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EWP at AfricaSan 4: 25 – 27 May 2015

by | May 12, 2015 | News

End Water Poverty (EWP) is excited to announce our participation in the upcoming AfricaSan 4 to be held in Dakar, Senegal from 25- 27 May. EWP, along with some of our members, including VAREN, CONIWAS, KEWASNET, ANEW, UWASNET, WaterAid and others will be attending the conference, which aims to track progress of African governments’ commitments to improving access to sanitation across the African continent.

Poor hygiene and lack of access to safe sanitation and large-scale open defecation continues to underlie major health problems, undermines economic growth, pollutes the environment, prevents girls from school attendance and traps Africans in poverty. Over 800 preventable child deaths occurred every day in 2013 in Africa from diarrhoea, caused primarily by poor sanitation and hygiene. The overall objective of AfricaSan 4 is to assist African countries achieve universal access to improved sanitation and adoption of good hygiene behaviours, to improve service management across the whole value chain, eliminate open defecation and help all Africans up the sanitation ladder. More information is available online.

Under the theme of “Making Sanitation for All a Reality in Africa”, the event aims to work with governments to create a new set of targets and indicators to help accelerate progress towards universal coverage, and promote political prioritisation of sanitation and hygiene. It offers civil society an important opportunity to hold governments accountable to targets, and to call for the progressive realisation of the human right to water and sanitation across the continent.

EWP will be hosting a workshop on Monday 25 May at 16:00 GMT on the human right to sanitation. The workshop will be examining what the realisation of this right will actually mean, how we can achieve this, and how AfricaSan commitments can help support all efforts. Join us for the workshop, and other key sessions and side events we will be part of, if you are attending AfricaSan 4.

Alternatively follow us on Twitter @EndWaterPoverty and Facebook to stay updated about the issues and discussions. We will be live tweeting, covering the issues, and posting blogs and opinion pieces from our members on the main themes and intentions for the conference- all on our blog, so follow us for all information.

If you have any queries or require further information, email us!