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As leaders gather for the Third African Conference on Sanitation and Hygiene in Rwanda (AfricaSan 3, 19-21 July 2011), WaterAid warns that Africa is facing increasing inequality in access to one of the continent’s most basic services and that action needs to be taken urgently.
The international development organisation will present the findings of recent research at the conference, showing that the poorest, most marginalised and most in-need people across Africa are missing out on access to safe sanitation. According to WaterAid, this inequity is having dire consequences on the health, wealth and development of the continent. Figures show that a staggering 2.1 million children under the age of five have died from diarrhoea caused by poor water, sanitation and hygiene since the last AfricaSan conference held three years ago in South Africa.
Diarrhoea, linked to inadequate sanitation, is now recognised as the biggest killer of children in Africa, and it is estimated that lack of safe water and sanitation costs the region around 5% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) each year.
WaterAid is urging ministers meeting at the conference to keep their promises to prioritise and invest in sanitation, particularly ensuring that they reach Africa’s poorest and most marginalised people, and to work together to accelerate progress towards the Sanitation and Water for All global partnership.
Apollos Nwafor from WaterAid in West Africa said: "With over 500 million of our continent’s people living without access to a toilet, the promises and resolutions already passed by governments in Africa have clearly not been realised.
"Our research shows that it is the poorest of the poor who are missing out on these most basic human necessities, having a massive impact on the development of our country and indeed the whole of our continent. For Africa to truly flourish, leaders at AfricaSan must honour their commitments and now deliver on the promises they have made."
New research from WaterAid shows that the inequity is fuelled by poor targeting of aid by both donor countries and African governments. The key findings are as follows:
- Not enough international aid for water and sanitation is going to Sub-Saharan Africa, the continent most off-track for the Millennium Development Goals, with large amounts going to middle-income countries in richer regions.
- Furthermore, within African countries, investments in water and sanitation are not going to those with the greatest need, resulting in the poorest of the poor and the most marginalised groups missing out on sanitation.
AfricaSan will see over 600 ministers and experts from African countries meet in Kigali to review commitments set out in the eThekwini Declaration in 2008.
To mark AfricaSan, WaterAid has collaborated with UNICEF and WSSCC to produce a Traffic Lights discussion paper, highlighting the gaps between government commitments on sanitation and action taken across Africa. The paper shows how each country in Africa is doing on their commitments.
/ENDS
Notes to editors:
WaterAid spokespeople will be in Rwanda for AfricaSan 3 and available for comment now or during the conference. For all media enquiries, high res images, or a copy of the Traffic Lights discussion paper or to speak to a spokesperson, please contact: Melanie Tompkins in Rwanda on +44 779 3282764, 250 (0)784870389, meltompkins@wateraid.org
Key Facts
- Diarrhoea kills more children globally than HIV/AIDS, malaria and measles combined and is the biggest killer of children in Africa
- Only four countries in sub Saharan Africa are on track to meet the sanitation Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target, 584 million lack access to improved facilities and 231 million practise open defecation
- Sub Saharan Africa is the region with the highest number of people without access to safe water and only 20 countries are on-track to meet the MDG water target.
- Slow progress towards WASH MDG targets, particularly sanitation, is holding back progress on all other MDGs.
Existing commitments
To achieve progress towards the MDG targets on water and sanitation, African Heads of State have signed up to African commitments on water and sanitation:
- eThekwini Declaration (2008). Signed by 20 African countries, outlined commitments to increase the profile of sanitation and hygiene in poverty strategies and public sector budget allocations (a minimum of 0.5% of GDP), enhance leadership, coordination and capacity, and develop and implement sanitation monitoring systems. In the same year, it was recognized by African Heads of State and endorsed in the Sharm El-Sheikh Commitments on Water and Sanitation.
- Sharm el Sheikh Declaration (2008): commitment to establishing water management policies, regulatory frameworks and programmes, and prepare national strategies and action plans for achieving the MDG targets for water and sanitation; build human resources capacity, climate change adaptation measures, increase domestic financial allocation an mobilize donor finance to WASH, Civil Society, women, youth and public engagement in WASH programmes, monitor progress, regional dialogues on climate change, regional cooperation.
- Sanitation and Water for All: Sanitation and Water for All is a global partnership between developing countries, donors, multi-lateral agencies, civil society and other development partners working together to achieve universal and sustainable access to sanitation and drinking water, with an immediate focus on achieving the Millennium Development Goals in the most off-track countries. This transparent, accountable and results-oriented framework for action provides a common vision, values and principles that support a vision for everyone in the world to have sustainable access to sanitation and drinking water. To achieve this, Sanitation and Water for All aims to:
- Increase political prioritisation for sustainable sanitation and drinking water
- Support strong national sanitation and drinking water planning, investment and accountability frameworks
- Improve targeting and impact of resources for sustainable sanitation and drinking water
