World Toilet Day (19 November) History, Significance, Theme and Observation

World Toilet Day Quick Facts

World Toilet Day Brief

World Toilet Day is observed globally on 19 November every year to encourage action to tackle the Global sanitation crisis. World Toilet Day is celebrated to raise awareness about the 4.2 billion people living without toilets and sanitation.

World Toilet Day History

On 19 November 2001, the NGO World Toilet Organization (WTO) was founded by Jack Sim, a Singaporean man. He declared 19 November as World Toilet Day.

The WTO began pushing for global recognition for World Toilet Day, and in 2007, the Sustainable Sanitation Coalition also began actively supporting World Toilet Day.

His efforts to bring attention to the sanitation crisis were seen Globally in 2010 when the right to water and sanitation was officially declared a human right by the United Nations. It was officially declared by the United Nations General Assembly in 2013.

World Toilet Day Objective

World Toilet Day is celebrated to raise awareness about the 4.2 billion people living without toilets and sanitation. It is about tackling the global sanitation crisis and taking action on Sustainable Development Goal 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030.

World Toilet Day Theme(s)

Beginning in 2012, the theme of World Toilet Day was chosen for each year and formed the basis of related communication campaigns. Since 2016, the same overall annual theme has been used for both World Toilet Day and World Water Day, based on the World Water Development Report:-

• The theme of World Toilet Day in the year 2012 was - "I give a fuck, will you?" (slogan).
• The theme of World Toilet Day in the year 2013 was - "Tourism and Water".
• The theme of World Toilet Day in the year 2014 was - "Equality and Dignity".
• The theme of World Toilet Day in the year 2015 was - "Toilet and Nutrition".
• The theme of World Toilet Day in the year 2016 was - "Toilet and Jobs".
• The theme of World Toilet Day in the year 2017 was - "Waste Water".
• The theme of World Toilet Day in 2018 was - "Nature Based Solutions" (Slogan: "When Nature Calls").
• The theme of World Toilet Day in the year 2019 was - "To leave no one behind".
• The theme of World Toilet Day in the year 2020 was - "Sustainable Sanitation and Climate Change".
• The theme of World Toilet Day in the year 2021 was - "Valuable Toilets".

The campaign draws attention to those "left behind without sanitation and the social, economic and environmental consequences of inaction". It is closely related to Sustainable Development Goal 6, which aims to eliminate open defecation and ensure that "all have access to sustainable sanitation services by 2030, addressing the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations." Special attention should be given.

More info about World Toilet Day

Some important facts about Cleanliness and Toilet

According to the United Nations,

• More than half of the global population, approximately 4.2 million people, live without safely managed sanitation.
• Three billion people or 40% of the global population live without basic amenities at home with available soap and water.
• More than 800 children per day, or about 297,000 children, die annually from diseases caused by under-five sanitation, poor sanitation, or unsafe drinking water.
• About 3 million people lack basic handwashing facilities.
• The sanitation crisis in untreated human waste is spreading diseases across the water supply and food chain for billions of people.
• 80% of the wastewater generated globally flows back into the ecosystem without being treated or reused.
• According to the 2011 Census of India, 67 percent of households in villages and 13 percent in cities defecate in the open. According to the NGO Research Institute of Compassionate Economics, 40 percent of the households in the country that have toilets, yet one member from each household regularly goes for open defecation.
• By 2050, for at least one month of water scarcity, 5.7 billion people could live in areas where water is scarce.

Impact on social media:

The World Toilet Day campaign and related publications reach millions of people through social media, dedicated websites and other channels. In 2016 and 2017 more than 100 events in 40 countries were registered on the World Toilet Day website.

In 2017, the hashtag #WorldToiletDay had a potential reach of over 750 million people on social media. Maximum potential reach increased by 15% in 2018 compared to 2017; Online activity and authors also increased by 12% and 22%, respectively, compared to 2017.

Therefore, World Toilet Day raises awareness about cleanliness and focuses on access to clean toilets for good health globally. Cleanliness is a human right and to come out of poverty it is necessary to pay attention to cleanliness.

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