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Global Forum On Sanitation Begins In Mumbai

By Marianne de Nazareth

12 October, 2011
Countercurrents.org

Shahrukh is the first major movie star to talk about importance of toilets for dignity and health at the Global Forum on Sanitation and Hygiene which being held presently in Mumbai , India between the 9-14 th of October.

 Shahrukh Khan, one of the world's most popular and much-loved Bollywood personalities has decided to take on the right to safe sanitation and good hygiene his own.  The announcement was made at the start of the Global Forum on Sanitation and Hygiene, an international conference taking place in Mumbai.

 “I am very happy to be an advocate for these important issues, because I believe in every human being's right to live with dignity,” Shahrukh Khan said. “It is shameful and tragic that every 30 seconds a child dies from preventable diarrhoea -- that's two unnecessary child deaths per minute, almost 3,000 a day or 1 million young lives wasted each year.”

  Khan said he dreams of an India and a world where poor and vulnerable people don't have to squat in the street or in the bushes to defecate.  “It's really quite simple. Toilets for all will make India and the world a healthier and cleaner place, particularly for poor women, girls and others at the margins of our societies,” Khan said, adding “Sanitation for all does not require huge sums of money or breakthrough scientific discoveries. Political commitment at the highest level, the need to create awareness, and meet the demand for sanitation, are all challenging issues, but doable.”

From 9-14 October 2011, the Global Forum on Sanitation and Hygiene in Mumbai , India , will serve as a platform to discuss and advance issues of sanitation to billions of people. Arranged by WSSCC( Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council) for its members and for professionals from around the world, the event has several aims.

First, it will facilitate learning and sharing between WSSCC members, sector practitioners and policymakers. Second, it will energize professional communities through an exclusive platform dedicated to sanitation and hygiene. Third, it will showcase knowledge, investment, communications, advocacy, partnership and networking approaches. Finally, it will strengthen national, regional, South-South and global dialogue and collaboration on issues to do with sanitation.

Jon Lane , executive director for the UN-hosted Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC), which asked Sharukh Khan to serve in the role of ambassador, says the actor's support for the issues is greatly welcomed. “Mr. Khan is highly regarded by billions of people in South Asia and Africa , where most of the people without good sanitation and hygiene services live,” Mr. Lane said. “By extending his support to water, sanitation and hygiene issues, Mr. Khan will give a huge impetus to moving the agenda forward of ensuring there is a toilet in every home and proper hand-washing practices are followed by all in the region.”

In the coming months, Khan will advocate with the public about the impact toilets and proper handwashing on their lives by highlighting the strong linkages it has on their health and the environment around them including their ground water sources.

Some 500 activists, business leaders, health professionals, governmental officials and others from 70 countries are attending this first-ever Global Forum on Sanitation and Hygiene ( www.wsscc-global-forum.org ). Arranged by the Geneva-based WSSCC and the Governments of India and Maharashtra , the Forum aims to highlight how to save millions of lives through handwashing, how to build educational opportunities for teenage girls through separate latrines, and how to “invest in waste” through biogas-generating toilets and other entrepreneurial innovation.

 Of the 2.6 billion people living without safe and clean toilets, roughly a third live in South Asia , a third in sub-Saharan Africa and a third in China . These people are unable to fulfil their daily needs with safety, convenience and dignity. There are good reasons to turn this situation around, including evidence that points to the negative economic impacts of poor sanitation.Diarrhoea, the vast majority of it due to poor sanitation and hygiene is the second biggest killer of children worldwide

 “Poor sanitation is costing developing countries between 3 and 7% of GDP,” said Anna Tibaijuka,  chair of WSSCC. “Improved access to toilets has the potential to reduce healthcare costs, improve productivity, increase earnings from tourism and promote greater educational attainment, especially among girls. When a school has separate toilets for girls, with doors that lock, their attendance rates improve, especially once they reach menstruation.”

 The Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council's (WSSCC) mission is to ensure sustainable sanitation, better hygiene and safe drinking water for all people.  Good sanitation and hygiene lead to economic and social development, yielding health, productivity, educational and environmental benefits. WSSCC manages the Global Sanitation Fund, facilitates coordination at national, regional and global levels, supports professional development, and advocates on behalf of the 2.6 billion people without a clean, safe toilet to use.  WSSCC is hosted by UNOPS, supports coalitions in more than 30 countries, and has members around the world.

(Marianne de Nazareth is Freelance media professional & Media Fellow of the WSSCC)

 

 

 



 


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