Another busy month in the water sector has come to an end. World Toilet Day on 19 November brought global attention to fact that 4.5 billion people currently live without a safe toilet. When Nature Calls was this year’s theme, and the annual day inspired action across the world in many different forms. Here we’re sharing some of the most compelling stories and resources that emerged across the web in November from World Toilet Day, and more. Add your highlights in the comments field.
The links go to the websites of origin. WIN is not responsible for the accuracy of external content.
Global – WIN Photo Competition Open! Through the Gender Lens: Action, Participation and the Fight Against Corruption in Water
WIN is excited to launch the 2019 instalment of our annual photo competition! With a USD1,000 voucher up for grabs, what have you got to lose! Enter today!
We want photographers to capture the relationship between gender, participation, and the fight against corruption in different ways, across various cultures and locations. Participants are invited to submit up to two photographs that examine these complex elements through your own lens, and we encourage photographers to share your vision of a world working towards increased water integrity, and improve participation across genders.
Find all of the information needed to enter via Water Integrity Network.
Kenya – Where the Water Flows
‘Water is a necessity to sustain all life, but millions of Kenyans struggle daily to find a steady source of it. The solution? Data gathered in real time. Discover how the efforts of an international partnership and an IBM innovation at one of its African Research Labs is helping to transform the future of the country’.
Take an interactive journey that includes photography, animation, text, and video through an innovative project in Kenya implemented by one of IBM’s African Research Labs – It’s well worth the trip!
Access the platform via CNN.
Global – Podcast: Tackling the Global Sanitation Crisis
Global Waters Radio has produced a special World Toilet Day edition of their podcast featuring two thought leaders in the water and sanitation sectors: Rolf Luyendijk, Executive Director of the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC), and Portia Persley, Deputy Director of the Water Office at the U.S. Agency for International Development. Together, they tackle the question, ‘With such a daunting level of unmet need for improved sanitation facilities and services, what does the path forward look like?’
Listen to the podcast and download the transcript via Global Waters.
Indonesia – Story of Change: Improving Access to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in Indonesia
In Indonesia, one in eight households do not have access to safe drinking water, and over 30 million people practice open defecation. In a nation made up of 17,000 islands, tackling this huge challenge requires a combined effort from many organisations; the Voice for Change Partnership (V4CP) is made up of 51 locally-based civil society organizations, and is lead SNV, in collaboration with the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), and in partnership with the Dutch Directorate-General for International Cooperation (DGIS).
Read more via SNV.
Global – How does WASH Contribute to All SDGs?
‘[Sustainable Development] Goal 6 is one of the most interconnected goals. Increasing access to water, sanitation and hygiene aids economic development, poverty reduction, education, health and more’.
There are 17 Goals, and – it may come as no surprise – most are interlinked, with SDG 6 flowing through many of the 44 indicators. WASHwatch has put together an overview of how progress in one Goal aids progress in others.
Read more via WASHwatch.
OGP Water Commitments Factsheet
The Open Government Partnership (OGP) has released a new Water Committments factsheet.
‘OGP participants have enacted a variety of reforms related to the accessibility, management transparency, and public accountability over our most important natural resource – water. With commitments ranging from digital mapping of clean drinking water access points to increased collaboration between tenants and landlords in expanding sanitation systems, these reforms can offer opportunities for vast improvements to basic quality of life for all people’.
Download the factsheet via OGP.
First photo: Mustafa ezz via Pexels