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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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!
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Webinar: How Can Rural WASH Sustainability Be Improved?…Wed, Apr 17
Documenting Policy and Practice in the Rural WASH Sector: How Can Sustainability Be Improved?
A webinar in the WASH Sustainability Webinar Series hosted by SustainableWASH.org
- Wed, Apr 17, 2013 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM EDT
According to the Qualitative Document Analysis (QDA) of WASH programs recently undertaken by the IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre’s Triple-S program, the absence of Life Cycle Costing Approach (LCCA) and asset management are the most prevalent weaknesses in sustainable programming. This webinar provides specific examples of organizations that have leveraged LCCA and asset management for sustainable WASH services. After the presentations there will be an interactive discussion between the presenters based on questions and feedback from the audience.
source for all content: SustainableWASH.org and registration link
First Water Integrity Forum: 5 – 7 June 2013
“…Extend the base – Increase the pace”
“…To address the need for extending the reach of water integrity action…”
Organized by:
- Water Integrity Network (WIN)
- Water Governance Centre (WGC)
- UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education
Where
- In the Netherlands at UNESCO-IHE
When
- from 5 – 7 June 2013.
The main objectives of the forum are:
- Take stock of progress in addressing corruption issues in the water sector
- Share knowledge, approaches and experiences
- Build alliances to address the integrity challenges in the water sector;
The forum will bring together co-convening partners and various important stakeholders such as policy makers/regulators, investors, private sector, NGOs and other water professionals from different continents and with different backgrounds. They will share theories, approaches, cases, tools, lessons, views and ideas about improving water integrity. The forum will last 2,5 days with sessions, working groups, round-tables and an open-space. The outcomes of the Forum will the basis of a publication on Water Integrity, and will feed into other processes and events on the road to the World Water Forum in 2015.
key work stream:
- Work stream 1 Water, food and energy
- Work stream 2 Water resources management in river basins
- Work stream 3 Rural WASH
- Work stream 4 Integrated urban water management and services
- Work stream 5 Tools to diagnose and assess Integrity
- Work stream 6 Tools to improve, build and monitor integrity
- Work stream 7 Processes to scale up integrity
Source for all core content is from http://www.waterintegrityforum.com/
Webinar: Water, Integrity and Corruption : April 25 hosted by The Water Channel
Why Water and Integrity? Webinar #6
| Date and time: | April 25, 1300 GMT (Click here to see what time that would be where you live) | |||
| Speaker: | Binayak Das, Water Integrity Network | |||
| Click here to enter the webinar | ||||
Description:  |
Water will determine what world the future generations will live in. But this precious resource is underpinned by bad governance and lack of integrity. In many countries shortcomings are not due to shortage of water resources but due to governance failures, such as institutional fragmentation, lack of coordinated decision-making, corruption and low levels of transparency and accountability. The result is that governance systems are often not able to prevent or even provide incentives for unethical behaviour and poor professional practice. Corruption is moreover all pervasive and affects all aspects of the water sector – from water resources management to drinking water services, irrigation and hydropower, it occurs in all phases – from design through construction to operation and maintenance – and it is a major factor in the global water crisis. Integrity issues are often at the core of conflicts around water, which are arising at local, country and international levels.Improving water governance requires transparency, accountability and fighting corruption. It requires the right knowledge, access to strong partnerships and good tools. Improving water integrity means working with preventive measures to promote transparency, accountability and participation in water. Lessons have already been learnt from this preventive work. | |||
| About the speaker: | Binayak Das is the Programme Coordinator for Knowledge Management and Action Research at the Water Integrity network and also is focal point for South Asia. He has been associated with the water sector for the past 13 years – as a journalist, writer, researcher, coordinator and consultant.The Water Integrity Network (WIN) was formed in 2006 to respond to increasing concerns among water and anti-corruption stakeholders over corruption in the water sector. It combines global advocacy, regional networks and local action, to promote increased transparency and integrity, bringing together partners and members from the public and private sectors, civil society and academia, to drive change that will improve the lives of people who need it most. | |||
