1st International Terra Preta Sanitation Conference Aug 2013

Location:Hamburg University of Technology. The campus is located in Hamburg-Harburg.

Dates: Wednesday, 28  -  Saturday  31 August 2013

Background

…An analysis of a former civilisation in the Amazon, nowadays Brazil, reveals concepts which enable a highly efficient handling of organic wastes. Terra Preta do Indio is the anthropogenic black soil that was produced by ancient cultures through the conversion of biowaste and faecal matter into long-term fertile soils. These soils have maintained high amounts of organic carbon even several thousand years after they were abandoned. It was recently discovered that around 10% of the originally infertile soils in the Amazon region was converted this way from around 7,000 until 500 years ago. Due to the accumulation of charred biomass and other organic residues, terra preta subsequently formed giving it a deep, distinctly dark and highly fertile soil layer.One of the surprising facts is that this soil is highly productive without adding fertiliser.

Recent research concludes that this culture had a superior sanitation and bio-waste system that was based on source separation of faecal matter, urine and clever additives particularly charcoal dust and treatment steps for the solids resulting in high yielding gardening. Additives included ground charcoal dust while the treatment and smell prevention started with anaerobic lactic-acid fermentation followed by vermicomposting.The generation of new Terra Preta (‘terra preta nova’) based on the safe treatment of human waste could be the basis for sustainable agriculture in the twenty-first century to produce food for billions of people….

Speakers / Sessions

Thursday
Conference Keynote Dr. Haiko Pieplow (tbc)
Session 1: TP soils, soil fertility, organic farming
Key note from Bruno Glaser or Albrecht von Sydow (Germany) (tbc)

• T. Theuretzbacher (Austria): Investigation on Terra Preta like products on the german-Austrian market
• N. Andreev (Moldava): The effect of terra preta like substrate on germination and shoot growth of radish and parsley
• H. Factura (Philippines): Addressing Poor Sanitation and Generating Added Values through Terra Preta Sanitation
• B. Pelivanoski (Germany): Terra Pellet – an organic fertilizer inspired by terra preta

Session 2: TPS Applications, Quality of products, hygienic parameter, legislation, certification
Keynote presentation Prof. Srikanth Mutnuri (India) (tbc): Terra Preta as an Alternative for the Management of Sludge from Waste Water Treatment Plant

• S. Böttger (Germany): Terra Preta – production from sewage sludges of decentralised wastewater systems
• M. Stöckl (Germany): Vermicomposting of fecal matter and organic waste – a quality assessment of products
• D. Meier Kohlstock (Germany): The integration of Terra Preta Sanitation in European nutrient cycles – Options for alternative policies and economies

Session 3: Terra Preta Sanitation: toilet systems and designs / Logistic and operation / practical examples
Keynote speech Prof. Charlotte de Fraiture (Netherlands) (tbc)

• R. Wagner (Germany): New challenges of resource management in the Botanic Garden Berlin by producing and applying biochar substrates
• R. Kuipers (Netherlands): A socio-economic assessment of urine separation, with a reflection on the possibilities for Terra Preta Sanitation, for the recycling of nutrients to rural agriculture in the Philippines
• M. Bulbo (Ethiopia): TP application in Ethiopia
• R. Wolf (Germany): Application of Fermented Urine for build up of Terra Preta Humus in a Permaculture Park and Social Impact on the Community Involved

Friday
Session 4: Carbon composting of biowaste and excreta/Climate farming / wood gas technology for energy and char coal production / Pyrolysis vs. hydrothermal carbonization
Keynote presentation Prof. Zifu Li (China) (tbc): Energy balance analysis on the pyrolysis process of animal manure
T. Voss (Germany): Wood gasification in parallel flow fixbed gasifieres for combined energy and charcoal production – experiences from six years of operation (abstact follows)

• C. vom Eyser (Germany): Product quality of ç from sewage sludge in terms of micropollutants
• E. Someus (Sweden): Reducing mineral fertilisers and chemicals use in agriculture by recycling treated organic waste as compost and bio-char products
• J. Fingas (Germany): Climate farming – Practical experience from sub-Saharan Afrika

Session 5: Microbiology, sanitization and lactic acid fermentation
Keynote presentation Dr. Gina Itchon (Philippines): The Effectivity of the Terra Preta Sanitation (TPS) Process in the Elimination of Parasite Eggs in Fecal Matter: A Field Trial of TPS in Mindanao, Philippines

• A. Yemaneh (Germany/Ethiopia): Investigation of Low-Cost Sugar Supplement for Lactic Acid Fermentation of Human Excreta in Terra Preta Sanitation System
• A. Febriana (Indonesia): Faeces Treatment By Lactofermentation Process Based On Terra Preta Sanitation System Concept
• A. Walter (Austria): Microbial communities in charcoal and microbe amended composts
• F. Scheinemann (Germany): Sanitation and conservation of nutrients in cattle manure and sewage sludge by anerobic fermentation

