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United Nations Student Leadership Conference on Development
Empowering Youth for Peace and Sustainable Development
Subtheme A: Sanitation and Clean Water
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"The children who have no clean water to drink, the women who fear for their safety, the young
people who have no chance to receive a decent education have a right to better, and we have a
responsibility to do better. All people have the right to safe drinking water, sanitation, shelter and
basic services."
- Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General
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Millenium Development Goals Pertaining to the Subtheme
MDG 7 Ensure Environmental; Sustainability
Sustainable Development Goals Pertaining to this Subtheme1
Goal 3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
Goal 5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
Goal 6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
Goal 9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and
foster innovation
Goal 11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
Note: For all bolded words, please see “Key Terms”
Introduction
On 28 July 2010, through Resolution 64/292, the United Nations General Assembly
explicitly recognized the human right to water and sanitation and acknowledged that clean
drinking water and sanitation are essential to the realization of all human rights.
Access, or lack thereof, to clean water and proper sanitation impact myriad issues that
span all aspects of human life including, but not limited to health, education, nutrition, and
environment. At any one time, close to half of all people in developing countries are suffering
from health problems caused by poor water and sanitation. Together, unclean water and poor
sanitation are the world's second biggest killer of children. It has been calculated that 443 million
school days are lost each year to water-related illness.2
Proper sanitation is vital for achieving sustainable development. Without proper
disposal of liquid and solid wastes, the entire ecosystem can be affected. Where waste is not
disposed of properly, it can lead to pollution of surface water, as rain washes refuse into rivers
and streams. There may also be a significant risk of groundwater contamination. Refuse disposed
of in storm drains may cause blockages and encourage fly and mosquito breeding. Flies can
deposit contaminated waste on food, while mosquitos are carriers of many dangerous diseases
including Malaria, West Nile Virus, Elephantiasis, Dengue Fever, and Yellow Fever.3
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Water is the heart of sustainable development. It is vital for economic development,
healthy ecosystems, and human survival. Access to clean water will alleviate the human and
financial cost of many diseases, and increase the quality of life and welfare of human
populations. Though water is a finite resource, it is reuseable if properly treated.
Currenly nearly 2 billion people live in areas where water resources are being used faster
than can be naturally replaced. If this trend continues, half of the world’s population will be
living in high water-stressed areas by 20254.
Problem 1- Gender
"Water challenges go beyond questions of access. In many countries, girls are forced to
drop out of school owing to a lack of sanitation facilities, and women are harassed or assaulted
when carrying water or visiting a public toilet."
- Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General
Women are especially affected by sanitation and water issues. Girls carry the majority of
the burden for collecting water for use by the family. Inadequate access to safe, hygienic and
private sanitation facilities is a source of shame, physical discomfort and insecurity for millions
of women across the world. Cultural norms frequently make it unacceptable for women to be
seen defecating—forcing many women to leave home before dawn or after nightfall to maintain
privacy.
When water and sanitation are not physically accessible, the burden falls to female
children to fill in the gaps. Girls are the ones to fetch water. Girls are ones to dispose of trash.
And when family members fall ill (often to water-bourne or sanitation related causes) , girls are
the ones who must stay home and care for the sick relative.
Women and girls have greater sanitation needs than their male counterparts due to
menstruation. Women are also more vulnerable and have a greater need for privacy when
bathing and using the toilet – due to the threat of sexual violence. This violence is also a problem
during long treks to fetch water for the family and to reach sanitation facilities.
Source: (The) World's Women 2010. Trends and Statistics. UNDESA, 2010
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The inequalities that women face directly affect sustainable development. Women and
girls on whom these additional burdens fall do not receive a proper, full education; they do not
have the ability to obtain decent work; and are unable to become politically engaged. And thus
the cycle repeats itself.
Key Facts:
 One in five girls of primary-school age are not in school, compared to one in six boys.
One factor accounting for this difference is the lack of sanitation facilities for
girlsreaching puberty. Girls are also more likely to be responsible for collecting water for
their family, making it difficult for them to attend school during school hours5
 Out of fear women and girls may choose to ignore their needs which may increase the
likelihood of urinary tract infections, chronic constipation or mental stress
 Girls who have reached puberty and female school staff who are menstruating need
gender-specific sanitation facilities. Without the privacy afforded by these facilities,
menstruating school girls and staff often do not feel comfortable using school facilities,
resulting in absenteeism 10-20 percent of the time6
Success Story:
One of the most successful means of providing clean water to communites is rainwater
harvesting. This has been successful in all areas of the world. Rainwater capture systems are
much more affordable than traditional water systems. By using these systems, girls in
communities have greater access to education both by providing proper sanitation facilities and
relieving them of the burden of water collection.
The Water Resources Action Project (WRAP) is one of many projects that install and train
locals in the use of rainwater collection systems. Located in the Middle East, WRAP
schools are in need of water for toilets, hand washing, and gardening. WRAP also has
added motivation - “WRAP aims to build peace in the region by connecting its project
schools and engaging students from disparate backgrounds in conversation with one
another over shared experiences with water conservation and environmental
stewardship.”
