World Toilet Day

World Toilet Day

World Toilet Day is an official United Nations international observance day on 19 November. The aim is to encourage organizations and governments to plan activities and action on sanitation issues to make progress on Sustainable Development Goal 6. In 2019 the theme is ‘Leaving no one behind’, which is the central theme of the Sustainable Development Goals.

About World Toilet Day in brief

Summary World Toilet DayWorld Toilet Day is an official United Nations international observance day on 19 November. The aim is to encourage organizations and governments to plan activities and action on sanitation issues to make progress on Sustainable Development Goal 6. In 2020 the theme was ‘Sustainable sanitation and climate change’ In 2019 the theme is ‘Leaving no one behind’, which is the central theme of the Sustainable Development Goals. Worldwide, 4.2 billion people live without \”safely managed sanitation\” and around 673 million people practice open defecation. In 2017, the hashtag #WorldToiletDay had a maximum potential reach of over 750 million people on social media. In 2018, the maximum possible reach increased by 15%,compared to 2017, compared to 2017. Over 100 events in 40 countries were registered on the World To toilet Day website in both 2016 and in 2017.

The UN General Assembly declared World Toilets Day an official UN day in 2013, after Singapore had tabled the resolution. The World Toilet Organization was founded by Jack Sim, a philanthropist from Singapore. He declared 19 November, 2001, as World Sanitation Day. The name was chosen for ease of public messaging, even though toilets are only the only stage of sanitation systems. The WTO began pushing for global recognition for World Toiler Day in 2007, and in 2007 the Sustainable Sanitation Alliance was formed. The Sustainable Development goals call for more than just toilets, which includes the whole system for assuring that waste is safely processed. Also, UN-Water calls for broader sanitation systems that include wastewater treatment, fecal sludge management, municipal solid waste management, storm storm management, and handwashing.