World Toilet Day 2007
19 November 2007
Today, 19 November, is World Toilet Day - a day on which the world is
reminded that clean toilets are crucial to good health. Currently, over 2
billion people globally lack access to the basic sanitation that we often take
for granted in developed countries. More and better toilets need to be available
to more of the world's poorest people.
DFID: Committed to better sanitation
DFID’s Global Call to Action
(610
kb) aims to improve progress towards the Millennium
Development Goals on water and sanitation. It calls for one plan of action at
the global level, including an annual report monitoring how far we've come and
how far we have to go, and an annual meeting to agree on next steps. Although
the world is currently on track to meet the MDG on safe drinking water, it is
set to miss the sanitation targets by more than half a billion people.
Sub-Saharan Africa is off target for both. The UK recognises that action is
needed now.
The
UK has also pledged that half of its direct aid to developing countries will be
spent on basic services, such as clean water, and its support
to water and sanitation in Africa
will double to £95 million a year by 2008. After 2008, it will double again to
£200 million a year by 2011. Support for the
EU Water Facility will also help
individual countries to improve their own water and sanitation plans, moving
them closer towards the MDG targets.
In addition, DFID funds non-Governmental organisations (NGOs) working on the
ground to deliver better services to poor people. For example, in Bangladesh, we
back
WaterAid's £15.75 million
sanitation and hygiene education programme, which has reached millions within the
county's most disadvantaged communities. Read more about the work being done to
improve sanitation in Bangladesh - Breaking the cycle of diarrhoea in
Bangladesh.
Also, we are now undertaking a new £18 million research programme to address key water and sanitation issues, building a stronger knowledge base to influence future policy.
Links
- Read our case study No going back to life without latrines in Ethiopia which describes how DFID is helping to provide toilets and better sanitation for Ethiopians.
