Governance in Urban Sanitation, e-Learning Course, UNITAR, 25 April – 01 July 2011

The goal of the course is to enhance the capacity of local decision-makers and sanitation professionals to make the most enlightened decisions and investments in the area of urban sanitation. It provides analytical tools to understand the financial and institutional framework of the sanitation sector, taking into account the needs of urban poor communities.

Organised by: United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)
Fees: US$ 400 per participant
Application deadline: 20 April or when course is fully subscribed
Estimated Learning Time: 5 hours/week (total : 50 hours)
Language: English

Download Course Flyer

Register online at www.unitar.org/event/sanitation2011

Course Outline

Module 1 – Introduction to Sanitation

• Definitions and concepts
• Sector global context and challenges
• International commitments
• Importance and benefits of sanitation
• Obstacles to sanitation improvement
• Steps to overcome obstacles to sanitation improvement
• Specific critical issues related to sanitation

Module 2 – Economics, Pricing and Financing of the Sanitation Sector

• Challenges of pricing and financing in the sanitation sector
• Costs and sources of funds for sanitation
• Financing issues
• Possible actions at the local level

Module 3 – Institutional Aspects of the Sanitation Sector

• Introduction to institutional aspects of the sanitation sector
• Governance deficiencies in sanitation
• Analytical framework
• Structuring relationships in the service delivery triangle (SDT)
• Moving towards good governance in the sanitation sector

Module 4 – Sanitation and Poverty

• Extent of urban poverty and its relation with sanitation
• Providing sanitation in slums
• Financing sanitation improvements in poor communities
• Working with community-based organizations

For more information and to register online go to www.unitar.org/event/sanitation2011

World Toilet Day, 19 November 2011

Organised by: World Toilet Organization (WTO)

In 2001, the WTO declared its founding day, 19 November, as World Toilet Day. Since then, 19 November has been observed globally by its member organisations. In 2010, WTO recorded nearly 40 events in 17 countries on its World Toilet Day web page.

Web site: worldtoilet.org/WTD/

World Water Day 2011, 22 March

Organised by: UN-Water under the coordination of UN-HABITAT with support from UNEP.

Theme: Water for Cities: responding to the urban challenge

The United Nations General Assembly designated 22 March of each year, starting in 1993, as World Water Day. In 2011 World Water Day will focus international attention on the impact of rapid urban population growth, industrialisation and climate change on water resources and environmental protection capabilities of cities and small towns.

Key issues such as the growing urban water and sanitation demand, increased pollution from municipal and industrial discharges, climate change and its unforeseen risks and challenges, overexploitation of available water resources, better targeting of the urban poor will be discussed. The critical role played by local governments and other service providers in tackling these challenges will be explored.

For more information on World Water Day see www.unwater.org/wwd.html and www.worldwaterday.org

The official web site (under development) will be: www.unwater.org/worldwaterday

Access and Behavioral Outcome Indicators for WASH Programming, Webinar, 02 March 2010 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM EST (USA)

An online discussion, led by monitoring and evaluation specialist Orlando Hernandez, about a new publication from the USAID Hygiene Improvement Project, “Access and Behavioral Outcome Indicators for Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene,” and how to apply these indicators to WASH programming.

Register here

World Water Day, Global, 22 March 2010

UN-Water is dedicating World Water Day 2010 to the theme of water quality, reflecting its importance alongside quantity of the resource in water management.

The World Water Day 2010 campaign aims to:

• Raise awareness about sustaining healthy ecosystems and human well-being through addressing the increasing water quality challenges in water management and
• Raise the profile of water quality by encouraging governments, organizations, communities, and individuals around the world to actively engage in proactively addressing water quality e.g. in pollution prevention, clean up and restoration.

World Water Day 2010 activities will aim to communicate messages on water quality, ecosystems and human well-being.

These include: the World Water Day 2010 website and communication and outreach materials, key publications and flagship initiatives around water quality; a global event on water quality around 22 March 2010; a policy dialogue for global commitment to address water quality, ecosystems, and human well-being challenges at key global political events; and outreach for action to address water quality challenges at other key conferences and campaigns.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is coordinating the organization of the World Water Day 2010 campaign on behalf of UN-Water and in collaboration with FAO, UNDP, UNECE, UNICEF, UNESCO, UN-Habitat, WHO, and the UN-Water Decade Programme on Advocacy and Communication as well as with partner organizations such as International Water Association, World Wide Fund for Nature and World Water Council.

The IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre also manages a World Water Day web site.

Global Handwashing Day, 15 October 2009

Initiated in 2008 by the Global Public-Private Partnership for Handwashing with Soap, Global Handwashing Day is endorsed by a wide array of governments, international institutions, civil society organizations, NGOs, private companies and individuals around the globe.

The driving theme for Global Handwashing Day is children and schools, and the main objectives of this global celebration are:

• Foster and support a global and local culture of handwashing with soap.
• Shine a spotlight on the state of handwashing in each country.
• Raise awareness about the benefits of handwashing with soap

Get involved and download the Global Handwashing Day Planner’s Guide

Global Handwashing Day web site

World Water Day 2009 – Transboundary Water – 22 March 2009

In 2009, the theme for World Water Day (22 March) is “Shared Water – Shared Opportunities”. Special focus will be placed on transboundary waters. Nurturing the opportunities for cooperation in transboundary water management can help build mutual respect, understanding and trust among countries and promote peace, security and sustainable economic growth. The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) are the lead agencies for World Water Day 2009.

Campaign materials – desktop wallpapers, mobile content, photo galleries, T-Shirt templates, and banners & buttons – are available on the World Water Day 2009 web site.

Read the UN-Water Thematic Paper: Transboundary Waters – Sharing Benefits, Sharing Responsibilities.

The IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre maintains its own World Water Day web site since 1998. You can add your own WWD event here.