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Subjects, Topics & Issues

The Summit will deal with sanitation oriented subjects, topics and issues as follows:

Toilets for All

a) Meeting the Millennium Development Goal:

• Current status and reasons for slow progress
• National priorities and targets
• In light of policy perspectives and MDG targets, need for change in strategies and action plan
• Result oriented methodology of implementation
• Identification of implementation agencies and modules
• International and Regional co-operation

b) Individual household toilets in Rural and Urban areas:

• Social, Cultural and behaviour issues.
• Mass Communication and awareness generation.
• Technology and design options for on-site sanitation: Affordable, Sustainable and Culturally acceptable.
• Institutional, Legal and Management issues.
• Training and Capacity Building.
• Financial, economic and resource mobilisation issues.
• Scale of operation of Governments, NGOs, other agencies: toilets constructed and number of people served.
• Maintenance and Management of Household Toilets.
• Total abolition of manual collection and handling of human excreta and issues related to rehabilitation and alternate employments of the scavengers.
• Sanitation and Health linkage and disease burden –- Epidemiological issues.

c) Public Toilets improving sanitation - design, construction, maintenance and management:

• Public Toilets in developed and developing countries: numbers constructed and maintained by Government and/or Non Government agencies.
• Current policies, programmes, problems and perspectives: need for change.
• Innovative ways and means for funding and financing public toilets.
• Public toilets standards: criteria for location, construction material, sustainability, aesthetics.
• Public toilets as multi-utility services and community development centres.
• Role of Urban Planners, Municipal Authorities and Service Providers.
• Design aspects: durability and safety, gender sensitive, easily accessible to persons with disability.
• Management of public toilets: airports, railways stations, bus stands, hospitals, monuments, recreational areas, city centres, markets, food courts, highways, parks, sports stadiums.
• Effective cost control measures for public toilets.
• Service, maintenance quality control and durability aspects to reduce maintenance costs.
• New technologies, trends and construction materials (pre-built stainless steel modules, concrete and fibre glass combination) for public toilets and urinals.
• Mutual goodwill among public toilet stakeholders viz. users, service providers, Municipal and Allied Authorities.

d) School Sanitation:

• Current status of school sanitation programmes and role of Central and State Governments, Local Bodies and Panchayati Raj Institutions.
• Funding and implementation arrangements.
• Basic minimum standards: appropriate designs and materials, affordable models and costs
• Maintenance, cleaning and supervision.
• Hygiene education and training in use and upkeep of toilets to school students.

e) Mobilisation of financial resources: Global Sanitation Bond Fund.

f) Realistic programme coverage by 2015 -- the new Road Map.

g) Action plans for UN International Year of Sanitation 2008.