Antonio Guterres urges countries to keep promise to deliver health and sanitation to all
November 20, 2021, 1:14 am

Antonio Guterres urges countries to keep promise to deliver health and sanitation to all

Antonio Guterres/Facebook

The We For News reported that in a message for World Toilet Day, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called on countries to ensure everyone has access to health and sanitation.

He said on Friday: “Life without a toilet is dirty, dangerous and undignified."

“Yet 3.6 billion people still live without safely managed sanitation, threatening health, harming the environment, and hindering economic development.”

Lack of proper sanitation can also be lethal. Every day, more than 700 children under the age of five die from diarrhoea linked to unsafe water and sanitation, according to UN data.

Xinhua news agency reported that world Toilet Day, which falls on November 19 annually and has been commemorated since 2013, aims to break taboos and make sanitation for all a global development priority.

Hand sanitizer-Gel bottle/Pixabay

Toilets save lives and help improve gender equality and society overall, according to the UN Secretary General.

He said: “History teaches us that rapid progress is possible."

“Many countries have transformed their health systems by acting on sanitation facilities and ensuring everyone has access to toilets.”

Guterres called for urgent and massive investment, as well as innovation, along the entire “sanitation chain,” from toilets, to the transport, collection and treatment of human waste.

He added that delivering on the basic human right to water and sanitation is not only good for people, but also good for business and the planet.

For every dollar invested in toilets and sanitation, up to five dollars is returned in saved medical costs, better health, increased productivity, education and jobs, the UN Chief said.

This year’s theme is about valuing toilets. The campaign draws attention to the fact that toilets — and the sanitation systems that support them — are underfunded, poorly managed or neglected in many parts of the world, with devastating consequences for health, economics and the environment, particularly in the poorest and most marginalized communities.

Source: wefornews

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”