World Toilet Day: Scaling up sustainable sanitation markets

Image

Toilets in itself are only a part of the solution. Sustainable sanitation also includes collection, transport and treatment. (photo: UNICEF/Manpreet Romana via UN Water)

Sustainable sanitation

Now the world is struggling with the Covid-pandemic, there is less emphasis on other lethal water-borne diseases that people without proper sanitation have been faced with for centuries, such as diarrhoea and cholera.

This year's World Toilet Day focuses on sustainable sanitation and climate change. More extreme weather events caused by climate change can worsen the already poor toilet facilities in low-income communities. Flood events are known to cause outbreaks of cholera. The United Nations calls for sustainable sanitation for everybody. Sanitation that is accessible in a dignified setting, the waste is collected, transported and treated hygienically and is affordable.

Image

... and sustainable sanitation includes hand hygiene, not only for Covid-19. (photo: FINISH Mondial)

Additional finance for upscaling

To stimulate the further development of national sanitation sectors in India, Bangladesh, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia and Tanzania, the Dutch government provides FINISH Mondial with follow up funding worth 20 million euro for the period of 2021-2025. The grant was announced on the occasion of World Toilet Day.

FINISH Mondial is a partnership of governments, aid organisations and financial institutions that aims at creating opportunities for sanitation businesses to grow. Its main tool is the use of micro-financing. By financing households to build a toilet, it creates a demand. Small businesses that build the toilets are financed as well to provide the services needed for collection, transport and treatment.

Creation of employment

"With World Toilet Day in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, we cannot stress the importance of sanitation and hygiene enough", says thematic expert water Pim van der Male at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  

“We have committed 20 million euro for 5 years to the FINISH Mondial programme’’, continues Van der Male. He considers the partnership a multi-functional ‘Swiss army knife’ for sanitation.

'It not only leads to increased access to sanitation, but will also leverage substantial local capital via micro-financing. In addition, FINISH Mondial will create employment within the sanitation value chain, which will ensure waste is safely managed and will contribute to the circular economy through reuse of faecal waste.'

Circular sanitation economy 

CEO Valentin Post at FINISH Mondial highlights the sustainable element of the programme as it builds on a circular sanitation economy by turning the waste into reusable biogas and fertiliser. Post: ‘Sustainability in our view also means the development of sanitation markets. We are extremely grateful to the Dutch government for partnering with us. FINISH Mondial is designed to unlock local finance which implies that the € 20 million grant will mobilise € 200 million in local finance for safely managed climate resilient sanitation’.

Image

Congratulations to FINISH Mondial as winner of the P4G state-of-the-art partnership 2020

State-of-the-art partnership

Recently the P4G network, hosted by the World Resources Institute, awarded FINISH Mondial as its 2020 State-of-the-Art Partnership of the Year for scaling up safe sanitation access, with an innovative self-sustaining model that involves both the demand and supply side of access.

Partners in FINISH Mondial are the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, ACTIAM, Sidian Bank, WASTE, Amref Flying Doctors, Aqua for All, ASA, Ministry of Health (Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda), Cashpor, RDO Trust, Hofokam Microfinance, Family Bank, Amref Health Africa, Practical Action, Max Foundation, Hope for the Poorest, BASA, Institute for Fiscal Studies, Hewasa-Caritas, UNU-Merit and University of Saint Joseph in Uganda.

Learn more about this year’s theme and how to engage in the World Toilet Day 2020 campaign.