Keynote speakers from United Nations and World Bank to address sanitation-related UN Millennium Goal at upcoming dedicated toilet event
Strong panel of international and local experts to speak on wide-ranging issues at World Toilet Expo & Forum 2006 in Bangkok
5 September 2006, Bangkok and Singapore – The spotlight will be cast on various toilet related issues at the second World Toilet Expo & Forum. To be held from 16 to 18 November 2006 in Bangkok, the event with the theme Happy Toilet Healthy Life will see some 600 delegates converge at the IMPACT Exhibition & Convention Centre. Experts from nine countries will be presenting some 25 papers, including keynote presentations on global initiatives to reduce the proportion of people without sustainable access to basic sanitation.
The first keynote presentation titled ‘Global Efforts to Achieve the UN Millennium Goal – Where are We Now?’ will be given by Richard Pollard, the Regional Team Leader for the World Bank Water and Sanitation Programme (WSP) in East Asia and the Pacific. He has played a major role in WSP’s sanitation and community driven development initiatives for many years. He holds degrees in Water Resources Management from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Behavioural Psychology from Bucknell University in the United States.
The Acting Chair of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation, Dr Uschi Eid, will be presenting the Board’s ‘Recommendation on Water & Sanitation for the Achievement of the Sanitation Related Millennium Development Goal’. Dr Eid is the Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation, German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ), Germany.
In the same vein, Dr TV Luong, Consultant, Water, Environment and Sanitation (WES), East Asia and Pacific Regional Office, UNICEF, will enlighten delegates on the ‘Acceleration of Sustainable Sanitation in Developing Countries’.
According to the organisers, the World Toilet Organization (WTO) and MP Asia Pte Ltd, the Forum is structured along four main tracks: ecological sanitation, health, accessibility and safety.
Mr Jack Sim, WTO’s Founder, said: “The Forum programme is comprehensive as it covers all aspects of public toilets, from planning to design to management and maintenance issues, as well as innovative solutions to improve hygiene and sanitation around the world.
“In addition, an important part of the meeting is the sharing of experiences on how civic organisations can help communities to improve sanitation in their area. On this front, we are extremely pleased to note that Thailand has a National Strategic Committee for Public Toilets that is able to galvanise the support and involvement of most of the toilet stakeholders in the country.”
Another concrete example of how a community has benefited from the effort of a non-government organisation will be shared by Joe Madiath, Executive Director of Gram Vikas, through his presentation ‘Building Dignity, Not Toilets’.
Winner of the Kyoto World Water Grand Prize earlier this year at the 4th World Water Forum, Madiath was lauded for his contributions to building dignity through community-managed rural water and sanitation, thus improving the livelihoods of the poor and marginalised in Orissa, one of India’s poorest states.
There is also need for new ideas to solve existing problems, hence, one of the speakers invited to share his original perspectives is Mechai Viravaidya, Chairman of the Population and Community Development Association of Thailand.
Also known as "the condom king," Mechai is best known for his use of humour and unorthodox methods in focusing the public's attention on public health, namely family planning and safe sex, in Thailand. He will speak on Public Toilet – Thinking Out of the Box.
There will be an update from last year’s host city, Shanghai. Sun Yuan Hai, Senior Engineer, Shanghai City Appearance and Environmental Sanitation Administrative Bureau will deliver the paper titled ‘Progressing Towards Gracious Living – Shanghai’s Public Toilets’.
A number of speakers from the host country will share their ideas and update on developments of public toilets in Thailand. They include several high-level government officials and academics.
The full list of speakers and topics is available on the event website, www.worldtoiletexpo.com. International and local delegates are expected to attend the forum, including delegations from China and the Asean countries.
To enable delegates to explore the latest toilet solutions, there is a products and services showcase by industry leaders. Among the participants at the Expo are American Standard, COTTO, TOTO, Kimberly Clark, Pacific Waste Management Technology and Rentokil Initial.
A highlight at the exhibition is a thematic display which will be put up by the Thai Ministry of Public Health at the Expo. It will offer an insight into the development of toilets in Thailand, starting with the history and cultural background of toilets in Thai society, the present state of public toilets and future plans and policies for the improvement of public toilet facilities and management.
The World Toilet Expo & Forum 2006 event is hosted by the Thailand Ministry of Public Health and co-hosted by the National Health Association of Thailand, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, Faculty of Public Health, Population and Community Development Association, and Thailand Environment Institute. It is supported by the Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau, and 50 WTO member associations from 38 countries.
To exhibit or participate in the event, please contact MP Asia. For the latest updates on the World Toilet Expo & Forum 2006, please visit the event website at www.worldtoiletexpo.com.
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For more information, please contact:
Daphne Poon
Marketing Communications Director
Tel : (65) 6393 0238
Fax: (65) 6296 2670
Email: daphnepoon@mpinetwork.com
Website: www.worldtoiletexpo.com
