Why are toilets important?
Sanitation is a human right.
Everyone should have access to a toilet that is secure, hygienic and private, and connected to a safely managed sanitation system to properly dispose of waste.
When toilet systems are inadequate, damaged or broken, pollution spreads and deadly diseases get unleashed.
For women and girls in particular, a lack of safely managed sanitation, water and hygiene services leaves them more vulnerable to abuse, attack and ill-health, affecting their ability to study, work and live in dignity.
Today, the world is seriously off track to achieve safely managed sanitation for all by 2030 – one of the targets of Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6).
This slow progress hinders efforts across many other SDGs, particularly on nutrition, health, gender equality, education, sustainability and the environment.
Faster and greater action on improving access to safe toilets will drive gains across sustainable development, human rights and peace.
What is World Toilet Day?
World Toilet Day has been an annual United Nations Observance since 2013. It was first celebrated in 2001 by the World Toilet Organization.
World Toilet Day is held every year on 19 November to celebrate toilets and raise awareness of people living without access to safely managed sanitation.
It is about taking action to tackle the global sanitation crisis and achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030.
What happens on World Toilet Day?
The World Toilet Day campaign, coordinated by UN-Water, is promoted on social media with the hashtag #WorldToiletDay. Individuals, organizations, governments, companies and schools promote the issues online and hold real-life events.
Who is behind World Toilet Day 2024?
UN-Water, the UN’s inter-agency coordination mechanism on water and sanitation, leads on World Toilet Day every year, which is coordinated by one or several UN-Water Members and Partners in support of UN Member States and other Stakeholders. In 2024, the World Toilet Day campaign is coordinated by the UN-Water Expert Group on WASH, led by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and World Health Organization (WHO).