Jan Eliasson in Stockholm to talk about toilets
The Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Jan Eliasson was the keynote speaker at the official opening of the 2013 World Water Week in Stockholm.
He spoke about the urgency in addressing the sanitation needs of billions of people around the world: “More than 2.5 billion people do not have adequate sanitation – more than one third of humanity. Of these one billion people practice open defecation. This is largely a function of poverty, with serious human consequences.”
Mr. Eliasson said that “we must continue to break taboos. As was the case for the word “toilets” a few years ago. It is time to incorporate “open defecation” in the political language and in the diplomatic discourse today.”
