This Year’s Theme is Toilets and Jobs

The United Nations has announced that World Toilet Day will be held this year on Saturday, November 19, 2016.

The theme of this year’s World Toilet Day 2016 is “toilets and jobs,” according to the UN. The goal is to focus on how sanitation - or the lack of it - can and does impact the livelihoods of people around the globe.

According to the UN, nearly 2.5 billion people live without a toilet. Because of this, one of their goals, which was actually launched last year, is to ensure everyone on the planet has access to a toilet by 2030.

“Toilets play a crucial role in creating a strong economy, as well as improving health and protecting people’s safety and dignity, particularly women’s and girls,” said a UN spokesperson.

“The UN and its partners are getting the message out that toilets save lives, increase productivity, create jobs and grow economies.”

The announcement by the UN also pointed out some key facts related to toilets and worldwide sanitation such as the following:

·        2.4 billion people live without basic sanitation facilities

·        One in ten people has no choice but to defecate in the open

·        Diarrhea caused by poor sanitation and unsafe water kills 315,000 children every year

·        Disease transmission at work, mostly caused by poor sanitation and hygiene practices, causes 17 percent of all workplace deaths

·        Loss of productivity due to illnesses caused by lack of sanitation and poor hygiene practices is estimated to cost many countries up to 5 percent of their total gross domestic product.

To learn more about the connection between toilets and jobs, please download the factsheet.

To take action and join the global movement, please go to www.worldtoiletday.info