Click here to go to the conference website

Organisation Committee

Institute of Wastewater Management and Water Protection at TUHH
GFEU e. V.
WECF

Co-Organisers

Institute of Environmental Technology and Energy Economics at TUHH
German WASH Network
UNESCO IHE
BDZ

all details are from their site

half-a-dozen(+) Sanitation infographics – WATSAN /WASH

Here are a half-a-dozen…well 3/4 of a dozen  infographics  on WATSAN/WASH/sanitation

There are more on our Pinterest WATSAN board 

World toilet day poster – UNICEF
Site: Facebook page: http://j.mp/18GyPku

From walk4wells.org – “Water and Women (and Girls!)”
site http://j.mp/18Gx8nl

Reinvent the Toilet (original Gates Foundation link of image not available)
Gates Foundation WASH Site: http://j.mp/18GB5Z4

From The World Poverty Project : Breaking the Taboo of the Loo
Site: http://globalpovertyproject.com/blog/view/671

From emag.suez-environnement.com – Access to water and sanitation
site: http://j.mp/18GEwiA

From Water.org’s Field guide to toilets http://water.org/toiletday/fieldguide/

What Your Poop and Pee Are Telling You About Your Body
Possible origins of graphic :http://j.mp/18GHeEI

From plancanada.ca: From head to toe: anatomy of a girl’s health
Site:http://plancanada.ca/page.aspx?pid=4657

Putting Poop In Its Place: The Problems With Bad Global Sanitation fastcoexist.com http://j.mp/10fjt2U

El Hassan Bin Talal of Jordan New Chairman of Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation

Press Release

The Secretary-General today appointed  His Royal Highness Prince El Hassan Bin Talal of Jordan as the new Chairman of his Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation (UNSGAB).

In highlighting the challenges facing the international community in achieving the water and sanitation targets of the Millennium Development Goals, the Secretary-General stated that 2.5 billion people around the world still lack access to proper sanitation and 768 million do not have access to improved sources of water.  Between now and the 2015 deadline, the international community, Governments and the private sector must accelerate progress toward the Millennium Development Goals water and sanitation targets.  He further underlined that water and sanitation is likely to figure prominently in the discussions on the sustainable development goals.

The Secretary-General commended Prince El Hassan on his leadership in championing global causes and in supporting intercultural dialogue.  Among other initiatives, he launched the International Cultures Foundation in 2002, the Partners in Humanity Dialogue in 2003, and the Parliament of Cultures in 2004.  He has served as Chairman of the Policy Advisory Commission for the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) and as a Member of the Board of the South Centre.  Water management is an issue of central importance to Jordan.

The Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation was established in 2004 to advise the Secretary-General and galvanize action by Governments and international organizations to advance the global water and sanitation agenda.  The Board’s focus is helping to achieve the Millennium Development Goal targets on water and sanitation.

Former Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto was designated Chairman of the Advisory Board in March 2004, and he was followed by Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, who became Chairman in December 2006.  He remained Chairman until 30 April 2013, when he assumed his duties as King of the Netherlands.  Crown Prince Naruhito of Japan serves as the Honorary President of the Advisory Board.

The Secretary-General is confident that the new Chairman and the Board members will continue vigorously to address the water and sanitation challenge and mobilize action, resources and political will to improve the lives of billions of people around the world.

In welcoming the new Chairman, he expressed his deep gratitude and appreciation for the skilled and untiring efforts of the former Chairman, His Majesty Willem-Alexander, hailing his commitment as a driving force in setting the water and sanitation challenges on the global agenda.

source

Related articles

• UN: 2.4 billion people will lack improved sanitation in 2015 (washlink.wordpress.com)
• When Sanitation Does Not Have Clear Institutional Home or Accountability, Progress Lags: UN Deputy Secretary-General (washlink.wordpress.com)
• Is the world forgetting about sanitation? (one.org)

 

Gender based violence GBV and WASH / WATSAN – a reblog

Here is an important re-blog from  communityledtotalsanitation.org titled:

Gender based violence and sanitation, hygiene and water

 

Gender based violence

Recent high profile cases of women and girls being violently raped and killed in India, South Africa and elsewhere have made the ugliness of gender based violence more visible. Globally it is estimated that up to 70% of women will face gender based violence at some point in her lifetime depending on the country in which she lives.12 Gender based violence is a widespread and complex issue rooted in power differences and structural inequality between men and women, although men and boys can also suffer GBV. Experiences also vary by other social factors, including ethnicity, caste, age, sexual orientation, marital status, disability and other differentiations.3

Why is GBV important in the context of WASH?

So why are we looking at this issue from the perspective of the WASH professional? We are not GBV or protection professionals and already have large workloads and responding to the large number of people who still lack access to water and sanitation is a massive challenge.

