World Toilet Day

 • 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.