Sanitation is a human right. Everyone should have access to a toilet that is secure, hygienic and private, and connected to a safely managed sanitation system to properly dispose of waste. When toilet systems are inadequate, damaged or broken, pollution spreads and deadly diseases get unleashed. For women and girls in particular, a lack of safely managed sanitation, water and hygiene services leaves them more vulnerable to abuse, attack and ill-health, affecting their ability to study, work and live in dignity. Toilets are more than a convenience – they are a human right and a cornerstone of public health, gender equality and climate resilience. Faster and greater action on improving access to safe toilets will drive gains across sustainable development, human rights and peace.
World Toilet Day has been an annual United Nations Observance since 2013. It was first celebrated in 2001 by the World Toilet Organization. World Toilet Day is held every year on 19 November to celebrate toilets and raise awareness of people living without access to safely managed sanitation. It is about taking action to tackle the global sanitation crisis and achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030.
In a changing world, one thing is constant: we’ll always need the toilet. No matter what lies ahead, we will always rely on sanitation to protect us from diseases and keep our environment clean. Today, billions of people still live without a safe toilet — with the poorest, especially women and girls, worst affected. As time goes by, the pressure on sanitation is only increasing. Across the world, ageing infrastructure is failing. Investment hasn’t kept pace with demand. And climate change is reshaping our world – with glaciers melting, weather worsening, and sea levels rising......
World Toilet Day is a global call to action. Coordinated by UN-Water and promoted through the hashtag #WorldToiletDay, the campaign is marked by both online engagement and real-life events around the world. Individuals, schools, governments, companies, and organizations take part by raising awareness, sharing stories, and holding events — from community clean-ups and school lessons to public talks and policy dialogues. The aim is to shine a spotlight on the urgent need for safe, accessible toilets for everyone, everywhere — and to inspire concrete action to close the sanitation gap.
Together, we must ensure toilets are:
- Accessible to all.
- Resilient to floods, droughts and other climate shocks.
- Minimize greenhouse gas emissions.
- Supported by strong systems and sustained investment.
Access to sanitation is a human right – fundamental to a healthy, dignified, productive life.
If every person had access to a safe, resilient toilet, we could save thousands of lives every year and build the foundations for a more peaceful and prosperous world.
We need toilets for everyone, everywhere.
No matter how the world alters, some things will never change – our need for toilets is one of them.
Let’s make toilets fit for the future — now.
Play your part
Be part of the global campaign on why ‘We’ll Always Need the Toilet’. We need everyone – from individuals and families to companies and governments – to do what they can to make toilets fit for the future, today. Download resources to get involved this World Toilet Day.
Key messages you should know on World Toilet Day 2025
- We’ll always need the toilet. No matter what lies ahead, we will always rely on sanitation to protect us from diseases and keep our environment clean.
- Toilets are under pressure. Rising demand, climate change, ageing infrastructure and low investment all threaten our human right to sanitation.
- We need toilets fit for the future. We must urgently invest in ‘future-ready' sanitation – resilient to climate change and accessible to everyone, everywhere, always.
Find out more on the UN-Water website and download campaign resources from the World Toilet Day 2025 Trello board.
The WASH Rotary Action Group was formed in 2007 by a group of Rotarians, recognized by Rotary International, and focused on WASH projects. Since then it has facilitated many hundreds of projects – helping clubs find partners, ensuring sustainability, stressing the importance of a needs-driven approach, and developing best practices. We encourage a holistic, integrated approach in which water is not the end in itself, but is rather the means to a better life and livelihood in the community. Most importantly, WASH Rotary Action Group links water and sanitation to improved hygiene, better health, and empowerment of the community – especially women, irrigation and agriculture, education and literacy and, ultimately, child mortality.
Vision Statement
Together, we envision a healthier world where everyone can access basic human rights of safe water, sustainable sanitation, and hygiene standards, thereby transforming lives and fostering community resilience.
Mission Statement
We support the community-driven development of WASH programs by mobilizing the resources and expertise of Rotary and its partners to implement sustainable programs and projects, empower communities, and advocate for WASH policies.
WASH Rotary Action Group Goals:
- Sustainability of WASH Projects and Programs
- Increase the Impact of WASH Rotary Action Group
- Expand our Reach
- Enhance Participant Engagement
- Increase our Ability to Adapt
Are you Promoting WASH-RAG?
You Can Introduce Your Club to WASH-RAG
(Water, Sanitation and Hygiene)
It’s easy to become a WASH Advocate! Why not be a presenter at your next Club, District or Zone meeting! Expand your reach and promote WASH in your community.
Did you know you don’t have to be a Rotarian to join WASH-RAG?
Your environmentally minded friends, water-conscious community members, and the general public can join us too! Tell them to check us out at www.wash-rag.org.
Find or become an Ambassador or Cadre Member!
The WASH Rotary Action Group Ambassadors is a corps of knowledgeable members who provide support and promotion of the WASH goals of WASH Rotary Action Group and The Rotary Foundation.
WASH-RAG Ambassadors – LEARN MORE>>
The Rotary Foundation Cadre of Technical Advisers is a group of Rotarians who volunteer to use their professional skills and technical expertise in Rotary’s Areas of Focus or financial auditing to advise Rotarians who are planning and working on Rotary Foundation grant projects. The Cadre includes more than 700 members from 75 countries, speaking more than 80 languages.