FORUM: "Sanitation in a changing world." World Toilet Day 2025. Today, billions still live without a safe toilet, with the poorest, especially women and girls, most affected. Access to sanitation is a human right – essential for protecting health, the environment, and enabling sustainable development. Ageing infrastructure, climate change, and insufficient investment are increasing pressure on sanitation systems. The campaign will highlight the need for future-ready toilets that are accessible, climate-resilient, low-emission, and supported by strong systems and investment. Follow the conversations with the hashtags: #sanitationforpeace, #19November, #WorldToiletDay, #sanitation, #cleantoilets, #Opendefecation, #sanitationforall.
EVENT: On November 19th, 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. Register to participate!
CAMPAIGN: ‘We’ll Always Need the
Toilet’
This year's campaign – ‘We’ll Always Need the Toilet’ – calls for action to protect and
expand access to sanitation in the face of mounting challenges: ageing infrastructure, rising
demand, low investment, and the impact of climate change.
Here we unpack the key messages of the campaign:
“In a changing world, one thing is constant: we’ll always need the toilet. No matter what lies
ahead, we will always rely on sanitation to protect us from diseases and keep our
environment clean. Today, billions of people still live without a safe toilet — with the
poorest, especially women and girls, worst affected.”
• A “safe toilet” is shorthand for ‘safely managed sanitation’, which means a toilet that is
not shared with other households, that either treats or disposes of human waste on site,
stores it safely to be emptied and treated off site, or connects to a functioning sewer and
treatment plant.
• Sanitation is a human right – entitling everyone to affordable and accessible sanitation
services, in all spheres of life.
• Inadequate sanitation lets human waste and wastewater contaminate the environment,
especially in densely populated areas. Children are particularly vulnerable to diseases,
such as cholera, which are spread by exposure to untreated waste.
• Unsafe or absent sanitation endangers people and perpetuates inequalities. Without
access to clean, functional, lockable, gender-segregated toilets, women, girls, older
people and people with disabilities cannot fully participate in public spaces, workplaces
and education.
• Lack of safe, private toilets and washing facilities in schools contribute to many girls
regularly missing school days, particularly during menstruation. • Human waste, if untreated, can contaminate rivers, lakes, and groundwater with harmful
pathogens and nutrients, and contribute to water scarcity by making water unsafe to use.
“As time goes by, the pressure on sanitation is only increasing. Across the world, ageing
infrastructure is failing. Investment hasn’t kept pace with demand. And climate change is
reshaping our world — with glaciers melting, weather worsening, and sea levels rising.”
• Ageing sanitation infrastructure is failing in many parts of the world. Systems built
decades ago are breaking down under pressure from growing demand and extreme
weather.
• Climate change is making water more scarce and unpredictable. Glaciers, ice caps and
snow fields are rapidly disappearing. Volatility of meltwater flows can affect the
regulation of freshwater resources for vast numbers of people in lowland areas,
disrupting and damaging sanitation services.
• Increased flooding and rising sea levels can inundate and damage sanitation
infrastructure, such as toilets, sewerage and wastewater treatment facilities,
contaminating land, water resources and local ecosystems with faecal matter.
• Poorly managed wastewater and sanitation systems are significant sources of
greenhouse gas emissions, particularly methane and nitrous oxide, contributing to the
effects of the climate crisis, such as accelerating glacial loss.
“We urgently need to invest in ‘future-ready’ sanitation today. Together, we must ensure
toilets are: accessible to all; resilient to floods, droughts and other climate shocks;
minimize greenhouse gas emissions; and, are supported by strong systems and sustained
investment.”
• Safely managed sanitation is essential for a resilient and more sustainable society, and
drives progress across the 2030 Agenda, particularly in health, gender equality,
livelihoods and environmental protection.
• Sanitation services must be resilient to climate-related disasters – able to withstand and
be sustained during and after these events or recover quickly to protect public health.
• Safely managed sanitation, including safely reusing treated wastewater as a source of
water, nutrients and energy, is critical to reducing emissions, protecting ecosystems, and
building a circular economy.
• Local and national authorities should allocate and increase sustained funding to
sanitation and include it in plans for emergency response and climate mitigation and
adaptation.
• Governments have a duty to protect sanitation workers by ensuring legal protections,
safe working environments, and fair wages. Employers should provide training, safety
equipment, and access to healthcare.
In a world reshaped by rising climate pressures, urban growth, and inequality, safe sanitation remains a cornerstone of public health and human dignity.
The humble toilet is an icon of progress – preventing disease, protecting the environment, and preserving dignity and opportunity.
Without safe sanitation, sustainable development falters.
Contaminated water can spread diarrhoeal illnesses, which kill over 1,000 children a day.
Untreated human waste pollutes ecosystems and fuels greenhouse gas emissions.
And for millions of women and girls, the lack of a secure toilet means missed work and school.
