SANITATION FOR POLICYMAKERS 19 November 2013 Photo credit: Gates Foundation

The world is not on track to meet MDG sanitation target At the current rate, the target will not be met until 2049 Half the population in developing regions is still without adequate sanitation Lack of sanitation puts the other MDGs in jeopardy MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS SANITATION FOR POLICYMAKERS Photo credit: runran

SANITATION FOR POLICYMAKERS Investments in sanitation yield an average return of $9 for every $1 invested through: Reduced health costs Improved human productivity Higher education levels Reduced environmental degradation Poverty reduction Poor sanitation costs India 6.4% of its GDP POOR SANITATION HAS ECONOMIC COSTS Photo credit: Gates Foundation

SANITATION FOR POLICYMAKERS In developing countries, half of hospital beds are filled with people suffering from diseases associated with poor water, sanitation and hygiene Achieving the MDG target would add 200 million school days per year Countries can build resilience by reducing their infectious disease burden POOR SANITATION HAS ECONOMIC COSTS Photo credit: Heather Arney /Water.org

SANITATION FOR POLICYMAKERS 1.1 billion people still defecate in the open In the developing world, roughly 90% of sewage is discharged untreated into rivers, lakes and coastal areas SANITATION SUSTAINS CLEAN ENVIRONMENTS Photo credit: Chrissy Olson

SANITATION FOR POLICYMAKERS Poor water quality threatens fishing industries Lack of availability of clean water can hamper industrial development Photo credit: WeSustainLife.org SANITATION SUSTAINS CLEAN ENVIRONMENTS Photo credit: Christy Gillmore

SANITATION FOR POLICYMAKERS Dead zones have now grown to cover 245,000 km of the marine environment Poor sanitation practices that pollute environments deter tourists Ecotourism can decrease due to environmental degradation Photo credit: WeSustainLife.org SANITATION SUSTAINS TOURISM Photo credit: Paolo Margari

SANITATION FOR POLICYMAKERS The most disadvantaged in society are worst affected by inadequate sanitation In July 2010, the UN General Assembly declared safe and clean drinking water and sanitation to be a human right Photo credit: WeSustainLife.org SANITATION IS A HUMAN RIGHT Photo credit: Water.org

SANITATION FOR POLICYMAKERS Become a global leader – make sanitation a priority! Leanne Burney, UN Secretary-General's Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation Therese Dooley, UNICEF Amanda Marlin, Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council Corinne Schuster-Wallace, United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health