WIPO GREEN And UN World Toilet Day

November 18, 2016

November 19 is UN World Toilet Day – a yearly event which seeks to draw attention to the on-going global sanitation crisis. WIPO GREEN is dedicated to facilitating the transfer of green technologies, including in the area of water and sanitation.

The last two WIPO GREEN matchmaking projects have been focused on wastewater management and water and agriculture, respectively. Through the needs identified in Southeast Asia and East Africa by these projects, WIPO GREEN has facilitated numerous collaborations between technology providers and technology seekers. Recent successful matchmaking activity involves promoting a waterless sanitation solution invented by South African enterprise EcoSan to meet clean toilet needs in Ghana.

Below are some examples of the toilet-related technologies that are currently listed on the WIPO GREEN database:

Why do we need World Toilet Day?

Approximately 2.5 billion people lack access to adequate sanitation, and one billion people lack access to toilets. This lack of access to sustainable sanitation contributes to death, diseases and social marginalization, especially among children and women. Being unable to use clean, safe toilets puts women at an increased risk for assault, decreases school attendance rates in girls once they hit puberty, and contributes to keeping them out of the workforce. It also significantly contributes to incidences of diarrheal disease, the second leading cause of death in children under five years old – more devastating than AIDS and malaria combined.  

Building upon the Millennium Development Goals, the UN Sustainable Development Goals draw attention to the impact of this critical issue on global health, education, economic growth, equality, and violence against women. Sustainable Development Goal 6 focuses on clean water and sanitation, calling on the international community to ensure access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, including by supporting and strengthening the participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation management.