In the past decade, 1.2 billion people gained access to safe sanitation. But 3.4 billion are still at risk –– marginalized by geography, income, or disability. Meanwhile, climate change and ageing infrastructure are straining waste systems.
This World Toilet Day, it’s time to speed up access to future-ready toilets that are accessible, climate-resilient, low-emission; and well-funded.
The toilet is a mundane marvel. And access to one is a matter of rights, and survival.
Let’s make safe sanitation a reality for all.
António Guterres.
Sanitation systems save lives. That’s a fact.
But rising demand, climate change, and insufficient investment are pushing these fragile systems to breaking point.
Globally, 3.4 billion people still lack safely managed sanitation, and 354 million go to the toilet in the open.
Untreated human waste spreads diseases and pollutes the environment, undermining health, dignity and opportunity, especially for women and girls.
As the times become more turbulent, we need safe sanitation to build vital resilience, because no matter how much the world changes, our need for toilets never will.
Sanitation is essential for people, prosperity and the planet – making it a central priority in the United Nations’ work.
In recent decades, we have supported governments to ensure billions of people gained access to safe toilets – 1.2 billion people in the past ten years alone.
This shows what is possible when governments and the international community act together.
This World Toilet Day, we need to commit to much faster and greater progress.
We urgently need to invest in ‘future-ready’ sanitation that is accessible, climate-proof, low-emission, and fully-financed.
Let’s work together to make toilets fit for the future — now.
Alvaro Lario.
Statement of the Secretary-General's Special Envoy on Water on World Toilet Day 2025; November 19th.
Happy World Toilet Day.
From time to time throughout human history, despite how much world has changed, the need for safely managed sanitation has always remained. Humans need safe sanitation, and in this case… toilets – to sustain their lives and livelihoods.
It is not something we can ever take for granted.
Unfortunately, even as global progress on access to safe sanitation continues to grow, billions of people still face daily challenges in accessing toilet. Women and girls are most affected with the absence of safe sanitation.
The pursuit to ensure sanitation for all is a collective fight for humanity’s future. We have seen time and again how the lack of access to safely managed sanitation leads to outbreaks of disease, environmental degradation, and even economic hardship.
Our changing world presents new challenges. Disasters, climate change, and prolonged humanitarian emergencies are among the present challenges that limits access to safe sanitation.
But beyond just challenges – the rapid changing world also offers new opportunities and solutions. Innovations and technologies can and must be harnessed to accelerate efforts in ensuring sanitation for all.
As we commemorate this year’s World Toilet Day, let us take a moment to reflect on the importance of safe sanitation and toilets in our lives. Let us also take part in the global efforts of ensuring safely managed sanitation for all.
Spread the world about the importance of toilets – talk about it with your friends and families, post it on social media, support government or community initiatives near you on building access to safe toilets, or contribute in any way you can.
Through those simple acts, we all will be part of a global movement that changes the world.
We’ll always need the toilet, and we are the change that the world’s sanitation needs.
Once again Happy World Toilet Day!
Retno L.P. Marsudi.
Statement of the Executive Director United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) on World Toilet Day 2025; November 19th.
Sanitation in a Changing World is the theme of this year’s World Toilet Day and a stark reminder that while our world is impacted by rising climate risks, the need for safe sanitation never changes. Globally, the climate crisis risks rolling back hard-won progress on safely managed sanitation for millions of children, preventing them from living a life of health, dignity, and opportunity. Rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, floods and droughts can overwhelm sanitation systems, leaving communities vulnerable to diseases and struggling to maintain even basic sanitation services.
The good news is that we have solutions. As the co-founder and leader of the Climate Resilient Sanitation Coalition, UNICEF and key partners are working with Governments and communities around the world to accelerate progress on safe sanitation that can withstand climate shocks.
On this World Toilet Day, UNICEF is calling for stronger investment in climate-resilient sanitation — systems designed to endure extreme weather and environmental changes, while minimizing contributions to the climate crisis. Together, we can accelerate action so that every child, everywhere, has access to life-saving sanitation.
Catherine Russell.
CAMPAIGN MATERIALS: Get the ACTIVATION KIT in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.
BRANDED MATERIALS, such as postcards, social media stickers and toilet seat for photo booth.
CAMPAIGN ANIMATION (coming soon).
CAMPAIGN TRELLO with editable files, and social media resources in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.
CERTIFICATE (only in English or as editable file).
FACTSHEET in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.
POSTER in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.
VISUAL GUIDELINES and VISUAL IDENTIFIER (generic) in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.
VISUAL IDENTIFIER (thematic) in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.
BRANDED MATERIALS, such as postcards, social media stickers and toilet seat for photo booth.
CAMPAIGN ANIMATION (coming soon).
CAMPAIGN TRELLO with editable files, and social media resources in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.
CERTIFICATE (only in English or as editable file).
FACTSHEET in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.
POSTER in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.
VISUAL GUIDELINES and VISUAL IDENTIFIER (generic) in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.
VISUAL IDENTIFIER (thematic) in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.