The reality is that the risk of GBV can impact significantly on the access of women and girls and in some cases boys and men, to adequate water, sanitation and hygiene.4 In both urban and rural contexts, girls and women regularly face harassment when going to the toilet, and may delay drinking and eating in order to wait until nightfall to relieve themselves. Given the taboos around defecation and menstruation and the frequent lack of privacy, women and girls, may prefer to go to the toilet or use bathing units under the cover of darkness.   [Full story/more.... ]

Site /Org background

Objective

The IDS project on Community-Led total Sanitation (CLTS), also known as the CLTS Knowledge Hub, aims to support the approach to go to scale with quality and in a sustainable manner, and to accelerate its spread in order to contribute to the health and wellbeing of children, women and men in rural areas of the developing world who currently suffer the consequences of inadequate or no sanitation. We seek to contribute to intensified momentum, expanded scale, and enhanced quality and sustainability of CLTS practice and thereby to increase access to and use of safe sanitation and hygienic behaviour.

Activities

All our activities aim to co-generate and co-create practical knowledge on CLTS and to make learning and innovations widely and quickly accessible. Through staying in touch and interacting with stakeholders on a regular basis, we try to keep up with what is happening with CLTS globally and are often able to make linkages between organisations and individuals interested and engaged in CLTS. We wish to encourage and support champions and add to the energy and momentum of CLTS. In order to raise awareness and commitment of practitioners and policy champions and support good practices and policies, the three main activities we engage in are:

1. action learning, networking and dissemination,
2. (co-)convening workshops for sharing and learning, and
3. the CLTS website and bi-monthly e-newsletter.

History

IDS’s [Institute of Development Studies]work on CLTS, including the CLTS website (in its previous versions) were initially as part of the three year (2006-2009) DFID-funded research, action learning and networking project Going to Scale? The Potential of Community-led Total Sanitation . Until 31st December 2009, the action learning and networking aspect of this work continued as the project Sharing Lessons, Improving Practice: Maximising the potential of Community-Led Total Sanitation  funded by Irish Aid From 1st January 2010 onwards, this work is being funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Community-Led total Sanitation (CLTS) pages:

• Home
• About
• Where
• Resources
• News
  • Latest news
  • Blog
  • Forthcoming events
  • CLTS Newletters

Related articles

• Gender Based Violence (kennizworld.wordpress.com)
• Ireland pledges KR8,900,000 for GBV fight (times.co.zm)
• Gender-based Violence in War times and Peace (halfofhumanity.wordpress.com)
• FROM AKIMBO | Standing Strong for a Woman’s Right to a Just and Healthy Life (womensphilanthropy.typepad.com)

Sections of the Report of the High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda

The UN  report is out with Download  PDF here  with the Herculean title of

A NEW GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP: ERADICATE POVERTY AND TRANSFORM ECONOMIES THROUGH SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The Report of the High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda

It’s 81 pages in pdf format that breaks out to the following sections:

Chapter 1: A Vision and Framework for the post-2015 Development Agenda

• Setting a New Course
  • Remarkable Achievements Since 200
  • Consulting People, Gaining Perspective
  • The Panel’s Journey
• Opportunities and Challenges in a Changing World
• One World: One Sustainable Development Agenda

Chapter 2: From Vision to Action—Priority Transformations for a post-2015 Agenda

• Five Transformative Shifts

1. Leave No One Behind

2. Put Sustainable Development at the Core

3. Transform Economies for Jobs and Inclusive Growth

4. Build Peace and Effective, Open and Accountable Public Institutions

5. Forge a new Global Partnership

• Ensure More and Better Long-term Finance

Chapter 3: Illustrative Goals and Global Impact

• The Shape of the Post-2015 Agenda
  • Risks to be Managed in a Single Agenda
  • Learning the Lessons of MDG 8 (Global Partnership for Development)
• Illustrative Goals
  • Addressing Cross-cutting Issues
• The Global Impact by 2030

Chapter 4: Implementation, Accountability and Building Consensus

• Implementing the post-2015 framework
  • Unifying Global Goals with National Plans for Development
  • Global Monitoring and Peer Review
  • Stakeholders Partnering by Theme
• Holding Partners to Account
  • Wanted: a New Data Revolution
  • Working in Cooperation with Others
  • Building Political Consensus

Chapter 5: Concluding Remarks

ANNEX:

• Annex I Illustrative Goals and Targets
• Annex II Evidence of Impact and Explanation of Illustrative Goals
• Annex III Goals, Targets and Indicators: Using a Common Terminology
• Annex IV Summary of Outreach Efforts
• Annex V Terms of Reference and List of Panel Members
• Annex VI High-level Panel Secretariat

Annex 1: While no one section should overshadow the others, The Illustrative Goals and Targets of Annex 1 is one of the ones that will be   most debated  (thus the safe adjective of “illustrative” ?)

It list “5  Transformative Shifts” required to move forward 

We believe five transformative shifts can create the conditions – and build the momentum – to meet our ambitions.

•Leave No One Behind.

We must ensure that no person – regardless of ethnicity, gender, geography, disability, race or other status – is denied basic economic opportunities and human rights.

•Put Sustainable Development at the Core.

We must make a rapid shift to sustainable patterns of production and consumption, with developed countries in the lead. We must act now to slow the alarming pace of climate change and environmental degradation, which pose unprecedented threats to humanity.