A recent WRAP project was installing a rainwater collection system in the Battir Girls
High School located in the West Bank. With the system up and running, bathroom closures are
no longer necessary due to inadequate water supply. In addition, the school is able to run summer
sessions and a community garden. Both initiatives would be impossibe without the additional
water provided by the rainwater collection system.
Learn more about this project here - https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/creating-safe-learninggarden-for-girls-school-in-the-west-bank.
Problem 2- Open Defecation
“It keeps women under the threat of harassment, violence and rape. It forces girls to
abandon education at puberty. It contributes to a cost of $260bn a year through death, ill health
and loss of productivity…I am talking about the practice of Open Defecation.”
- Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson, May 28, 2014
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Open defecation is a problem not only of access to proper facilities, but also of cultural
tendencies and habit. Open defecation impacts access to clean water, causes malnutrition and
stunting, puts women and girls in undue risk, and spreads many illnesses that would otherwise be
preventable.
Children exposed to open defecation are suffering from malnutrition despite access to
sufficient food and nutrients. The reason for this is exposure to harmful micro-organisims.
Children’s bodies are spending their energy on fighting infections rather than on brain
development and growth.
Key Facts:
 1.1 billion people (15% of the global population) practice open defecation.
 Of the world’s seven billion people, six billion have mobile phones. Yet only 4.5 billion
people have access to toilets or latrines — meaning that two and a half billion people,
mostly in rural areas, do not have proper sanitation.7
 Ten countries with the largest number of people practicing open defecation - India (626
million); Indonesia (63 million); Pakistan (40 million); Ethiopia (38 million); Nigeria (34
million); Sudan (19 million); Nepal (15 million); China (14 million); Niger (12 million);
and Burkina Faso (9.7 million)8
 Globally, an estimated 165 million children under-five years of age, or 26%, were stunted
(i.e, height-for-age below –2 SD) in 20119
 India’s stunting problem represents the largest loss of human potential in any country in
history, and it affects 20 times more people in India alone than H.I.V./AIDS does around
the world10
 In three days, the amount of untreated fecal matter in the world would fill the Superdome
Success Story:
Many billions of dollars have been spent to improve sanitation, “but the United Nations
says that money literally went down the toilet. Attitudes, not infrastructure, need to change”
Reuters11 This means that the efforts to curb open defecation need to start at home, in the
communities, not by governments alone.
Successes have been seen in Vietnam and Bangladesh. These countries both had 33% of their
populations practicing open defecation in 1990, and today, the practice is virtually extinct.
Communities in Bangledesh made the decision to end open defecation with the help of
the Village Education Resource Centre and Water Aid Bangladesh. This NGO sent facilitators
out into villages to show the harmful affects of the practice. These facilitators spoke openly
about faeces or “poo”, and through both laughter and candor, they were able to communicate the
cycle of contamination.
Village members came to realize that they were, in essence, eating their own fecal matter.
Through this realization came change. Villagers learned how to make their own latrines and
personally pledged to only use latrines for elimination. They banded together in a “naming and
shaming” campaign – keeping watch and flagging any fecal matter with the name of the person
who left it in the open. Results are staggering – there are fewer people getting sick each year;
children have clean, safe places to play outdoors; women felt safe when going to the latrines; and
the positive changes led neighboring villages to follow suit.
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Similar results have been seen in Nepali village, again through community efforts. In this
community, a woman’s group led the charge. Learn more about their efforts here http://www.irinnews.org/report/90251/nepal-naming-and-shaming-open-defecation-offenders.
Problem 3- Environment
“We live in an increasingly water insecure world where demand often outstrips supply
and where water quality often fails to meet minimum standards. Under current trends, future
demands for water will not be met. Although seemingly abundant, only a tiny amount of the
water on our planet is easily available as freshwater,”
- Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General
Everything we do as humans impacts the world around us. Activities such as
industrialization, production, agriculture, hydropower generation, fossil fuel and nuclear power
generation, disposal of wastes, and our consumption based society can cause devastating
impacts to our ecosystems, water sources, and everyone’s access to safe water.
Inadequate sanitation, particularly in the context of urbanization, allows for sewage or waste to
flow directly into streams, rivers, lakes and wetlands, affecting coastal and marine ecosystems,
fouling the environment and exposing millions of children to disease through their food and
water. Improved sanitation reduces environmental burdens, increases sustainability of
environmental resources and allows for a healthier, more secure future for the population.
Key Facts:
 About 90 percent of sewage and 70 percent of industrial wastes in developing countries
are discharged into watercourses without treatment, often polluting the usable water
supply.
 Of all the water on Earth, freshwater makes up only about 2.5 per cent of the total
volume, according to the UN Environment Programme
 The daily drinking water requirement per person is 2-4 litres, but it takes 2000 to 5000
litres of water to produce one person's daily food
 The average U.S. citizen uses about 380 liters to 670 liters of water at home every day.
The average African family uses about 20 liters of water each day.
