People
In Transition Farewell to a great WASH champion , Kofi Annan
12 September 2018 This week our country and the world say a last farewell to a great statesman , as Kofi Annan is laid to rest . The boy from Kumasi , Ghana , went on to raise the plight of his people and so many others at the highest levels of government , rising up through the levels of the UN to become UN Secretary-General on 1 January 1997 : the first man from sub-Saharan Africa to hold this position . He prioritized aid and development , turning his call to action on HIV / AIDS into the first global fund to fight the disease .
As UN Secretary-General , Kofi Annan was a visionary and a champion for the rights of the world ’ s poorest and most marginalized people , proposing the UN Global Compact on human rights , labour and the environment , to encourage businesses to act responsibly and sustainably .
He issued the UN Millennium Declaration that led to what was then the most ambitious effort in history to defeat poverty : the Millennium Development Goals , among them to halve the proportion of people in the world without access to water and decent toilets . He shared with the United Nations the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize for these visionary efforts , which later led to the renewed Sustainable Development Goals set in 2015 .
He called on the world to free women and girls from their daily burden of hauling water over great distances , and established the UN Secretary-General ’ s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation to help mobilise funds for water and sanitation projects .
Later in life as chairman of the board at the Kofi Annan Foundation , and as part of the UN Foundation and The Elders , the rights and wellbeing of the poorest people on Earth remained his primary focus and concern .
As we mourn Mr Annan ’ s passing we see the legacy he has left , and the work we must continue . In 2000 , 18 % of the world ’ s population did not have access to clean water ; today , that proportion has been reduced to 11 %. Progress in child mortality means that 50 million children who would have not seen their fifth birthday if they had been born before 2000 have survived .
Yet there is so much more to do . Still 2.3 billion people around the world do not have access to a decent household toilet – a number which has barely changed in almost 20 years . Still , 389,000 children under five around the world die each year of diarrhoea linked to dirty water , poor sanitation and poor hygiene – a preventable tragedy . Here in Ghana , only 14 % of the population is using clean , safe , household toilets and 2 in 10 people still do not have access to clean water , a situation which limits the health , productivity and human rights of every man , woman and child in this country .
At WaterAid , our deepest condolences are with his family , and our firm resolution is to carry on his work until everyone , everywhere has access to the life essentials of clean water , decent toilets and good hygiene , which are critical for good health , education and a prosperous future .
Story by Abdul-Nashiru Mohammed is Country Director of WaterAid Ghana @ AbdulNashiruMo1
Bruce Rittmann and Mark van Loosdrecht win 2018 Stockholm Water Prize
Stockholm ( 28 August 2018 ) – Professors Bruce Rittmann and Mark van Loosdrecht received the 2018 Stockholm Water Prize for microbiological research and innovations that have revolutionized water and wastewater treatment . The prize was presented to them by H . R . H . Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden , at a ceremony in Stockholm City Hall during World Water Week .
When congratulating the laureates , H . R . H Crown Princess Victoria , said : “ There is nothing more hope-inspiring than to learn about new and innovative ways to conquer our most fundamental challenges . Like freshwater , the creativity of the human mind is a most valuable natural resource ; holding the keys to a just and healthy future for us all .”
The research of Bruce Rittmann from the USA and Mark van Loosdrecht from the Netherlands has contributed to the understanding of how microorganisms can transform organic pollutants to something of value to humans and the environment . This remarkable scientific achievement has led to the implementation across the globe of technologies which make it possible to remove harmful contaminants from water , cut wastewater treatment costs , reduce energy consumption , and even recover chemicals and nutrients for recycling .
26 Africa Water , Sanitation & Hygiene • September 2018