November 19: World Toilet Day
World Toilet Day is marked by the United Nations and its sister organizations every year on November 19 since 2013. In July 2013, the United Nations passed a resolution to mark the event by its member nations. The objective is to bring behavioural changes and implementation of policies that will end open defecation and increase access to sanitation among poor.
As human waste spreads diseases, it is essential to use toilets. This year their importance is spread under the theme
Theme: Leaving No One Behind
Need
- More than half of the global population are living without good sanitation
- 673 million people still follow open defecation world wide
- 297,000 children under five die each year of diarrheal problems that are caused due to unsafe drinking water, hand hygiene and sanitation
- Developing Countries are losing 5% of their GDP due to sanitation-related diseases
Sustainable Development Goals
The day helps in achieving the SDG 6 that promises sanitation for all by 2030. The SDG 6 Ensures Clean Water and Sanitation for all. Improvement in sanitation facilities are predominantly required in Central Asia, South-East Asia, East Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia.
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Month: Current Affairs - November, 2019