•Transform Economies for Jobs and Inclusive Growth.

A profound economic transformation can end extreme poverty and promote sustainable development, improving livelihoods, by harnessing innovation, technology, and the potential of business. More diversified economies, with equal opportunities for all, can drive social inclusion, especially for young people, and foster respect for the environment.

•Build Peace and Effective, Open and Accountable Institutions for All.

Freedom from violence, conflict, and oppression is essential to human existence, and the foundation for building peaceful and prosperous societies. We are calling for a fundamental shift to recognize peace and good governance as a core element of wellbeing, not an optional extra.

•Forge a New Global Partnership.

A new spirit of solidarity, cooperation, and mutual accountability must underpin the post-2015 agenda. This new partnership should be built on our shared humanity, and based on mutual respect and mutual benefit.

 Annex 1, then has 12 targets under the subsection   UNIVERSAL GOAL, NATIONAL TARGETS:

(Where the percentages are graciously  left for others in working committees to arrive at.)

1. End Poverty

1a. Bring the number of people living on less than $1.25 a day to zero and reduce by x% the share of people living below their country’s 2015 national poverty line

1b. Increase by x% the share of women and men, communities, and businesses with secure rights to land, property, and other assets

1c. Cover x% of people who are poor and vulnerable with social protection systems

1d. Build resilience and reduce deaths from natural disasters by x%

2. Empower Girls and Women and Achieve Gender Equality

2a. Prevent and eliminate all forms of violence against girls and women

2b. End child marriage

2c. Ensure equal right of women to own and inherit property, sign a contract, register a business and open a bank account

2d. Eliminate discrimination against women in political, economic, and public life

3. Provide Quality Education and Lifelong Learning

3a. Increase by x% the proportion of children able to access and complete pre-primary education

3b. Ensure every child, regardless of circumstance, completes primary education able to read, write and count well enough to meet minimum learning standards

3c. Ensure every child, regardless of circumstance, has access to lower secondary education and increase the proportion of adolescents who achieve recognized and measurable learning outcomes to x%

3d. Increase the number of young and adult women and men with the skills, including technical and vocational, needed for work by x%

4. Ensure Healthy Lives

4a. End preventable infant and under-5 deaths

4b. Increase by x% the proportion of children, adolescents, at-risk adults and older people that are fully vaccinated

4c. Decrease the maternal mortality ratio to no more than x per 100,000

4d. Ensure universal sexual and reproductive health and rights

4e. Reduce the burden of disease from HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, neglected tropical diseases and priority non-communicable diseases

5. Ensure Food Security and Good Nutrition

5a. End hunger and protect the right of everyone to have access to sufficient, safe, affordable, and nutritious food

5b. Reduce stunting by x%, wasting by y%, and anemia by z% for all children under five

5c. Increase agricultural productivity by x%, with a focus on sustainably increasing smallholder yields and access to irrigation

5d. Adopt sustainable agricultural, ocean and freshwater fishery practices and rebuild designated fish stocks to sustainable levels

5e. Reduce postharvest loss and food waste by x%

6. Achieve Universal Access to Water and Sanitation

6a. Provide universal access to safe drinking water at home, and in schools, health centers, and refugee camps

6b. End open defecation and ensure universal access to sanitation at school and work, and increase access to sanitation at home by x%

6c. Bring freshwater withdrawals in line with supply and increase water efficiency in agriculture by x%, industry by y% and urban areas by z%

6d. Recycle or treat all municipal and industrial wastewater prior to discharge

7. Secure Sustainable Energy

7a. Double the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix

7b. Ensure universal access to modern energy services

7c. Double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency in buildings, industry, agriculture and transport

7d. Phase out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies that encourage wasteful consumption

8. Create Jobs, Sustainable Livelihoods, and Equitable Growth

8a. Increase the number of good and decent jobs and livelihoods by x

8b. Decrease the number of young people not in education, employment or training by x%

8c. Strengthen productive capacity by providing universal access to financial services and infrastructure such as transportation and ICT

8d. Increase new start-ups by x and value added from new products by y through creating an enabling business environment and boosting entrepreneurship

9. Manage Natural Resource Assets Sustainably

9a. Publish and use economic, social and environmental accounts in all governments and major companies

9b. Increase consideration of sustainability in x% of government procurements

9c. Safeguard ecosystems, species and genetic diversity

9d. Reduce deforestation by x% and increase reforestation by y%

9e. Improve soil quality, reduce soil erosion by x tonnes and combat desertification

10. Ensure Good Governance and Effective Institutions

10a. Provide free and universal legal identity, such as birth registrations 1,2

10b. Ensure people enjoy freedom of speech, association, peaceful protest and access to independent media and information

10c. Increase public participation in political processes and civic engagement at all levels

10d. Guarantee the public’s right to information and access to government data

10e. Reduce bribery and corruption and ensure officials can be held accountable

11. Ensure Stable and Peaceful Societies

11a. Reduce violent deaths per 100,000 by x and eliminate all forms of violence against children

