World Toilet Day 2023: Symbol, Key Messages and Facts You Need to Know

Every year on November 19th, the world commemorates World Toilet Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness about the global sanitation crisis and its impact on human health and well-being.

Despite significant progress in recent decades, the global sanitation crisis remains a critical issue, with over 3.5 billion people lacking safely managed sanitation. 

The World Toilet Day website mentioned: “Right now, there are 3.5 billion people still living without safe toilets. 419 million people still practise ‘open defecation’. In these situations, diseases spread, killing 1,000 children under-five every single day. This global crisis poses a threat to nature and everyone’s health, particularly women, girls, and other vulnerable groups.”  

What Is the History of World Toilet Day? 

According to the United Nations, on July 24, 2013, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution titled "Sanitation for All" (A/RES/67/291), declaring World Toilet Day an official UN observance. This resolution urged UN Member States and relevant stakeholders to take action to improve sanitation access, particularly among the poor. It also called for an end to the practice of open-air defecation, recognizing its severe impact on public health.

The resolution emphasised the importance of sanitation, not only for health reasons but also for basic dignity and women's safety. Women and girls should not have to risk their safety and well-being due to a lack of access to private toilets. World Toilet Day serves as a reminder of the critical need for improved sanitation worldwide.

World Toilet Day 2023: Symbol

Source: World Toilet Day

The symbol of World Toilet Day 2023 is the hummingbird. This small but mighty bird represents the small yet significant actions that individuals and communities can take to improve sanitation and create a more sustainable world. Just as hummingbirds diligently carry water to fight wildfires, we can all contribute to improving sanitation systems and safeguarding the environment.

World Toilet Day 2023: Key Messages and Facts 

The UN Secretary-General conveys: “A massive sanitation shortfall still exists, with billions of people cut off from safe services. We’re racing the clock. To meet the 2030 deadline for the SDGs, we need to move five times faster.” 

Here are some important messages from the UN: 

• “With just seven years left, the world has to work, on average, five times faster to meet the sanitation target of SDG 6 – safe toilets and water for all by 2030 – on time.
• Sanitation and drinking water are human rights, and access to these services is critical to people’s health and the integrity of the environment.
• Over 7,000 people have already committed to take water and sanitation-related actions to help accelerate change towards SDG 6.”

World Toilet Day 2023: Facts

Here are some facts about Sanitisation on World Toilet Day according to the UN: 

• 3.5 billion people lack access to safe toilets.
• 2.2 billion people lack access to safe drinking water.
• 419 million people practice open defecation.
• 2 billion people lack basic handwashing facilities at home.
• 1,000 children under five die every day due to unsafe water, sanitation, and hygiene.
• At the current rate, 3 billion people will still be without safe toilets, 2 billion will be without safe drinking water, and 1.4 billion will lack basic hygiene facilities by 2030.