World Toilet Day

Sanitation in a Changing World is the theme of this year’s World Toilet Day and a stark reminder that while our world is impacted by rising climate risks, the need for safe sanitation never changes. Globally, the climate crisis risks rolling back hard-won progress on safely managed sanitation for millions of children, preventing them from living a life of health, dignity, and opportunity. Rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, floods and droughts can overwhelm sanitation systems, leaving communities vulnerable to diseases and struggling to maintain even basic sanitation services. The good news is that we have solutions. As the co-founder and leader of the Climate Resilient Sanitation Coalition, UNICEF and key partners are working with Governments and communities around the world to accelerate progress on safe sanitation that can withstand climate shocks. On this World Toilet Day, UNICEF is calling for stronger investment in climate-resilient sanitation — systems designed to endure extr...

Happy World Toilet Day. From time to time throughout human history, despite how much world has changed, the need for safely managed sanitation has always remained. Humans need safe sanitation, and in this case… toilets – to sustain their lives and livelihoods. It is not something we can ever take for granted. Unfortunately, even as global progress on access to safe sanitation continues to grow, billions of people still face daily challenges in accessing toilet. Women and girls are most affected with the absence of safe sanitation. The pursuit to ensure sanitation for all is a collective fight for humanity’s future. We have seen time and again how the lack of access to safely managed sanitation leads to outbreaks of disease, environmental degradation, and even economic hardship. Our changing world presents new challenges. Disasters, climate change, and prolonged humanitarian emergencies are among the present challenges that limits access to safe sanitation. But beyond just challenges – ...

  This year's  campaign – ‘We’ll Always Need the Toilet’  – calls for action to protect and expand access to sanitation in the face of mounting challenges: ageing infrastructure, rising demand, low investment, and the impact of climate change. Learning resources :  WHO Academy course: For a heathier world – safely managed sanitation.   WHO Academy course: Safely Managed Onsite Sanitation (SMOSS): Why It Matters and How We Monitor It (due in August)  WHO Academy course: Technical Training on SMOSS Data Collection, Analysis and Use (due in October)  WHO: Sanitation Safety Planning – Learning Hub . Publications and content:  FAO: Mainstreaming gender in national drought plans, national action plans and nationalpolicies . GCF: Practical guidelines for designing climate-resilient sanitation projects .  SuSanA: Climate Resilient Sanitation Coalition.   Toilet Board Coalition. “ Meet Entrepreneurial Solutions for Sanitation and Water ”.  U...

   “ In a changing world, one thing is constant: we’ll always need the toilet. No matter what lies ahead, we will always rely on sanitation to protect us from diseases and keep our environment clean. Today, billions of people still live without a safe toilet — with the poorest, especially women and girls, worst affected. ”  • A “safe toilet” is shorthand for ‘safely managed sanitation’ , which means a toilet that is not shared with other households, that either treats or disposes of human waste on site, stores it safely to be emptied and treated off site, or connects to a functioning sewer and treatment plant. • Sanitation is a human right – entitling everyone to affordable and accessible sanitation services, in all spheres of life. • Inadequate sanitation lets human waste and wastewater contaminate the environment, especially in densely populated areas. Children are particularly vulnerable to diseases, such as cholera, which are spread by exposure to untreated waste. • ...

  “As time goes by, the pressure on sanitation is only increasing. Across the world, ageing infrastructure is failing. Investment hasn’t kept pace with demand. And climate change is reshaping our world — with glaciers melting, weather worsening, and sea levels rising.”  • Ageing sanitation infrastructure is failing in many parts of the world. Systems built decades ago are breaking down under pressure from growing demand and extreme weather. • Climate change is making water more scarce and unpredictable . Glaciers, ice caps and snow fields are rapidly disappearing. Volatility of meltwater flows can affect the regulation of freshwater resources for vast numbers of people in lowland areas, disrupting and damaging sanitation services. • Increased flooding and rising sea levels can inundate and damage sanitation infrastructure , such as toilets, sewerage and wastewater treatment facilities, contaminating land, water resources and local ecosystems with faecal matter. • Poorly mana...

  “We urgently need to invest in ‘future-ready’ sanitation today. Together, we must ensure toilets are: accessible to all; resilient to floods, droughts and other climate shocks; minimize greenhouse gas emissions; and, are supported by strong systems and sustained investment.”  • Safely managed sanitation is essential for a resilient and more sustainable society, and drives progress across the 2030 Agenda, particularly in health, gender equality, livelihoods and environmental protection. • Sanitation services must be resilient to climate-related disasters – able to withstand and be sustained during and after these events or recover quickly to protect public health. • Safely managed sanitation, including safely reusing treated wastewater as a source of water, nutrients and energy, is critical to reducing emissions, protecting ecosystems, and building a circular economy. • Local and national authorities should allocate and increase sustained funding to sanitation and include...

On November 19th , the celebration  World Toilet Day 2025  will focus on 'sanitation in a changing world' with the tagline: ‘We’ll always need the toilet’. No matter what lies ahead, one thing will stay constant – our need for safe sanitation. Today, billions still live without a safe toile t, with the poorest, especially women and girls, most affected. Ageing infrastructure, climate change, and insufficient investment are increasing pressure on sanitation systems. The campaign will highlight the need for future-ready toilets that are accessible, climate-resilient, low-emission, and supported by strong systems and investment .  Access to sanitation is a human right – essential for protecting health, the environment, and enabling sustainable development. Get the ACTIVATION KIT in Arabic , Chinese , English , French , Russian and Spanish . BRANDED MATERIALS , such as postcards, social media stickers and toilet seat for photo booth. CAMPAIGN ANIMATION (coming soon). CAMP...

 At the current rates of progress, 3 billion people will still be living without safe toilets in 2030 . (WHO/UNICEF, 2023)  Globally, to achieve SDG target 6.2 –sanitation for all by 2030 – will require a six-foldincrease, on average, in the rate of progress on sanitation . In low-income countries, rates need to increase 13-fold for basic sanitation, and 21-fold for safely managed sanitation. (WHO/UNICEF, 2023)

 • By 2050, around 1.6 billion people will be at risk of floods, potentially disrupting ordestroying sanitation services as well as dislocating populations so they no longer have access to safely managed sanitation , and up to 3.2 billion people will live in potentially severely water-scarce areas, negatively impacting sanitation services. (United Nations, 2020)  • Increased glacier melting, exacerbated by methane emissions from sanitation,contributes significantly to global sea-level rise , with today’s sea level about 20 cm higher than in 1900, risking inundating coastal sanitation infrastructure and services. (IPCC, 2020)

The celebration of World Toilet Day on November 19th will help the United Nations to raise awareness and mobilize action that can save millions of lives. 2.5 billion people lack toilets, and poor sanitation is a leading cause of disease and child deaths. Everyone needs a place to go!

“What we don’t discuss, we can’t improve.”   In the words of  the World Toilet Organization founder Jack Sim,  We need to continue addressing the taboo nature of toilets and shine a spotlight on sanitation each World Toilet Day . 

November 19th was officially recognised as World Toilet Day on July 24, 2013, the result of our relentless commitment to raising awareness on the sanitation crisis and a resolution sponsored by the Singapore government on our behalf. During the celebration, NGOs, the private sector, civil society organisations and the international community come together to discuss sanitation issues with a different theme to mark the focus of each year.

Established by the World Toilet Organization in 2001, World Toilet Day was made an official United Nations Observance in 2013. Every year, UN-Water — the UN’s coordination mechanism on water and sanitation — sets the theme for World Toilet Day. For questions, contact us on: campaigns@unwater.org mentioning [World Toilet Day] in the subject heading.