politicians, and busting taboos.
- Visit and help: We can visit the World Toilet Day website to learn more about the global sanitation crisis and the actions we can take. We can also help by spreading the word, making an origami hummingbird nest as part of a global art movement, or donating to organizations that work on sanitation issues.
World Toilet Day is a day to celebrate toilets and highlight the global sanitation crisis that affects billions of people around the world.
It is a day to inform, engage and inspire people to take action towards achieving safe toilets and water for all by 2030. It is a day to remember that toilets are not just a convenience, but a necessity for health, dignity and environment.