 It takes 1000-3000 litres of water to produce one kilo of rice
 16,000 litres of water is needed to produce one kilogram of beef 13
 Every day, 2 million tons of human waste are disposed of in water courses
 Between 1991 and 2000 over 665,000 people died in 2,557 natural disasters of which 90
percent were water-related events.
Success Story:
Community members in San Rafael Guatemala can still remember what life was like
before their town water project. Life included a daily 2 mile trek for water – water that was full
of harmful micro-organisms.
The community took matters into their own hands in 2004 by investing $44,000 in a well.
In addition, they appointed a Community Assembly to oversee water usage. In the community,
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every person is involved in managing the water project. From cleaning latrines, to teaching
conservation techinques, there is a job for everyone. 14
The San Rafael water project has empowered the community and created long term,
sustainable water solutions for their community. The projected has strengthened community ties
and increased environmental awareness. It is contientious development like this that is making a
difference around the world.
Key Terms
Sanitation: Safe collection and disposal of human excreta (faeces and urine) and the
management of solid wastes (household trash, industrial waste, etc)
Open Defecation: Open defecation is defined as defecation in fields, forests, bushes, bodies of
water or other open spaces
Safe Water: Water free from micro-organisms, chemical substances and radiological hazards
that constitute a threat to a person's health. Measures of drinking-water safety are usually defined
by national and/or local standards for drinking-water quality. The World Health Organization
(WHO) Guidelines for drinking-water quality provide a basis for the development of national
standards that, if properly implemented, will ensure the safety of drinking-water.
Physically accessible Water: Everyone has the right to a water and sanitation service that is
physically accessible within, or in the immediate vicinity of the household, educational
institution, workplace or health institution. According to WHO, the water source has to be within
1,000 metres of the home and collection time should not exceed 30 minutes.
Gender: Refers to the different roles, rights, and responsibilities of men and women and the
relations between them. Gender does not simply refer to women or men, but to the way their
qualities, behaviours, and identities are determined through the process of socialization.
Sustainable Development: Development that meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Additional Resources:
1. New York Times Article - Poor Sanitation in India May Afflict Well-Fed Children With
Malnutrition
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/15/world/asia/poor-sanitation-in-india-may-afflictwell-fed-children-with-malnutrition.html
2. The Hindu Article - India tops in open defecation
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-tops-in-opendefecation/article5993478.ece
3. IRIN News Article - NEPAL: Naming and shaming open defecation offenders
http://www.irinnews.org/report/90251/nepal-naming-and-shaming-open-defecationoffenders
4. UNICEF Article - Gender and water, sanitation and hygiene(WASH)
http://www.unicef.org/esaro/7310_Gender_and_WASH.html
5. UNICEF News Note - On World Toilet Day, ending open defecation is possible, says
UNICEF
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http://www.unicef.org/media/media_66390.html
6. UN Website for the International Decade for Water 2005-2015
http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/index.shtml
7. FAO Water – Article Hot issues: water scarcity
http://www.fao.org/nr/water/issues/scarcity.html
8. World Health Organization Water Health Sanitation Fast Facts
http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/monitoring/jmp2012/fast_facts/en/
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Outcome Document—Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals.
(2013). Sustainable development goals. Retrieved from http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/focussdgs.html
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United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). (2006). Human Development Report 2006, Beyond Scarcity:
Power, poverty and the global water crisis - http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDR06-complete.pdf
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National Center for Infectious Diseases - Mosquito-Borne Diseases
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/list_mosquitoborne.htm
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3rd UN-World Water Development Report 2009
http://webworld.unesco.org/water/wwap/wwdr/wwdr3/tableofcontents.shtml
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UNICEF and IRC. Water Sanitation and Hygiene Education for Schools: Roundtable Proceedings and Framework
for Action. - http://esa.un.org/iys/docs/san_lib_docs/SSHE_OxfordRoundTable.pdf
6
Lopez-Quintero, C., Freeman. P., & Neumark, Y. (2009). Hand Washing Among School Children in Bogotá,
Colombia. American Journal of Public Health. 99(1), 94-101.
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http://blogs.un.org/blog/2013/03/19/know-the-facts-on-sanitation/#sthash.frIHXTdV.dpuf
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WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation
http://www.who.int/entity/water_sanitation_health/publications/2012/jmp_report/en/index.html
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Joint Report WHO-UNICEF-World Bank - http://www.who.int/nutgrowthdb/jme_unicef_who_wb.pdf
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Poor Sanitation in India May Afflict Well-Fed Children With Malnutrition New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/15/world/asia/poor-sanitation-in-india-may-afflict-well-fed-children-withmalnutrition.html?_r=2
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One billion people still defecate in public despite health risks – UN - http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/05/08/ukhealth-defecation-idINKBN0DO1CC20140508
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http://www.globaleducation.edu.au/case-studies/community-led-sanitation-in-bangladesh.html
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http://www.ifad.org/english/water/key.htm
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http://www.mdgfund.org/country/guatemala/story/Guatemalanvillagetakeswaterproblemintoitsownhands