11b. Ensure justice institutions are accessible, independent, well-resourced and respect due-process rights

11c. Stem the external stressors that lead to conflict, including those related to organised crime

11d. Enhance the capacity, professionalism and accountability of the security forces, police and judiciary

12. Create a Global Enabling Environment and Catalyse Long-Term Finance

12a. Support an open, fair and development-friendly trading system, substantially reducing trade-distorting measures, including agricultural subsidies, while improving market access of developing country products

12b. Implement reforms to ensure stability of the global financial system and encourage stable, long-term private foreign investment

12c. Hold the increase in global average temperature below 20 C above pre-industrial levels, in line with international agreements

12d. Developed countries that have not done so to make concrete efforts towards the target of 0.7% of gross national product (GNP) as official development assistance to developing countries and 0.15 to 0.20% of GNP of developed countries to least developed countries; other countries should move toward voluntary targets for complementary financial assistance

12e Reduce illicit flows and tax evasion and increase stolen-asset recovery by $x
12f. Promote collaboration on and access to science, technology, innovation, and development data

Annex2: Over  20 pages are given  to provide some substance to each of  the 12 Illustrative goals above.

Annex 3:  It focuses on the challenges of  global targets (while titled Goals, Targets and Indicators: Using a Common Terminology)

The mechanic of creating targets that are pragmatic rather than dogmantic, and address each countries social economic political profile will be daunting. Here  are some excepts from the annex, but it should be read in its entirity.

Targets translate the ambition of goals into practical outcomes. They may be outcomes for people, like access to safe drinking water or justice, or outcomes for countries or communities, like reforestation or the registration of criminal complaints. Targets should always be measurable although some may require further technical work to develop reliable and rigorous indicators…

The target specifies the level of ambition of each country, by determining the speed with which a country pursues a goal. That speed can be a function of many things: the priorities of the country, its initial starting point, the technical and organizational possibilities for improvement, and the level of resources and number of partners that can be brought to bear on the problem.

We believe that a process of allowing countries to set their own targets, in a highly visible way, will create a “race to the top”, both internationally and within countries. Countries and sub-national regions should be applauded for setting ambitious targets and for promising to make large efforts. Likewise, if countries and sub-national regions are too conservative in their target setting, civil society and their peers can challenge them to move faster. Transparency and accountability are central to implementing a goals framework.

In some cases, there may be a case for having a global minimum standard for a target, where the international community commits itself to do everything possible to help a country reach a threshold level. That applies to the eradication of extreme poverty by 2030, for example. This could be extended in several other areas, including ending gender discrimination, education, health, food, water, energy, personal safety, and access to justice…

It is important to be clear that allowing countries to set the speed they want for each target is only one approach to the idea of national targets. The other suggestion considered by the Panel is to have a “menu”, whereby a set of internationally agreed targets are established, and then countries can select the ones most applicable to their particular circumstances. For example, one country might choose to focus on obesity and another on non- communicable disease when thinking about their priorities for health.

In the terminology used in this report, national targets refer only to the national differences in the speed with which targets are to be achieved. As an example, every country should set a target to increase the number of good or decent jobs and livelihoods by x but every country could determine what x should be based upon the specific circumstances of that country or locality. Then these can be aggregated up so that you can compare achievements in job creation across countries and over time…

 panel:

1. His Excellency Dr. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, President of Indonesia, Co-Chair
2. Her Excellency Ms. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia, Co-Chair
3. The Right Honorable David Cameron,MP,  Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Co-Chair
4. H.M. Queen Rania Al Abdullah of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
5. Gisela Alonso, Cuba
6. Fulbert Amoussouga Gero, Benin
7. Abhijit Banerjee,India
8. Gunilla Carlsson, Sweden
9. Patricia Espinosa, Mexico
10. Maria Angela Holguin, Colombia
11. Naoto Kan, Japan
12. Tawakkol Karman, Yemen
13. Sung-Hwan Kim, Republic of Korea
14. Horst Köhler, Germany
15. Graça Machel, Mozambique
16. Betty Maina, Kenya
17. Elvira Nabiullina, Russian Federation
18. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nigeria
19. Andris Piebalgs, Latvia
20. Emilia Pires, Timor-Leste
21. John Podesta, United States of America
22. Paul Polman, Netherlands
23. Jean-Michel Severino, France
24. Izabella Teixeira, Brazil
25. Kadir Topbas, Turkey
26. Yingfan Wang, China
27. Amina J. Mohammed, Ex-Officio member of the Panel

UN: 2.4 billion people will lack improved sanitation in 2015

press release

2.4 billion people will lack improved sanitation in 2015

World will miss MDG target

GENEVA/NEW YORK, 13 May 2013 – Some 2.4 billion people – one-third of the world’s population – will remain without access to improved sanitation in 2015, according to a joint WHO/UNICEF report issued today.

The report, entitled PRogress on Sanitation and Drinking-Water 2013 Update, warns that, at the current rate of progress, the 2015 Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target of halving the proportion of the 1990 population without sanitation will be missed by eight per cent – or half a billion people.

