UN chief urges investment in safe sanitation to support gender equality

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called for greater investment in safe, inclusive sanitation, warning that inadequate toilets can expose women and girls to danger and undermine their participation in education, work and public life.

In a message issued ahead of World Toilet Day on 19 November, Guterres said unsafe or absent facilities exposed hundreds of millions of women and girls to risks including loss of privacy and assault. He also said poor sanitation could make menstruation harder to manage and lead some women to avoid eating and drinking during the day.

The message cites more than 10 million teenage girls who, between 2016 and 2022, reported missing school, work or social activities during their last menstrual period. Guterres called sanitation a universal human right and said solutions should be shaped with women, girls and other vulnerable groups involved in designing and managing services.

World Toilet Day is observed on 19 November. The UN message links sanitation investment to Sustainable Development Goal 6, which concerns clean water and sanitation.