Lau Susuga i le Taitai o le Sauniga, Reverend Poule’a Tonise.
Ministers of Cabinet, Associate Ministers, Members of Parliament, Members of the Diplomatic Corp, Ladies and gentlemen.
It is with great pleasure that I am able to address you this morning, on the commemoration of the 7th National Sanitation Day on the theme, “Valuing our Toilets”.
Today, Samoa celebrates the 7th National Sanitation Day jointly with the world in commemoration of the World Toilet Day. This was initiated by the United Nations through the World Toilet Organization on the 19th of November 2001 and places an emphasis on everyone’s roles in looking after our toilets and ensuring that it does not create any nuisances. Samoa first joined and started celebrating in 2011 and this still continues. On the 21st of July 2013, the United National General Assembly adopted the resolution titled, “Sanitation for All” and designated November 19 as an official UN Day. The resolution calls for greater attention and awareness specifically on the global sanitation crisis through the commemoration of World Toilet Day.
This year’s theme, “Valuing our Toilets”, emphasizes the importance of expanding sanitation access to the more than 3.6 billion people living without safely managed sanitation options which about 45% of the global population of about 7.8 billion. About 1.7 billion still lacks access to basic services with 580 million using shared improved sanitation facilities with other households, counted as “limited” services and 616 million used “unimproved” facilities. Among the 1.7 billion people without basic sanitation services in 2020, nearly a third (494 million) used no form of toilet and practiced open defecation. More people in the world have access to mobile phones than toilets. Inadequate sanitation is estimated to cause 432,000 diarrhoeal deaths every year and is a major factor in diseases such as intestinal worms and trachoma (UNICEF 2019). Diarrheal disease is the second leading cause of death among children under five and is entirely preventable with access to proper sanitation and clean water
The 3.2 billion people in the world living without safely managed sanitation services often face many forms of discrimination. They can be left behind as they try to access and manage sanitation services or improve their current facilities. Over the past 200 years, toilets have added twenty years to the human lifespan. A toilet is not just a toilet. It’s a life-saver, dignity-protector and opportunity-maker. Whoever you are, wherever you are, sanitation is your human right.. At the global level, the Water and Sanitation Sector reaffirms its commitment and call for accelerated action and progress towards achieving the global Sustainable Development Goal 6 of “Ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all”. SDG 6 has a target to eliminate open defecation and ensure everyone has access to sustainable sanitation services by 2030, “paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations”.
For Samoa as a whole, the percentage of the population using an improved sanitation facility is 97% based on the survey findings in the WASH Baseline Survey in 2015. The joint efforts of the Water and Sanitation Sector through its Sanitation Subsector comprised of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Works, Transport and Infrastructure, Ministry of Women, Community and Social Development, Samoa Water Authority, Independent Water Schemes, Samoa Tourism Authority, Samoa Red Cross Society, Plumbers Association of Samoa, and the sector stakeholders towards the improvement of basic sanitation, hygiene practices and proper management of wastewater, have made some notable improvements to population access to improved sanitation facilities, improvements in hygiene practices and increase of septic tanks built within acceptable standards just to name a few and on-going programs such as the construction of garden toilets, maintenance of public toilets, biogas systems and sludge facilities all of which help raise awareness and to celebrate Samoa’s contribution to the World Toilet Day. These efforts are part of the Sector’s commitment towards the realisation of its Long Term Outcome in ensuring “For all the people of Samoa to access sustainable, safe, affordable water and improved sanitation and hygiene services enhancing health, productivity and resilience for all”.
For today’s program, we welcome everyone to witness the launching of the Neiafu Garden Toilet, action poem competitions by the selected women’s committee on the theme of this year’s event as we continue to encourage each and every one to place importance on looking after our toilets. We will also have a presentation of awards in recognition of our contractors and organisations who have and continued to maintain the public lavatory facilities here in Savaii as we all strive to enhance our sanitation services and hygiene practices to ensure improved health and a safe environment for our future generations.
At this point, I would like to acknowledge the hard work of all the sector’s Implementing Agencies under the Sanitation Subsector as well as the sector as a whole and its stakeholders, for their relentless and unwavering support that has made this event possible. Faafetai tele lava!
Last but not the least, the Government of Samoa wishes to acknowledge the generous support of the European Union, UNDP/ GEF support through the IMPRESS Project as well as other sector partners, which have enabled this event to happen.
And on that note, I am pleased to officially open today’s programme and I wish you all the best for today
Soifua ma ia Manuia.
