UNICEF Calls for Better Sanitation throughout the World

United Nations, January 3 (RHC)-- The United Nations Children's Fund
(UNICEF) has welcomed the start of the International Year of Sanitation
2008, which draws attention to the plight of over 40 percent of the
world's population living without proper sanitation.

The UN agency says that thousands of women and children die every day
from largely preventable causes, such as diarrhoeal diseases which are
the second biggest killer of children under five, to which the lack of
proper sanitation plays a role.

UNICEF says taht Improving sanitation for an estimated 2.6 billion
people, including 980 million children, is one of the single biggest
development challenges the world faces today. Speaking at the official
launch of the Year at UN Headquarters in New York, Secretary General
Ban Ki-moon said access to sanitation is one of the most "overlooked,
and underserved human needs."

The International Year, which officially began on January 1st, was
established by the General Assembly in December 2006 to speed up
progress towards achieving Millennium Development Goal (MDG) Number 7 -
ensuring environmental sustainability - which includes halving the
proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water
and basic sanitation.

Sanitation will be improved by promoting clean, safe toilets;
wastewater management; and hygiene promotion. These measures prevent
the transfer of pathogens in human excreta, which, if not treated
properly, impacts health and can deprive children of an education as
well as impede social and economic development.

Poor sanitation can contribute to absenteeism and poor classroom
performance due to illness, low enrollment and early school dropout,
especially for girls whose parents take them out of school when they
begin menstruating.

During the course of the International Year, major regional conferences
on sanitation will be held to share practices and bolster progress, as
well as encourage public-private partnerships to raise awareness on the
importance of the issue.

The UN agency notes that many events will be held to commemorate
Sanitation and Hygiene Week, from March 15th through the 21st, and
World Water Day on March 22nd.

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