SANITATION AND THE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS

That this House commends the progress made with improving worldwide access to safe drinking water since the Millennium Development goals were announced in September 2000; but notes the lack of progress in providing basic sanitation; notes with grave concern that, according to UNICEF, poor sanitation leads to diseases which kill over 5,000 children per day, and prevents thousands more from attending school and their mothers from working; recognises that even healthy girls are often unable to attend school if sanitary facilities are poor or there are no separate facilities for boys and girls; is concerned that this lack of sanitation will mean the goal of halving world poverty by 2015 will be missed by over half a billion people if serious action is not taken; recognises that the Global Plan of Action on Water and Sanitation could save the lives of over 5,000 children per day; and calls on the Prime Minister to gain support for this plan at the UN conference on the Millennium Development Goals in September 2008.