While UNICEF and WHO announced last year that the MDG drinking water target had been met and surpassed by 2010, the challenge to improve sanitation and reach those in need has led to a consolidated call for action to accelerate progress.

“There is an urgent need to ensure all the necessary pieces are in place – political commitment, funding, leadership – so the world can accelerate progress and reach the Millennium Development Goal sanitation target,” said Dr Maria Neira, WHO Director for Public Health and Environment. “The world can turn around and transform the lives of millions that still do not have access to basic sanitation. The rewards would be immense for health, ending poverty at its source, and well-being.”

The report echoes the urgent call to action by United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson for the world community to combine efforts and end open defecation by 2025. With less than three years to go to reach the MDG deadline WHO and UNICEF call for a final push to meet the sanitation target.

“This is an emergency no less horrifying than a massive earthquake or tsunami,” said Sanjay Wijesekera, global head of UNICEF’s water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) programme.  “Every day hundreds of children are dying; every day thousands of parents mourn their sons and daughters. We can and must act in the face of this colossal daily human tragedy.” 

Among the key findings from the latest 2011 data, the report highlights:

• Almost two-thirds (64 per cent) of the world’s population had access to improved sanitation facilities, an increase of almost 1.9 billion people since 1990.
• Approximately 2.5 billion people lacked access to an improved sanitation facility. Of these, 761 million use public or shared sanitation facilities and 693 million use facilities that do not meet minimum standards of hygiene.
• In 2011, 1 billion people still defecated in the open.  Ninety per cent of all open defecation takes place in rural areas.
• By the end of 2011, 89 per cent of the world population used an improved drinking-water source, and 55 per cent had a piped supply on premises. This left an estimated 768 million people without improved sources for drinking water, of whom 185 million relied on surface water for their daily needs.
• There continues to be a striking disparity between those living in rural areas and those who live in cities. Urban dwellers make up three-quarters of those with access to piped water supplies at home. Rural communities comprise 83 per cent of the global population without access to improved drinking- water source and 71 per cent of those living without sanitation.

Faster progress on sanitation is possible, the two organizations say. The report summarizes the shared vision of the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector including academia, human rights and global monitoring communities for a post-2015 world where:

• No one should be defecating in the open
• Everyone should have safe water, sanitation and hygiene at home
• All schools and health centres should have water, sanitation and hygiene
• Water, sanitation and hygiene should be sustainable
• Inequalities in access should be eliminated

***

Download the entire report and get more information at:

• 
  http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/publications/2013/jmp_report/en/index.html
  
• 
  http://www.unicef.org/media/media_69091.html
  
• 
  http://www.wssinfo.org
  
• 
  http://www.who.int/phe/en/
  

About the JMP
The WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply and Sanitation is the official United Nations mechanism tasked with monitoring global progress towards the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) relating to access to drinking water and sanitation. The JMP data helps draw connections between access to clean water and private sanitation facility and quality of life.

About WHO
The World Health Organization is the directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations system. It is responsible for providing leadership on global health matters, shaping the health research agenda, setting norms and standards, articulating evidence-based policy options, providing technical support to countries and monitoring and assessing health trends. From its inception, WHO has recognized the importance of water and sanitation. Visit www.who.int for more information.

About UNICEF
UNICEF works in more than 190 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.

Community Approaches to Total Sanitation (CATS), now being supported by UNICEF in 50 countries around the world, including crucial ones in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, have led to more than 39,000 communities, with a total population of over 24 million people, being declared free of open defecation within the last five years.

For more information about UNICEF and its work visit: www.unicef.org.

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook

For further information, please contact:

Rita Ann Wallace, Communications Officer, UNICEF New York,
Tel: + 1 212 326 7586 / Mobile: + 917 213 4034, rwallace@unicef.org

Nada Osseiran, Communications Officer, WHO Geneva,
Tel: + 4122 791 4475 / Mobile: + 4179 445 1624, osseirann@who.int

source http://www.unicef.org/media/media_69091.html

Related articles

• When Sanitation Does Not Have Clear Institutional Home or Accountability, Progress Lags: UN Deputy Secretary-General (washlink.wordpress.com)
• Everyone needs a place to go (thehindu.com)
• Third World Problems (cameronkoizumi.wordpress.com)
• Global Health Plan Aims to End a Third of Childhood Deaths (ipsnews.net)
• Diarrhoea kills 10,000 under five children in Ghana annually – Minister (ghanabusinessnews.com)
• Post-2015 development agenda must reflect all dimensions of sustainability (guardian.co.uk)

Solving the Global Sanitation Crisis Discussion Panel – CGI U 2013

Washlink comment: This  is way too short given the panelists, none the less still great to watch.  The first 2 quarters of an hour and last quarter are the best. The third quarter – has audio problems – when the audience give reports from their  breakup group meetings.

