Press centre
Media advisory
UNICEF/WHO to release major report citing new sanitation and water figures
More people using drinking-water from safe sources; far too few using improved sanitation
All information under embargo until Thursday, 17 July at 10:30 EST*****Telephone briefing ****
WHO:
- Clarissa Brocklehurst, Chief of Water and Environmental Sanitation, UNICEF
- Tessa Wardlaw, Chief of Statistics and Monitoring Section, UNICEF
- Dr. Jamie Bartram, Coordinator of Water Sanitation, Hygiene and Health Programme, WHO
What: Telephone briefing with experts on the latest UNICEF/WHO Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation (JMP) report entitled "Progress on Drinking Water and Sanitation - Special Focus on Sanitation. The report is available on-line on a password protected site, please contact a press officer below.
When: Thursday, 17 July 2008 at 10:30 EST. To call in, please contact one of the press officers listed below.
What: Access to improved sanitation facilities and clean water are essential to the health of individuals and communities. Every two years, WHO and UNICEF release this report which monitors access top both, and this year, the International Year of Sanitation, the report focuses on sanitation. It includes staggering new figures. Globally, 2.5 billion people lack access to improved sanitation, and 1.2 have no facilities at all. Some 48 per cent of the population in Southern Asia practice open defecation – a total of 778 million people. In sub-Saharan Africa, open defecation is practiced by some 221 million people. On water, the report finds that seven of the ten countries that have made the most rapid progress and are on track to meet the MDG drinking water target are in sub-Saharan Africa (Burkina Faso, Namibia, Ghana, Malawi, Uganda, Mali, Djibouti) - a formidable achievement considering the obstacles.
How: Please contact one of the people below to get the password protected site and telephone number for briefing.
Attn: Broadcasters: B-roll on Water and Sanitation issues will be available on www.thenewsmarket.com/unicef
For further information, please contact:
Kate Donovan, UNICEF Media, New York, Tel: 212 326 7452 e-mail: kdonovan@unicef.org
Sara Sadik, UNICEF Media, New York, Tel: 212 326 7448 e-mail: ssadik@unicef.org
