WaterAid welcomes the historic investment from the Canadian Prime Minister into women and children’s health and rights
Responding to the announcement in Vancouver from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, of a ten year annual investment of $1.4bn beginning in 2023 towards the health and rights of women, adolescents and children, WaterAid Canada’s Chief Executive Officer, Nicole Hurtubise said:
“We can’t and won’t achieve gender equality without addressing the lack of access to the basic human rights of water, sanitation and hygiene which millions of women and girls around the world live without.
“This is why we welcome the new commitment from the Government of Canada of a ten year annual investment of $1.4bn beginning in 2023, towards improving the health and rights of women, adolescents and children around the world. Canada’s bold leadership move will help to fill the critical gaps in sexual and reproductive health and rights and contribute to seeing women and girls thrive in all aspects of life.
“Achieving this ambitious vision will require improvements in access to water, sanitation and hygiene for all women and girls everywhere. This includes in healthcare facilities so that mothers and newborns are protected from infections and in schools so that girls can manage their menstrual period with the dignity they deserve.
“We now urge other governments to follow Canada’s example and invest in the health and rights of women and girls. Now is the time to demonstrate our shared commitment and push towards greater gender equality.”
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For more information, please contact:
Anna France-Williams
Senior Media Officer
[email protected]
or +44 7785 725387
Aneesha Hampton
Communications Manager
[email protected]
or +1 514 571 7923
Or call our after-hours press line on +44 (0)7887 521 552 or [email protected]
In the US: Emily Haile, Senior Communications and Media Manager,[email protected]
In Delhi: Pragya Gupta, Media and Communications Coordinator,[email protected]
In Melbourne: Kevin Hawkins, Communications Manager,[email protected] or +61 3 9001 8248
In Stockholm: Magdalena Olsson, Communications Manager,[email protected] or +46 (0)8 677 30 33 or +46 (0)73 661 93 31, or Petter Gustafsson, Communications Officer, [email protected] or+46 (0)8 677 30 21 or +46 (0)72 858 58 51
WaterAid
WaterAid is working to make clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene normal for everyone, everywhere within a generation. The international not-for-profit organization works in 34 countries to change the lives of the poorest and most marginalized people. Since 1981, WaterAid has reached 25.8 million people with clean water and 25.1 million people with decent toilets. For more information, visit www.wateraid.org/ca, follow @wateraidcanada or @WaterAidPress on Twitter, or find WaterAid Canada on Facebook at www.facebook.com/wateraidcanada
844 million people in the world – one in nine – do not have clean water close to home.[1]
2.3 billion people in the world – almost one in three – do not have a decent toilet of their own.[2]
Around 310,000 children under five die every year from diarrhoeal diseases caused by poor water and sanitation. That's almost 800 children a day, or one child every two minutes.[3]
Every $1 invested in water and toilets returns an average of $4 in increased productivity.[4]
Just $15 can provide one person with clean water.[5]
To find out if countries are keeping their promises on water and sanitation, see the online database www.WASHwatch.org
[4] World Health organization (2012) Global costs and benefits of drinking-water supply and sanitation interventions to reach the MDG target and universal coverage
[5] www.wateraid.org
