Just a few days before the FAO Rome Water Dialogue which will engage Member Countries and water experts of all sectors to discuss the interlinkages between water, sanitation, health, ecosystems, ocean, energy, food systems and nutrition, FAO celebrates World Toilet Day on 19 November. This is a great opportunity to join the sanitation community to discuss innovative solutions and actions to tackle the global sanitation crisis and achieve all of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Agenda 2030 as a whole.

Today, 3.6 billion people are still living with poor quality toilets that are detrimental to their health and pollute the environment. Inadequate sanitation systems spread human waste into rivers, lakes and soil, contaminating the water resources under our feet. Safely managed sanitation protects groundwater from human waste pollution and ensures clean water, not only for drinking purposes, but also for agriculture and food production.

About 80 percent of wastewater in developing countries is still dumped into rivers, lakes, wetlands or oceans without being treated. Increased investments in solutions or wastewater reuse and capacity building are needed to overcome existing water-related challenges.

Sustainable sanitation systems also make productive use of wastewater and bio solids that contain valuable water, nutrients and energy, to safely boost agriculture while reducing and capturing greenhouse gas emissions.

Groundwater’s vital role in water and sanitation systems must be reflected in policymaking. FAO is supporting Member Countries to adopt the circular economy approach applied to agriculture, making it environmentally friendly, sustainable and more resilient to shocks such as COVID-19.

We must protect groundwater from pollution and use it sustainably, balancing the needs of people and our planet.

To learn more about FAO's work on circular economy and wastewater reuse, visit the dedicated webpage >>>

Read the article on “The DNA of Water” to learn more about the role of water and Whole Genome Sequencing in protecting human, animal and ecosystem health >>>

For more information on World Toilet Day, visit the official website >>>