Joint Press Statement by MFA and MEWR: Adoption of Singapore's UN Resolution "Sanitation for All" to Designate 19 November as World Toilet Day

Singapore is pleased that the 67^th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York adopted by consensus the resolution entitled “Sanitation for all”. The resolution designates 19 November as World Toilet Day in the context of Sanitation for All.  The resolution, which was initiated by Singapore, was co-sponsored by more than 100 countries.  The resolution calls for greater attention to be paid to the global sanitation crisis through the commemoration of World Toilet Day.  Despite the progress made with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the UN estimates that 2.5 billion people worldwide still lack access to improved sanitation. This underscores that we still have far to go given that the lack of adequate sanitation has major consequences for health, economic growth, gender equality and the personal dignity of the poorest people in the world.

The resolution also urges all UN Member States, as well as the United Nations system, to accelerate progress in order to achieve the MDGs related to sanitation.  Multi-national companies, international organisations, schools and other stakeholders are encouraged to redouble their efforts, through scaled-up ground-level actions by way of action-oriented and other educational initiatives, to promote greater public awareness of the serious developmental, health and social problems caused by the lack of adequate sanitation.   Starting this year, Singapore hopes that all countries will use World Toilet Day as a platform to give the global challenge of sanitation and toilets the attention it deserves.

After the adoption, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Law K Shanmugam said that it was important for the issue of sanitation to receive greater prominence as the UN formulates the Post-2015 Development Agenda to replace the MDGs.  He added, “Singapore hopes that the resolution will focus the attention of the international community in making a positive impact on the lives of people all around the world”.

Minister for Environment and Water Resources Dr Vivian Balakrishnan also said that he was pleased that the UN adopted Singapore’s resolution to designate 19 November as World Toilet Day.  He added that “Singapore was an early implementer of the concept of ‘Sanitation for All’. This made a major difference for our public health and hygiene. More recently, we are also leading the world in the treatment and recycling of used water. Water will become an increasingly critical issue for the world in the years ahead, and Singapore is pleased to play a part in these developments.”

On 19 November 2013, the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR), National Environment Agency (NEA) and PUB will commemorate World Toilet Day in Singapore with partners such as the Restroom Association of Singapore, the World Toilet Organisation and Lien Aid.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

MINISTRY OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND WATER RESOURCES

SINGAPORE

24 JULY 2013