World Toilet Day (WTD) is an official United Nations international observance day on 19 November to inspire action to tackle the global sanitation crisis.

Further Description / Program

“Who cares about toilets? 3.6 billion people do. Because they don’t have one that works properly.“ That is the starting point of the Campaign of World Toilet Day. The Observance celebrates toilets and raises awareness of the 3.6 billion people living without access to safely managed sanitation. When some people in a community do not have safe toilets, everyone’s health is threatened. Poor sanitation contaminates drinking-water sources, rivers, beaches and food crops, spreading deadly diseases among the wider population.

This year’s theme is about valuing toilets. The campaign draws attention to the fact that toilets – and the sanitation systems that support them – are underfunded, poorly managed or neglected in many parts of the world, with devastating consequences for health, economics and the environment, particularly in the poorest and most marginalized communities.

On the other hand, the advantages of investing in an adequate sanitation system are immense. For instance, every $1 invested in basic sanitation returns up to $5 in saved medical costs and increased productivity, and jobs are created along the entire service chain. For women and girls, toilets at home, school and at work help them fulfil their potential and play their full role in society, especially during menstruation and pregnancy.

Your participation in the campaign is crucial to our success. Visit the official UN Water website, leading agency of the Observance, where you can learn more about this problem and help spread the message of people who have neither a voice nor a toilet. Check their cool Communication Tool Kit in languages and spread the world.

Contact information

For media requests
unwater@un.org

Links to external websites

More information about WTD