Today, more people around the world have access to a mobile phone than a toilet. An estimated 2.5 billion people lack access to clean and safe bathrooms, resulting in diarrheal diseases that kill more children than AIDS, malaria, and measles combined. Many developing country governments simply do not have the financial or human capital to deliver improved sanitation to everyone who needs it. Furthermore, many development programs that strive to provide sanitation often fail to have the impact and sustainability needed to scale, and instead distort the market for innovation in the sanitation field. To truly move the needle on this challenge, profitable sanitation services need to be developed so that businesses—rather than nonprofits—can expand access to coverage in ways that will not only increase their profit margins, but also make a major public health impact. This panel will focus on how students can get involved in market creation for sanitation enterprises and will highlight recent innovations and business models that have already been developed by young leaders.

source….

Moderator:

Fred de Sam Lazaro, Correspondent, PBS Newshour, Senior Fellow, Saint Mary’s University

Participants:

• Miriam Atuya,  SANENERGY   sales;  Student, Trinity University
• Edward  Ned Breslin, Chief Executive Officer, Water For People
• Sebastien Tilmans, Co-founder, re.source; Ph.D. Candidate, Stanford University
• Gary White, Co-founder and CEO, Water.org

About Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U)

Building on the successful model of the Clinton Global Initiative, which brings together world leaders to take action on global challenges, President Clinton launched the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) in 2007 to engage the next generation of leaders on college campuses around the world.

Each year, CGI U hosts a meeting where students, youth organizations, topic experts, and celebrities come together to discuss and develop innovative solutions to pressing global challenges. CGI U 2013 was held at Washington University in St. Louis from April 5 – 7, 2013, bringing together nearly 1,200 attendees to make a difference in CGI U’s five focus areas: Education, Environment and Climate Change, Peace and Human Rights, Poverty Alleviation, and Public Health.

Related articles:

• Sanitation as a business – the poor will have to wait (sanitationupdates.wordpress.com)
• Water and Sanitation Seek Rightful Place in Post-2015 Agenda (ipsnews.net)
• WEDC & WSP online learning course – Rural Sanitation at Scale (washlink.wordpress.com)

When Sanitation Does Not Have Clear Institutional Home or Accountability, Progress Lags: UN Deputy Secretary-General

Deputy Secretary-General DSG/SM/661 DEV/2984

When Sanitation Does Not Have Clear Institutional Home or Accountability, Progress Lags, UN Deputy Secretary-General Tells High-level Panel

——PRESS RELEASE——-

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, at a high-level panel on investing in sanitation, in Washington, D.C., 19 April:

I am pleased to see so many familiar faces from last year’s Sanitation and Water for All High Level Meeting.

Last year we talked about commitments.  Today I want to talk about action. But first let me ask a question recently directed to me by Kate Norgrove of Water Aid.  Have you ever been caught short and wondered where to find a toilet?  Probably a painful or embarrassing moment.  Let us then remember that 2.5 billion people do not have toilets!  This is their daily situation.

In New York, where I live, you will only find public toilets in Central Park.  It is a problem common to most towns and cities.

Recently I was in Addis Ababa.  I visited a small sanitation project called Feyenne in the town of Bishoftu, southeast of Addis.  Feyenne, which is supported by UNICEF [United Nations Children’s Fund] and the Oromia Bureau of Youth and Sports, is run by three young men who used to live on the streets.  In their small office was a chalk board with one word written on it.  “Sustainability”.

Their approach to sustainability was to tackle the sanitation problem as a business.  They had identified a need, and they had decided to fill it.  The concept was simple — to provide a safe, clean public facility at low cost near the main market.  With money from the toilet project, Feyenne has been able to open additional income generating activities that provide employment opportunities for vulnerable young people.  It is a model that is needed — and replicable.

Sanitation is the Millennium Development Goal on which we have made least progress.  Yet, it is among the most important.  Success on sanitation has a direct bearing on the other Goals, and it will be central to the post-2015 sustainable development agenda.  It is an issue of fundamental human dignity and the health of people and the environment.  Out of the 2.5 billion people without sanitation, more than 1 billion people defecate in the open.

That is why, last month, I launched a call to action for sanitation on behalf of the United Nations Secretary-General.  The objective is to galvanize major players to do more by building on two key ongoing initiatives — the United Nations General Assembly Sanitation Drive and the Sanitation and Water for All partnership.  The Sanitation Drive calls on all Member States to intensify efforts and focuses on communication and advocacy.  It is essential to get people to think about and openly discuss sanitation and open defecation.  We need to break the taboos.

The other initiative, Sanitation and Water for All, has over 91 global partners.  Last year I moderated the second Sanitation and Water for All High Level Meeting held here.  More than 50 ministers attended and some 400 commitments were tabled.  In June, we will have the results of these commitments, with a full report next year.  Heads of State, members of Government and other actors need to know what has been achieved and what remains to be done.

We have already seen the results of some of these commitments.  For example, in Ethiopia, the Government has endorsed a unified water supply, Sanitation and Hygiene Monitoring and Evaluation Framework.  And in Madagascar the Government has created a Directorate of Sanitation.  Someone is made responsible.

