MoHUA launches nationwide initiatives including Aspirational Toilets, Swachh Curriculum, Suvidha replication, and yearlong behaviour change campaign
New Delhi : The World Toilet Summit 2025—hosted by Sulabh International Social Service Organisation—opened today at the Dr Ambedkar International Centre with an unprecedented convergence of national leadership, Global South voices, multilateral institutions, philanthropy, and sanitation innovators from across the world.
Themed “Sanitation: Collective Responsibility for Dignity and Planet,” the inaugural session set a transformative agenda for advancing global sanitation equity, resilience, and behaviour change.
Welcoming delegates, Shri Kumar Dilip, President, Sulabh International, highlighted India’s pioneering contributions in sanitation innovation and community-led dignity. The session also saw the release of “The World Toilet Organization 25th Anniversary Commemorative Book.”
“Water and Sanitation Must Reach the Last Child in the Last Home”: Jal Shakti Minister
Delivering a national perspective, Shri C.R. Patil, Hon’ble Union Minister, Ministry of Jal Shakti, underlined the importance of last-mile service delivery:
“Our responsibility is to ensure that clean water and safe sanitation reach the last child in the last home. Infrastructure alone is not enough—quality, maintenance, and dignity matter.”
He stressed the urgency of improving STPs, recycling treated water, and strengthening long-term service.
In his keynote, Shri Manohar Lal Khattar, Hon’ble Minister of Power and Minister of Housing & Urban Affairs, highlighted sanitation as a foundational civic value:
“A village builds a toilet, but the world builds an environment. Sanitation is not only infrastructure—it is culture, responsibility, and the pathway to environmental security.”
He emphasised water circularity, dual-pipe systems, technology adoption, and youth-led sanitation innovation.
South Africa’s Call for Global Solidarity and Climate Justice
Closing the session, Hon’ble Mbangiseni David Mahlobo, Deputy Minister of Water & Sanitation, Republic of South Africa, delivered a powerful appeal for global equity:
“Water and sanitation are matters of life, dignity, and justice. In a world of scientific progress, inequality is an affront to humanity.
We must double global investment to ensure no one is left behind.”
Jack Sim, Founder, World Toilet Organization, traced the global toilet movement and commended India for shaping international progress.
Ms. Nistha Patel, Senior Water Supply & Sanitation Specialist, The World Bank, emphasised:
Mr. Alkesh Wadhwani, Director, Poverty Alleviation, Gates Foundation, noted:
“India’s journey from ODF to safely managed sanitation must address rapid urbanisation,”.