Dorcas signs manifest for toilets

Minister Kaag stated in the Policy Notice ‘Investing in Perspective’ that 50 million more people must have access to sanitary facilities by 2030 (SGD6), with an interim target of providing 12 million extra people with sanitation by 2030. However if current trends don’t change then this goal will not be achieved. We, the signatory organizations, one day after World Toilet Day, are asking parliament to address the Minister on this question next week when the 2019 Budget of Minister Kaag is discussed in Parliament.

People die with no sanitation
2.3 billion people worldwide do not have access to normal sanitation, like toilets. A lack of sanitation can lead to drinking water becoming seriously contaminated, which in turn can lead to illness or death. Almost 1000 children die every day of diarrhea caused by unnecessarily poor water and sanitation facilities – that’s 30 full school classes per day! Poor sanitation also spreads diseases like cholera, dysentery, hepatitis A and typhoid. Diarrhea is also an important cause of growing problems (stunting) and malnutrition in children.

Sanitation is vital to human dignity, especially for women
Good sanitation is indispensable to human dignity and existence. It  has a large impact especially on the lives of women and girls. Good sanitary facilities in schools contribute to more girls staying in school, even during menstruation. Good education has many positive impacts for girls and young women – they have greater economic independence, can have children at a later age and less children are born. A toilet also ensures that women and girls are safe and not harassed when they have to make a sanitary stop.

A challenge for the ministry
The agreed goal for 2030 will not be met if current trends do not change (see chart; source IRC 6-6-2018). In 2016 and 2017 2.4 million people were provided with sanitary facilities and the Ministry expects to reach 1.6 million people in 2018 and 2019. But in order to reach the interim goal in 2020, 4 million people must be reached. This is a challenge for national programs of Embassies and central programs of the Ministry: keep the results from 2020 on target. However this challenge is made even harder with the new geographic focus in the Policy Note for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation. That’s why we ask Minister Kaag to:

• Create a credible plan for realizing the 2020 sanitation targets.
• Start programmes for the next 3 to 4 years and show what the costs for these would be.

This manifest was signed by:

• Kraanwaterfonds Water for Life.
• VEI (Vitens, Brabant Water, Evides Waterbedrijf, WML, Waterbedrijf Groningen)
• IRC.
• Cordaid.
• Amref Flying Doctors.
• Woord en Daad.
• Dorcas.
• Women for Water.
• Stichting Akvo.
• Zoa.
• Adra.
• Soroptimisten.

20 November 2018