15 October 2012: On Global Handwashing Day, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to safe drinking water and sanitation Catarina de Albuquerque called on governments to prioritize handwashing and good hygiene in the post-2015 development framework in order to fully realize human rights to water, sanitation, health, dignity and development.

De Albuquerque highlighted the life-saving potential of good hygiene and handwashing in preventing the spread of epidemics, including diarrhoeal diseases contributing to child mortality. She also called on governments to consider women’s needs in the delivery of water and sanitation services, so as to enable adequate menstrual hygiene and keep adolescent girls in school.

Global Handwashing Day is organized by the Global Public-Private Partnership for Handwashing with Soap (PPPHW), a coalition of stakeholders whose focus is handwashing and child health. The partnership includes the United States (US) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Bank, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and several companies. [Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Press Release] [Global Handwashing Day Website]