| Related Resources | ||||
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| About the Webinars: Web-based Seminars | They are presentations or lectures transmitted over the Web. With support from IFAD, TheWaterChannel started a series of Webinars on a variety of topics under three themes related to rural poverty alleviation. The Webinars will be organised together with our partners UNESCO-IHE and Cap-Net, and will feature some well-known experts on these topics. The Webinars will be collaborative; the participants will be able to communicate with the resource persons in real-time. Apart from lectures, there will be key resources, polls and question-answer sessions. | |||
Source for all core content is http://www.thewaterchannel.tv/webinar
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- In Africa, corruption dirties the water (irinnews.org)
- Corruption Perception – Is it getting better or worse? (letyourheartsout.wordpress.com)
catch up on WaSH, WatSan, SANITATION, & Global Health
second edition of the Journal on Gender and Water Published
Quick news
wH2O is pleased to announce that our second edition of the Journal on Gender and Water has been published! It is currently available in limited print edition; email wH2O@sas.upenn.eduif you’re interested in receiving print copies. You can also check out the online version on our website. The journal will be showcased at the “Leading Beyond the Burden: Gender and Water Conference” on April 9, 2013 at the Wharton School. We hope you will join us; to see the agenda and to register for the event, please click here.
Submissions for the third issue are due by May 15, 2013, and you can see [their] submissions guidelines here. Please note that in contrast to prior years, [they] now only accept fully written papers for review. … source email from group
Mapping Sanitation: a Tedx Talk by Faisal Chohan, a Senior TED Fellow
A quick 90 second video about an effort to map sanitation in Rawalpindi Pakistan
Faisal Chohan, a Senior TED Fellow and TEDxIslamabad organizer, will now continue his mapping work with a related mission: Improving sanitation in order to prevent the spread of cholera—a bacterial infection in the small intestine, primarily caused by drinking water or eating food that has been contaminated by feces of an infected person. The rapid dehydration and electrolyte imbalance that results from cholera can lead to death if left untreated. Read more on TEDx….
Releated links
- pakreport.org The Organization doing this and other work
- Saafpindi project Page for Mapping Project itself
- parkreport blog
- Fasil Chohan profile on wethedata.org
- Excelent source for more details by Faissal on GlobalGiving page
Other useful links
Scaling out Sanitation in Rawalpindi, Pakistan 2009 article by Pakistan Institute for Environment-Development Action Research (PIEDAR).
About TedxCity.2.0
In the tradition of our TEDxYouthDay, TEDxChange, and TEDxWomen initiatives, comes TEDxCity2.0: A day of urban inspiration. 28 TEDx communities around the world participated in TEDxCity2.0 day on October 13, 2012. We will host our next event in 2013 to share the powerful narratives of urban innovators and organizers, stewards and artists, builders and tastemakers. The TEDx platform will harness the power of people across the globe to encourage them to host a TEDx event, themed “City 2.0. source & more…
The Wello Water Wheel Story : Cynthia Koenig at TEDxGateway
Cynthia talks about the often underestimated problem of water weight and how this problem is preventing millions of women from educating and empowering themselves. She points about the fact that ‘water is heavy’ using real life examples in Rajasnthan, India. Not only is water heavy but also time consuming and limiting women of important opportunities. She talks about her invention “wello” where she & her team have reinvented the wheel. She brings the water wheel on stage, explaining the design and features in this product, allowing the audience to see this easy to use, yet immensely life changing water wheel.
Cynthia’s Profile on UnreasonableNetwork -(really, a good site)
Other drums solutions
- The Q Drum
- The hippo Roller
- Aquaport (status unknown after 2010) video
Related articles
- Wello’s WaterWheel – Rolling Towards Healthier Communities (learningaboutsocialenterprise.wordpress.com)
- Social Entrepreneurs That Innovate Around Women And Clean Water (siliconvalleywatcher.com)
- Q-Drum re-invents the wheel by adding water to solve a water transport crisis for the world’s poor.
water sanitation new
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