Vice President, Dr Isatou Touray, has declared that the government was determined to end open defecation in the country by 2020, the UNICEF Gambia announced on Thursday.
UNICEF Gambia further disclosed that the pledge was also signed by staff and the country representative of UNICEF The Gambia, Sandra Lattouf, the ministers of Health and the Environment, Dr Ahmadou Lamin Samateh, and Lamin B Dibba, respectively, the Speaker of the Children’s National Assembly, Sarata Ceesay, and several other government officials and partners.
According to UNICEF The Gambia, the historic pledge came two days after The Gambia Government and UN partners launched the Decade of Action in The Gambia – a 10-year period of accelerated effort and stronger action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
UNICEF The Gambia pointed out that the declaration also shows the government’s commitment to achieve SDG 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation.
“I believe it is time for all of us to collectively stand against open defecation in this country in our various capacities,” Vice President Touray said. “All of us here should speak to the rest of the Gambians and non-Gambians with a unified voice, that… sanitation for all is achievable.”
The landmark event took place at the national consultative meeting to end open defecation in The Gambia, a major convergence of stakeholders in Kololi.
As a key partner in the national drive to end open defecation in The Gambia, UNICEF has invested huge amounts of resources to support the government in this endeavour.
“At UNICEF, we strongly believe in partnership,” said Sandra Lattouf, UNICEF The Gambia Country Representative. “A great example of such partnership is our work on open defecation. 99% of the Gambian population is open defecation free. This is a major achievement that we should all celebrate.”
She called for broader partnership, including the active participation of the private sector and local communities, to end open defecation in The Gambia.
She warned that the practice has serious health and economic implications for children and their families.
Lattouf also hailed the high-level commitment of The Gambian Government to end open defecation and called for stronger government action to end open defecation in 2020.
The Minister of Health, Dr Ahmadou Lamin Samateh, and the Speaker of the Children’s National Assembly of The Gambia, Sarata Ceesay, applauded UNICEF for supporting the country’s open defecation free agenda and urged other partners to support the cause.
The government wants to achieve 100% open defecation free status by 2020, a feat that could see The Gambia emerge as the first to achieve such a milestone in West Africa.
UNICEF The Gambia will continue to support the government to achieve this major milestone, it said.