World Toilet Day is an annual United Nations (UN) Observance held on November 19 to raise awareness and inspire action to tackle the global sanitation crisis. The day was established in 2013 by the UN General Assembly and is coordinated by UN-Water, the UN’s inter-agency coordination mechanism for freshwater.
World Toilet Day Theme 2023
The theme of World Toilet Day 2023 is “Accelerating Change” and calls for everyone to take action to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6: ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all by 2030.
According to the UN, 3.6 billion people live without safely managed sanitation, and 600 million children lack access to basic sanitation facilities at school. This lack of access to sanitation has a devastating impact on health, education, and the environment. It is estimated that poor sanitation causes 432,000 diarrheal deaths annually, most of which are children under five.
There are a number of things that individuals, communities, and governments can do to accelerate progress towards SDG 6. Individuals can:
Support organizations that are working to improve sanitation in developing countries.
Educate themselves and others about the importance of sanitation.
Practice good hygiene and waste disposal habits.
Advocate for policies that support sanitation and water supply.
Communities can:
Work with local governments to improve sanitation infrastructure.
Promote sanitation education and awareness.
Support local businesses that are working to provide sanitation solutions.
Governments can:
Invest in sanitation infrastructure and services.
Develop and enforce sanitation regulations.
Support sanitation research and development.
Provide financial assistance to developing countries to improve sanitation.
By working together, we can achieve SDG 6 and ensure that everyone has access to safe and sustainable sanitation.
World Toilet Day Poster:
