PURPOSE: Every year on 19 November, the United Nations celebrates World Toilet Day to raise awareness for the sanitation crisis across the world. Titled, ‘Sanitation for All’ the Resolution A/RES/67/291 was adopted on 24 July 2013. The day calls UN Member States and relevant stakeholders to encourage behavioral change and the implementation of policies to increase access to sanitation among the poor, along with a call to end the practice of open-air defecation, which it deemed “extremely harmful” to public health. During the day, we present the need to build modern toilet infrastructure and to provide hygiene training.

FORUM: “We’ll Always Need the Toilet.” World Toilet Day 2025. In a changing world, one thing remains constant: we will always need the toilet. Sanitation protects our health, preserves our environment, and safeguards communities from disease. Today, 3.4 billion people still live without safely managed sanitation services, with the poorest, especially women and girls, worst affected. The 2025 campaign, “We’ll Always Need the Toilet,” calls for urgent action to protect and expand access to sanitation amid growing pressures. In much of the world, access to sanitation suffers from ageing infrastructure, rising demand, and investment that is lagging behind population growth. The impacts of climate change are severe and are getting worse: melting glaciers, worsening weather, and rising seas all have profound effects on the access to sanitation. This access is a human right and it is fundamental to health, environmental protection, and sustainable development. The campaign will also highlight the need for future-ready toilets that are accessible, climate-resilient, low-emission, and supported by strong systems and investment. However, as time passes, the pressure on sanitation systems continues to mount. To meet the future, we urgently need to invest in “future-ready” sanitation today. Together, we can ensure toilets that are: (1) Accessible to all; (2) Resilient to floods, droughts, and other climate shocks; (3) Minimizing greenhouse gas impacts; (4) Supported by strong systems and sustained investment. Governments must ensure that sanitation and water services are resilient, effective, accessible to everyone and shielded from harm. Right now, we are seriously off track to meet SDG 6: safe toilets and water for all by 2030. Follow the conversations with the hashtags: #sanitationforpeace, #19November, #WorldToiletDay, #sanitation, #cleantoilets, #Opendefecation, #sanitationforall.

EVENTS: On November 19th; from 10:00 – 12:00 EST, at the UN HQ, New York; The UN-Water, the World Toilet Organization and the World Toilet Association will held an event to mark the World Toilet Day 2025. The celebration World Toilet Day 2025 will focus on 'sanitation in a changing world' with the tagline: ‘We’ll always need the toilet’. No matter what lies ahead, one thing will stay constant – our need for safe sanitation. Attendees will include Permanent Missions, experts from the UN and internatinal organizations, private sector representatives and donors. The participants will focus on accelerating action on sanitation to drive progress across the SDGs. The world must respond urgently to this call. We need a massive cash injection across the board to get the SDGs on track, the proposal for an SDG Stimulus of $500 billion a year is gaining traction, and we urge leaders to act now to make it a reality. Register to participate!

KEY MESSAGES: Toilets are a place for peace. This essential space, at the centre of our lives, should be safe and secure. But for billions of people, sanitation is under threat from conflict, climate change, disasters and neglect. Toilets are a place for protection. By creating a barrier between us and our waste, sanitation services are essential for public and environmental health. But when toilet systems are inadequate, damaged or broken, pollution spreads and deadly diseases get unleashed. Toilets are a place for progress. Sanitation is a human right. It protects everyone’s dignity, and especially transforms the lives of women and girls. More investment and better governance of sanitation are critical for a fairer, more peaceful world.

PUBLICATION: Exposure Risk Management from Faecal Pathogens for Workers in Container Based Sanitation Systems.

STATEMENTS: Read Statement of the United Nations Secretary-General on World Toilet Day 2025; November 19th and the Statement of the UN-Water Chair on  World Toilet Day 2025; November 19th.