Global advocacy for the health, safety, and dignity of sanitation workers
ILO
(
United Nations / Multilateral body
)
#SDGAction51123
Description
UN-Water dedicated its World Water Day and World Toilet Day campaigns in 2016 to the links between Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and jobs, underscoring the many elements linking SDGs 6 and 8. The working conditions, skills and formalization of those working for WASH were central to these campaigns. Since then, these linkages have been incorporated into the work of UN-Water.
The sanitation workforce dedicated to faecal sludge management bridges the gap between sanitation infrastructure and the provision of sanitation services. Sanitation workers provide an essential public service but often at the cost of their dignity, safety, health, and living conditions. They are some of the most vulnerable workers. They are far too often invisible, unquantified, and ostracized, and many of the challenges they face stem from this fundamental lack of acknowledgement. Sanitation workers are exposed to serious occupational and environmental health hazards risking illness, injury, and death.
Frequently hailing from marginalized, low-income, class, caste backgrounds or religious minorities, the priorities and concerns of sanitary workers, especially those involved in the hazardous removal of human waste, remain not only overlooked but are unseen by decision-makers, and the wider society.
Sanitation workers range from permanent public or private employees with health benefits, pensions, and clear legal protections to some of the most marginalized, poor, and abused members of society who take on low-grade, labour-intensive, and dangerous work. For those employed informally, their work is financially precarious, with poor pay and few benefits. Sanitation workers often suffer weak legal protection, missing or weak standard operating procedures and weak enforcement and oversight of laws and policies protecting their rights and health.
Ensuring the fundamental principles and rights at work and improving the working conditions of sanitation workers is a key contribution to SDG 6 and SDG 8. Better conditions for water workers will improve water and sanitation services, making clean water provision and sanitation not only a path towards water access but also to employment and business growth.
The Initiative for Sanitation Workers led by the ILO and its partners launched an initial assessment of the working conditions of sanitation workers in 2019. Titled “Health, Safety and Dignity of Sanitation Workers”, the assessment called for the promotion of ILO instruments on OSH, freedom of association and the formalization of sanitation workers. As a result, the ILO organized a workshop on the working conditions of sanitation workers in South Asia, which concluded with the adoption of dedicated strategies to address the decent work deficits of sanitation workers. Currently, the ILO is developing projects in several countries including India and Pakistan.
Commitment: A research and advocacy campaign in Africa, Asia, and Latin America to promote decent work, skills and knowledge development as well as improve the working conditions of sanitation workers.
Designed with an explicit pro-poor focus that seeks to eradicate extreme poverty, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development promises to “leave no one behind”. A focus on sanitation workers and decent jobs in the WASH sector would support the main foundation of the 2030 Agenda. Implemented at the local level, the commitment targets the workers who are most at risk of being left behind. The actions will help accelerate the implementation of SDG 6, 8, and 11, particularly targets 6.1, 6.2, 6.a, and 6.b; 8.3, 8.7, and 8.8; 11.5, and 11.6 respectively through improved awareness of existing decent work deficits; recognition, organization, and formalization of sanitation work and workers; application of the fundamental principles and rights at work, national labour laws, and occupational safety and health (OSH) principles to sanitation workers and the WASH sector; regular engagement with social partners to promote social dialogue; the promotion of decent jobs creation in the WASH sector; and the upskilling, and reskilling of sanitation workers.
World Health Organization (WHO)
World Bank
WaterAid
Netherlands Development Organization (SNV)
Local Authorities
Trade Unions
Water Utilities
SDGS & Targets
Goal 6
Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
6.1
By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all
6.1.1
Proportion of population using safely managed drinking water services
6.2
By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations
6.2.1
Proportion of population using (a) safely managed sanitation services and (b) a hand-washing facility with soap and water
6.3
By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally
6.3.1
Proportion of domestic and industrial wastewater flows safely treated
6.3.2
Proportion of bodies of water with good ambient water quality
6.4
6.4.1
Change in water-use efficiency over time
6.4.2
Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources
6.5
By 2030, implement integrated water resources management at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation as appropriate
6.5.1
Degree of integrated water resources management
6.5.2
Proportion of transboundary basin area with an operational arrangement for water cooperation
6.6
6.6.1
Change in the extent of water-related ecosystems over time
6.a
6.a.1
Amount of water- and sanitation-related official development assistance that is part of a government-coordinated spending plan
6.b
Support and strengthen the participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation management
6.b.1
Proportion of local administrative units with established and operational policies and procedures for participation of local communities in water and sanitation management
Goal 8
Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
8.1
8.1.1
Annual growth rate of real GDP per capita
8.2
Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading and innovation, including through a focus on high-value added and labour-intensive sectors
8.2.1
Annual growth rate of real GDP per employed person
8.3
Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, including through access to financial services
8.3.1
Proportion of informal employment in total employment, by sector and sex
8.4
