This House of Lords Library Briefing provides information on water sanitation and the United Nations’ World Toilet Day, which takes place on 19 November 2018.
Water Sanitation: World Toilet Day, 19 November 2018 (306KB PDF)
On 24 July 2013, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution designating 19 November as World Toilet Day. The resolution called on UN member states and relevant stakeholders to encourage behavioural change and implement policies to increase access to sanitation among the poor. Further, it called countries to approach sanitation through: hygiene promotion; the provision of basic sanitation services; sewerage and wastewater treatment; and reuse in integrated water management.
To also help combat global issues, including a lack of access to sanitation services, in September 2015, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the 2030 Development Agenda, titled Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Agenda includes a collection of 17 global goals—known as Sustainable Development Goals—and 169 associated targets. Sustainable Development Goal Six calls on UN member states to “ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all”.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the transmission of several diseases, including cholera, diarrhoea, dysentery, hepatitis A, typhoid and polio, is linked to dirty water and inadequately treated sewage. WHO notes that waterborne diseases are linked to “significant disease burden worldwide”, with waterborne diarrhoeal diseases responsible for two million deaths each year. Of which, the majority occurs in children under 5 years old. To tackle such issues, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund has grouped water, sanitation and hygiene together due to each subject being “dependent on the presence of the other”. For example, without sanitation services, such as toilets, water sources become contaminated; and without clean water, basic hygiene practices are “not possible”.
Water Sanitation: World Toilet Day, 19 November 2018 (306KB PDF)
The Sovereign Grant Bill is a government bill which would amend how the sovereign grant is set. This is a grant paid to the King to support the work of the sovereign. The bill would enable the size of the sovereign grant to be reduced following the completion of a 10-year works project on Buckingham Palace. The bill received cross-party support and was not amended in the House of Commons.
The Financial Services and Markets Bill [HL] is a wide-ranging bill that aims to reform the way the UK financial services sector is regulated. This briefing provides a summary of the bill’s second reading and committee stage in the House of Lords ahead of its further consideration at report.
![Financial Services and Markets Bill [HL]: Progress in the Lords](https://lordslibrary-parliament.studio24.dev/content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/Economy-568x426.png)
The Taxation (Energy and Vehicles) Bill is a money bill that would implement three tax measures as part of the government’s package of support to tackle increased energy prices. The bill would increase the electricity generator levy, increase the rate of tax-free mileage allowance for employees, and provide a 12-month vehicle excise duty exemption for HGVs.
