Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene December 2018 Vol.13 No.6 | Page 24

People
Seven-year-old Indian girl tries to have father
arrested after he fails to build a toilet in their home
A seven year-old Indian
girl has complained to
the police to have her
father arrested after he
failed to build a toilet in
their home as promised,
police said recently.
Millions of Indians
do not have access to
sanitation and open
Hanifa Zaara
defecation is a problem,
even in developed, industrial states.
The girl, E Hanifa Zaara, didn’t want to go out in the open
and won a promise from her father to build a lavatory
indoors, said police officer named as A Valarmathi.
But when no toilet was built she went to the police to
lodge a complaint, Mr Valarmathi said in a phone call with
the media from the southern town of Ambur, 100km
from the city of Chennai.
“The girl was adamant on having her father arrested as she
felt cheated,” Mr Valarmathi said.
“We then rang up her father, called him to the police
station and made them shake hands and compromise.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has been
pushing a campaign to build 100 million toilets over five
years but the drive has not covered large parts of the
country.
The Times of India said the father told police he had
twice asked the municipality for aid under Mr Modi’s
campaign, known as Clean Indian, but there had been no
response.
energy of Japan
as a whole to join
efforts to achieve
the Sustainable
Development Goals.
We look forward
to deepening our
valued and trusted
partnership with
Steiner meets with Mr. Seko Hiroshige
Japan as it continues
its support for development through UNDP.”
As one of UNDP’s largest government contributors,
Japan is a vital partner in UNDP’s mission to end
extreme poverty, to reduce inequality, and to promote the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) implementation.
Steiner met with the Parliamentary Vice-Minister for
Foreign Affairs Mr. Norikazu Suzuki, the President of
the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Mr.
Shinichi Kitaoka, and members of the Parliamentary
League for Promotion of Human Security to discuss
critical issues such as global health, disaster risk reduction,
stabilization in the Middle East, and African development.
While in Japan, Steiner also met the Minister of Economy,
Trade, and Industry Mr. Hiroshige Seko to discuss
the critical role of the private sector in achieving the
SDGs. He signed a Memorandum of Understanding
with the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren), the
largest business association in Japan, to accelerate
SDGs achievement through private sector engagement.
Additionally, he met representatives of the Japan
Association of Corporate Executives (Keizai Doyukai),
and CEOs of leading companies committed aligning their
businesses with the SDGs.
Source: The Telegraph He also signed a Framework Cooperation Agreement
with the University of Tokyo, Japan’s leading university
committed to the SDGs under the leadership of its
President Dr. Makoto Gonokami, and addressed faculty
and students in an interactive lecture on the future of
development and the United Nations.
SDG acceleration top of agenda during UNDP Chief
Japan visit UN Environment ‘Mountain Hero: breaks world
record
Tokyo – UN Development Programme Administrator
Achim Steiner concluded a two-day visit to Japan on
Tuesday, where he met senior Japanese officials, corporate
executives, and academics to discuss their leadership
to generate collaborative synergies for sustainable
development. Michael Strasser has just completed an epic journey. He
has just set a new world record by cycling 22,642 km from
Alaska in the US to Patagonia in southern Argentina in 84
days, 11 hours and 50 minutes.
The campaign, supported by big companies and
Bollywood actors, has raised awareness of the ills of open
defecation.
“Japan is a steadfast partner of UNDP, and a leader in
human security and sustainable development,” Steiner
said. “Throughout my stay, I continuously felt the
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Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene • December 2018
More importantly, he’s done this to highlight the importance
of environmental issues, including wildlife conservation, the
dangers of pollution and climate change.
Strasser recently became the first cyclist to be part of a new