Improve progressively, through 2030, global resource efficiency in consumption and production and endeavour to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation, in accordance with the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production, with developed countries taking the lead
8.4.1
Material footprint, material footprint per capita, and material footprint per GDP
8.4.2
Domestic material consumption, domestic material consumption per capita, and domestic material consumption per GDP
8.5
8.5.1
Average hourly earnings of female and male employees, by occupation, age and persons with disabilities
8.5.2
Unemployment rate, by sex, age and persons with disabilities
8.6
8.6.1
Proportion of youth (aged 15-24 years) not in education, employment or training
8.7
Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labour in all its forms
8.7.1
Proportion and number of children aged 5‑17 years engaged in child labour, by sex and age
8.8
Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, in particular women migrants, and those in precarious employment
8.8.1
Fatal and non-fatal occupational injuries per 100,000 workers, by sex and migrant status
8.8.2
Level of national compliance with labour rights (freedom of association and collective bargaining) based on International Labour Organization (ILO) textual sources and national legislation, by sex and migrant status
8.9
By 2030, devise and implement policies to promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products
8.9.1
Tourism direct GDP as a proportion of total GDP and in growth rate
8.10
Strengthen the capacity of domestic financial institutions to encourage and expand access to banking, insurance and financial services for all
8.10.1
(a) Number of commercial bank branches per 100,000 adults and (b) number of automated teller machines (ATMs) per 100,000 adults
8.10.2
Proportion of adults (15 years and older) with an account at a bank or other financial institution or with a mobile-money-service provider
8.a
8.a.1
Aid for Trade commitments and disbursements
8.b
By 2020, develop and operationalize a global strategy for youth employment and implement the Global Jobs Pact of the International Labour Organization
8.b.1
Existence of a developed and operationalized national strategy for youth employment, as a distinct strategy or as part of a national employment strategy
Goal 11
Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
11.1
By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums
11.1.1
Proportion of urban population living in slums, informal settlements or inadequate housing
11.2
11.2.1
Proportion of population that has convenient access to public transport, by sex, age and persons with disabilities
11.3
11.3.1
Ratio of land consumption rate to population growth rate
11.3.2
Proportion of cities with a direct participation structure of civil society in urban planning and management that operate regularly and democratically
11.4
Strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage
11.4.1
Total per capita expenditure on the preservation, protection and conservation of all cultural and natural heritage, by source of funding (public, private), type of heritage (cultural, natural) and level of government (national, regional, and local/municipal)
11.5
By 2030, significantly reduce the number of deaths and the number of people affected and substantially decrease the direct economic losses relative to global gross domestic product caused by disasters, including water-related disasters, with a focus on protecting the poor and people in vulnerable situations
11.5.1
Number of deaths, missing persons and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population
11.5.2
Direct economic loss attributed to disasters in relation to global domestic product (GDP)
11.5.3
(a) Damage to critical infrastructure and (b) number of disruptions to basic services, attributed to disasters
11.6
By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management
11.6.1
Proportion of municipal solid waste collected and managed in controlled facilities out of total municipal waste generated, by cities
11.6.2
Annual mean levels of fine particulate matter (e.g. PM2.5 and PM10) in cities (population weighted)
11.7
11.7.1
Average share of the built-up area of cities that is open space for public use for all, by sex, age and persons with disabilities
11.7.2
Proportion of persons victim of non-sexual or sexual harassment, by sex, age, disability status and place of occurrence, in the previous 12 months
11.a
Support positive economic, social and environmental links between urban, peri-urban and rural areas by strengthening national and regional development planning
11.a.1
Number of countries that have national urban policies or regional development plans that (a) respond to population dynamics; (b) ensure balanced territorial development; and (c) increase local fiscal space
11.b
By 2020, substantially increase the number of cities and human settlements adopting and implementing integrated policies and plans towards inclusion, resource efficiency, mitigation and adaptation to climate change, resilience to disasters, and develop and implement, in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, holistic disaster risk management at all levels
11.b.1
Number of countries that adopt and implement national disaster risk reduction strategies in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030
11.b.2
Proportion of local governments that adopt and implement local disaster risk reduction strategies in line with national disaster risk reduction strategies
11.c
Support least developed countries, including through financial and technical assistance, in building sustainable and resilient buildings utilizing local materials
SDG 14 targets covered
| Name | Description |
|---|
Deliverables & Timeline
Resources mobilized
Partnership Progress
| Title | Progress Status | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| Global advocacy for the health, safety, and dignity of sanitation workers - Mon, 07/08/2024 - 14:45 | On track |
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Region
- Africa
- Asia and Pacific
- Latin America and the Caribbean
Other beneficiaries
Sanitation workers and society will benefit from these initiatives. In the words of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr.: “One day our society will come to respect the sanitation worker if it is to survive, for the person who picks up our garbage, in the final analysis, is as significant as the physician, for if he [she] doesn't do his job, diseases are rampant.” March 18, 1968, Memphis, TN.
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Carlos, Specialist - Public services and utilities