World Water Day 2008 - Sanitation matters!
On 20 March 2008, WHO, UNICEF and WSSCC invited water and sanitation advocates to gather at the UN Palace in Geneva to celebrate World Water Day 2008. This year's theme is "Sanitation Matters", in accordance with the International Year of Sanitation.
The day's celebrations consisted of a press conference, followed by speeches by His Royal Highness Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, Dr. Margaret Chan, Director General of WHO, Mr. Serguei Ordzhonikidze, Director General of the UN in Geneva, Mr. Philip O'Brien, UNICEF Regional Director in Geneva, Ms. Beate Wilhelm, Assistant Director-General of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, and Mr. Jon Lane, Executive Director of the WSSCC.
Then, to draw attention to the current sanitation crisis, in which 2.6 billion people, or nearly 40% of the world population, don't have access to a basic toilet, WSSCC made a public statement by organizing a toilet queue at the premises of the UN Palace.
Guest of honour, his Royal Highness Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and Chair of the UN Secretary-General's Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation, joined the queue and expressed once more his support in breaking the silence and taboo around the global sanitation crisis. He urged to accelerate concrete actions at all levels to meet the MDG 7 target 10.
"Repetition breeds recognition, and recognition is what we need to make people act" he said. "And that’s why we have to tell our story again and again. The story is not about me, it is about 2.6 billion poor and vulnerable people who lack adequate sanitation. It is on their behalf we have to get the world moving. That is why we are here today in Geneva to celebrate World Water Day 2008. I hope it will not be long before I can change my tune and we can sing another, much more cheerful song about sanitation, instead of the blues we sing now. World Water Day is a special day, because we are drawing the world’s attention to the problems of water and sanitation."
Please click here to see the French and Spanish versions of the poster or on the image itself to enlarge it in a jpg format.
- Visit World Water Day 2008 website
- Download the World Water Day 2008 Advocacy Guide
- Read UN Secretary General's message for World Water Day 2008
- Read the speech by His Royal Highness Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands
- Read the speech by Dr. Margaret Chan, Director General of WHO
- Read the speech by Ms. Beate Wilhelm, Assistant-Director General of SDC
- Read the speech by Mr. Philip O'Brien, UNICEF Regional Director in Geneva
- Read the speech by Mr. Jon Lane, WSSCC Executive Director
Toilet Queue
On 20 March 2008, at the occasion of World Water Day central celebrations in Geneva, WSSCC organized a toilet queue at the premises of the UN Palace.
This awareness raising initiative is a sister-event of the celebrations in New York, where our colleagues of UNICEF and UNDP encouraged people in Central Park to "Stand up for those who cannot sit down".
Why a toilet queue? According to the words of Dr. Margaret Chan, Director General of the World Health Organization, "to reap the health benefits of sanitation, inclusive community participation and a sense of solidarity are absolute necessities. The strategy for total sanitation acknowledges that exclusion of a single household – even one single household – perpetuates the risks for the entire community". Therefore, it is out of this sense of solidarity that people stood out in front of the United Nations, queuing up for a toilet, holding boards showing the number of people that live without a basic toilet, don't go to school, cannot go to work, and can only dream about dignity.
"Let us end this injustice and let us join forces, because ‘Sanitation for all’ also implies ‘All for sanitation", said his Royal Highness Prince Willem-Alexander from the Netherlands.
Decision makers around the world must act. Because two in every five people have no access to improved sanitation services. Because more than 5000 children die every day due to a lack of sanitation and hygiene. Because 194 million school days are lost annually due to poor sanitation. Because sanitation matters.
Visit World Water Day 2008 in pictures