Big words; now time for Big actions...

Following inclusion in the MDGs and their subsequent failure in this regard, more has and is being done to raise awareness of sanitation to a level more befitting its importance. A turning point was marked by the UN Year of Sanitation’ in 2008, prompting a wide range of research and subsequent publications. More efforts were made to contextualise the existing WASH campaign (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) and the Sustainable Sanitation Alliance (SuSanA) was becoming more active as a collaborative global network. Development actors were beginning to comprehend that adequate sanitation was a necessary pre-requisite in the realisation of several other development related goals (UNDESA, 2010). Indeed, further links have been made to suggest that sanitation is important not only in its outcome but also the act of its provision. Nathaniel Mason has outlined government involvement in sanitation projects as an important tool for state building, not just because of what is provided but how. Indeed integrative and collaborative sanitation policy was important in legitimising Mugabe’s government in Zimbabwe and in peace building for post-conflict Rwanda (Mason, 2012:11, 26).

In July 2010 the United Nations formally recognised access to sanitation as a human right (UN, 2010). This was a particularly pivotal moment, allowing sanitation issues to be considered both separately from and matching in importance to those of water. The culmination of this was sanitations equal inclusion in goal 6 of the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted in 2015 to replace the now expired Millennium targets. This new goal aimed to ‘ensure access to water and sanitation for all’ by 2030 (UN, 2015). The target also made a commitment to end open defecation, making specific reference to the needs of women and girls. On the whole, SDG 6 symbolizes the stark transformation in the minds of policy makers, from the footnote style addition to MDG 7, into a meaningful commitment for change. Indeed, this new goal is far more ambitious in its objectives from the ‘reduce by half’ intent of 2000. It epitomises how inadequate sanitation is being recognised for what it truly is -an abhorrent blockage in the pipeline towards further freedoms of right from which not millions but billions are still excluded.

All 17 Sustainable Development Goals 2015-2030. Source UN Agenda.

In spite of the positive recognition as part of the SDGs, there is still something of a public ignorance about sanitation. Public support is critical in achieving the necessary political will to realise the SDG target. Yet, this years WHO GLAAS report (Global Analysis & Assessment of Sanitation & Drinking-Water) highlighted that despite increasing commitments, funding gaps prevail. The report details that less than half of countries have enough financial resources to reach the target – in Sub-Saharan Africa, this figure falls to zero (WHO, 2017:6). In turn, aid flows to the region have fallen drastically from US$3.8 billion in 2012 to only $1.7 billion in 2016 (pg. 22) – a decline of over 55%. This paints a rather bleak picture for sanitation objectives. If goals are to be realised, a more concerted effort must be made to raise awareness in the public eye. Wider public engagement is crucial in achieving a political will for change.

In response, more is being done to raise the profile of the emerging sanitation crisis. Most notable is the annual World Toilet Day (WTD) held on the 19^th November and UN officiated since 2013. In partnership with the separate World Water Day on March 22^nd, WTD aims to promote awareness and inspire action. It has a dedicated website and is active on social media. Below are a couple of WTD videos, explaining the message:

Campaigns like this are a really important part of achieving the SDG. Yet, they still suffer from a perceived lack of interest – many remain blissfully unaware of their existence. Thus far they have failed to instil the same excitement as ALS’s ‘Ice-bucket challenge’ or Prostate Cancer UKs ‘Movember’. These kinds of grassroots campaigns can help to provoke a real interest that will often translate into cash donations. For example, Cancer Research’s #nomakeupselfie raised £8million in just one week (Guardian, 03/04/14). Despite an upward trend, a more innovative and stimulating sanitation awareness campaign may be needed if this new target is to better the last.

On a slightly different note, perhaps awareness of the emerging sanitation crisis in Africa will be more compellingly asserted onto the wider audience of the global North. The permeating forces of globalisation have worked to broaden the risk of pandemics. For example, the 2013-16 West African Ebola outbreak did spread to isolated cases in Europe and the US – perhaps a more likely future occurrence if African water & sanitation improvements fail to materialise.  

In my next couple of posts I plan to take a more contextual view of the sanitation problem, focusing on contrasting examples of urban and rural.