Montage Initiative joins forces with The World Toilet Organization to discuss Menstrual Hygiene, Toilet Culture, Youth, General Toilet Hygiene, and Water & Sanitation for this Virtual Event!
World Toilet Summit
On November 18-19, 2020, Montage Initiative teamed up with the World Toilet Organization for a virtual event featuring keynote high level speakers and UN heads. The purpose of this event was to raise awareness, exchange ideas, and begin action on meeting Water and Sanitation needs globally. The event was hosted by the World Toilet Organization, with partnership from ECHO India, Montage Initiative, and many speaker organizations.
The event featured keynote high level speakers including Pakistan Minister and UN heads. The event galvanized attention and discussion on the importance of sanitation and steps to meet sanitation needs globally, including technical workshops and panel discussions. Topics included the role of women and youth.
The event was organized by the World Toilet Organization in partnership with ECHO India and Montage Initiative. Along with hosting, organization, logistics and technical support from our Student Advisory Board Co-Chair Klevisa Kovaci, Montage Initiative’s Executive Board Member Ingrid Stellmacher was a featured speaker at the event.
The following topics were discussed:
1) MENSTRUAL HYGIENE:
Fight Period Poverty! Women support women for the right of menstrual care! Meeting the hygiene needs of all women is a fundamental issue of basic public health, basic dignity, self-esteem, and human rights.
2) TOILET CULTURE:
Culture, custom, habit, and convenience all dictate a society’s notion of what defines a “toilet,” even though this humble household item is often taken for granted. Across the globe, the toilet has evolved within sets of specific cultural traditions. Since each country has a different concept of hygiene, access to disposable paper and water availability, our body’s most natural functions have been dealt with in a variety of ways. Japan is known as one of the cleanest countries in the world. Even public toilets in Japan have a higher standard of hygiene than in much of the rest of the world. However, the use of public toilets in Japan is limited because of stereotypes that they are dark, dirty, smelly, and scary. To dispel these misconceptions regarding public toilets, The Nippon Foundation has decided to renovate 17 public toilets located in Shibuya, Tokyo. These public toilets are being designed by 16 leading creators and will be advanced design toilets that are accessible for everyone regardless of gender, age, or disability. In addition to the renovations, we have arranged for ongoing maintenance so that people will feel comfortable using these public toilets and foster a spirit of hospitality for the next person.
3) YOUTH FOR SUSTAINABLE WASH DEVELOPMENT:
There are about 1.2 billion young people aged 15 to 24 in the world today—the largest youth population ever – according to UNFPA.It an available untapped resource that can play a crucial role in improving the state of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene in their respective countries. The session would cover the role youth can play in leading the change in WASH by creating awareness about health & hygiene, capacity building of youth by youth about MHM to strengthen local communities, use of technology for sustainable toilets, youth vision for sanitation, youth leadership in SDG6, Skill training in WASH, etc.
