New Delhi, 24 Sept 06

Mr. Bert Diphoorn, Chief, Water, Sanitation and Infrastructure Branch, UN-HABITAT Nairobi, releasing the publication “Social Marketing of Sanitation” in the presence of Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak, founder of Sulabh International Academy of Environmental Sanitation (SIAES) and Mr. Andre Dzikus, Programme Manager, Water for Asian Cities.

The importance of social marketing as a means of convincing people to adopt practices that will improve their lives was underscored recently during the launch of UN-HABITAT’s publication on “Social Marketing of Sanitation”. The publication, produced in collaboration with Sulabh International Academy of Environmental Sanitation (SIAES) asks water and sanitation practitioners to consider people as customers rather than beneficiaries, and to focus on processes that empower the customer to make informed choices.

Over 2.4 billion people in the world currently lack access to adequate sanitation and are forced to use unhealthy and sometimes unsafe toilet facilities. There is strong international consensus that increased access to appropriate sanitation hardware (toilets) coupled with the adoption of key hygiene practices, will have a major impact on health status, particularly for women, and the poorest families with significant benefits to education and the economy.

“In the sanitation sector, such processes include awareness building and careful consideration of issues such as health and hygiene, convenience and human dignity, productivity and economic gain - be it through savings or improved earning potential – and matching them with viable technical solutions”, said Bert Diphoorn, Chief, Water and Sanitation sector during the launch of the publication.

The book seeks to serve as the link between UN-HABITAT’s work in pro-poor water and sanitation projects with the work of other agencies committed to building “drawbridges to escape from the fortress of poverty”. Water and sanitation management is essential for the wealth as well as the health of the urban poor in order to provide sanitation technologies that are sustainable and affordable. The publication proposes that water and sanitation managers should identify what the urban poor need rather than making assumptions about their needs.