That is one of the problems that has been holding back progress.  Sanitation often does not have a clear institutional home or clear accountability.  In 2014, UNICEF and the World Bank will convene the third Sanitation and Water for All High Level Meeting.  I look forward to registering progress and new commitments.

There are three things we can do to speed up progress on sanitation.  First, we can scale up the projects that work.  Simple, affordable action has already proved its worth.  Between 1990 and 2010, about 1.8 billion people gained access to sanitation — a significant achievement.  Many countries have tackled this problem within a generation.  They have shown that we can achieve our targets.

Second, we must speed up the elimination of open defecation — country by country, community by community, family by family.  We need to ensure that everyone has access to a clean and safe toilet.  We need to change attitudes and generate demand.  We need to talk about the problem, not turn our heads.

And finally, we need to strengthen cooperation and boost investment.  The cost of poor sanitation can be counted both in human lives and lost productivity.  According to a study undertaken for the Water and Sanitation Programme and the World Bank, inadequate sanitation costs the Indian economy an estimated $53.8 billion a year, equivalent to 6.4 per cent of GDP [gross domestic product].  On the other hand, we know that every dollar spent on water and sanitation can bring a five-fold return.  The economic benefits for developing countries are estimated at $260 billion a year.

The public sector has major stake to play.  But, the private sector also has a major stake.  There is a considerable market — millions of customers need an essential service.  Opportunities abound for everyone from multinationals to local entrepreneurs.  If we all do our part, we can achieve substantial results.  So, let us commit now to provide adequate sanitation and safe water for all and stop open defecation — so that women and girls can live with dignity; so that our children can survive and communities can thrive.

Investing in sanitation is a win-win proposition — ensuring that millions of people can live productive lives, the Millennium Development Goals can be achieved and healthy societies can be built.  There are only winners if we all mobilize.  Nobody can do everything — but everybody can do something.  Thank you.  

source …

video of his speech:“A Matter of Life: Investing in Sanitation – a Conversation with Jan Eliasson, Tony Lake, & Global Decision-Makers”

 

Related articles

• Jan Eliasson: Everyone Needs a Place to Go (huffingtonpost.com)
• Pakistan pays heavily for poor sanitation, says UN (dawn.com)
• U.N.: Global lack of toilet, latrine access a “silent disaster” (cbsnews.com)
• New Sanitation Figures Compete with Official UN Statistics: 6 in 10 Lack Proper Facilities (sanitationupdates.wordpress.com)
• UN seeks to end toilet ‘taboo’ (dawn.com)

Brian Arbogast to Lead Water, Sanitation & Hygiene Program: Announcement by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

press release 206-709-3400  media@gatesfoundation.org 

SEATTLE — The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today announced that Brian Arbogast has been named director of the Water, Sanitation & Hygiene program. He will start work at the foundation on May 13, 2013.

“Brian has more than 20 years of experience leading teams around the world. He is well equipped to drive an innovative program that is helping bring sanitation services to people in developing countries,” said Chris Elias, president of Global Development at the foundation.

Arbogast was previously with Microsoft Corporation. Most recently, he concentrated in cleantech and international development to drive market solutions that address the world’s most pressing challenges. He served as a Senior Advisor with The Boston Consulting Group and as a board member of the Northwest Energy Angels. He is a founding board member of Progress Alliance of Washington. He has served on the board of Water1st International and as a senior advisor to Upaya Social Ventures.

Arbogast received his Bachelor of Mathematics in Computer Science from the University of Waterloo, Canada, and a Certificate in Sustainable Business from the Bainbridge Graduate Institute.

Linkedin profile

About  The Water, Sanitation & Hygiene program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

“The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Water, Sanitation & Hygiene program focuses on the development of tools and technologies that can lead to radical and sustainable improvements in sanitation in the developing world. Although we support some clean water and hygiene projects, sanitation is our top priority because we have identified it as a neglected area in which we can spur significant change.

A sanitation facility in the Kibera slum in Nairobi, Kenya, that was built by a public-private partnership to improve urban sanitation.

Because the innovations we support can be most immediately valuable in densely populated areas, our main focus is on urban sanitation and the public policies that can support new sanitation delivery models in cities. Our priorities include identifying and testing delivery models that governments and the private sector can use to extend quality service to all residents of a city, not just those in wealthier neighborhoods. Ultimately, improved sanitation will be a key to ensuring healthy, sustainable cities in the developing world, and the approaches that prove successful can then be adapted and extended to rural communities.

Our strategy to build global demand for better sanitation also includes efforts to end open defecation in rural areas and to implement improved measures for collecting waste, removing pathogens from waste streams, and recovering valuable resources and energy.”   source / more…

About the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation:

Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people-especially those with the fewest resources-have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Jeff Raikes and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.

source : press release  & foundation site. Photo is from Northwest Energy Angels site

Rose George: Let’s talk crap. Seriously: 2013 TED TALK available now!

TED Page…

 

Related articles

• Rose George: Take toilets seriously talk at TED@London (washlink.wordpress.com)
• Talking s**t with Rose George: A Q&A about the global health issue no one wants to bring up (ted.com)