UN International Year of Sanitation (2008)
Introduction
2008 has been designated as the International Year of Sanitation by the UN General Assembly. Today, about 2.6 billion people throughout the world lack access to basic sanitation. 2008 was designated as the International Year of Sanitation with the aim of bringing attention to this situation, accelerating progress toward the UN's Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and halving the proportion of people lacking access to even the most basic sanitation by the year 2015.The UN actively collaborated with groups and communities across the globe to support individuals in need of sanitation facilities. On March 20, 2008, the UN observed World Water Day with the slogan "Sanitation matters!" High-ranking dignitaries, including Prince Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, attended the official ceremonies in Geneva.
IYS was promoted by organizations including the World Water Council, the IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre (IRC), and the Netherland Water Partnership. A pamphlet titled "Smart Sanitation Solutions: Examples of Innovative, Low-Cost Technologies for Toilets, Collection, Transportation, Treatment and Use of Sanitation Products" was distributed by the Netherland Water Partnership (NWP). Together with IRC, WASTE, and PRACTICA, this publication was created with the help of SIMAVI and Partners for Water.
History
With the introduction of the Millennium Development Goals by the United Nations in 2000, which have the twin objectives of reducing poverty and improving everyone's health and general well-being, sanitation has come under increased international scrutiny. The inclusion of access to sanitation as essential to attaining all goals surrounding putting an end to poverty was considered in 2002 at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg. By the year 2015, the number of people without access to even the most basic sanitation services should have been cut in half, according to the Johannesburg Plan of Action.
Background
Approximately 2.6 billion individuals lack access to a sanitary or secure location to carry out their bodily functions. They lack a toilet, a basic necessity. An estimated 1.5 million children die each year as a result of poor access to water, sanitation, and hygiene. The UN proclaimed 2008 The International Year of Sanitation (IYS) in response to the sanitation issue, and asked its member states, organizations, and people everywhere to participate. The objective was to increase awareness and hasten the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target of cutting in half by 2015 the share of the world's 2.6 billion people who lack access to even the most basic sanitation. The theme year was organized by the UN Water Task Force on Sanitation and the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA).
As part of capacity building programs, the year included significant regional conferences on sanitation, one of which was devoted to school sanitation. Additionally, it promoted public-private collaboration to take advantage of each sector's unique characteristics to speed up development, promote cleanliness, attract more finance, and create national road maps.
Objectives
In several parts of the world, the development towards the sanitation MDG has been slow and uneven. The primary goal of designating 2008 as the International Year of Sanitation is to assist in resetting the sanitation MDG's target of reducing the proportion of people without access to basic sanitation by half by 2015. Cooperation between various UN agencies, including UNDESA and UNICEF, as well as government organizations, nongovernmental organizations (NGO), commercial firms, and academic institutions will be necessary to achieve this goal.
The goal of the year was to raise awareness and encourage action to reach the sanitation target of the Millennium Development Goals. Particular issues include:
- Removing the stigma associated with cleanliness, allowing for a more open discussion of its significance.
- Highlighting the reduction of poverty, improvements to health, and other advantages that result from improved sanitation, household cleanliness, and wastewater treatment.
Icons
Hand washing and toilets are the two main components of fundamental sanitation that are represented by the International Year of Sanitation 2008 logo. Two icons make up the artwork. The first graphic emphasizes the value of using water and hand washing, whereas the second icon shows a pit latrine. The logo is meant to show that millions of people live without access to basic sanitation and proper restrooms. Above the two icons are the words "International Year of Sanitation," and below the icons is the year "2008." There could be regional variations of the IYS logo. An additional tagline that is deemed appropriate for the IYS and appropriate in the national or local context may be added to the top or bottom of a national variation of the logo while maintaining the basic design.
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