UNICEF and LIXIL to “Make a Splash” and Help Bring Sanitation to Children Around the World

Tokyo, 26 July 2018 – UNICEF, the world’s leading children’s organization, and LIXIL, a maker of pioneering water and housing products, are coming together in a new partnership to help vulnerable children gain access to safe and clean toilets.

The partnership, named “Make a Splash! Toilets for All”, will leverage the two organizations’ complementary strengths to support progress towards the Sustainable Development Goal of achieving access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all, and end open defecation by 2030.

“Nearly 800 children die every day from diarrhea caused by unsafe water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene,” said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director. “Through this innovative partnership with LIXIL, we hope to help keep every child healthy and alive.”

UNICEF and LIXIL have already successfully worked together in Africa to provide people in need of toilets with access to sanitation products, designed by LIXIL to fit local conditions. The success led the partners to explore ways to expand their collaboration to improve sanitation for all.

The new partnership is among UNICEF’s most ambitious to date. It signals a new way that UNICEF is working with companies that engages their core business, at various levels, to achieve significant advances for children. It is UNICEF’s first global shared-value partnership in the water, sanitation and hygiene sector, and the first of its kind with a Japanese company.

As part of this new partnership, UNICEF and LIXIL will:

• Launch market-driven programmes to help establish a sanitation economy and ensure that sanitation products are available at affordable prices for the people who need them, starting in Ethiopia, Tanzania and Kenya.
  
• Engage in joint advocacy efforts that draw attention to the significant development opportunities presented by the sanitation economy.
  
• Fundraising and engagement activities by LIXIL to support the expansion of the partnership to new countries.

The success of the partnership in expanding access to sanitation will also help to encourage more players to enter and expand this market.

Kinya Seto, LIXIL Group CEO, said: “In many countries, this ‘sanitation crisis’ has devastating consequences for public health and reduces children’s opportunities for the future, as many drop out of school because there is nowhere to go to the bathroom. As a global leader in sanitary products and with a unique brand of products known as SATO that are specifically designed for developing markets, we recognize the opportunity to improve the quality of life for people everywhere by raising sanitation standards, creating genuine social value.”

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Note to editors:

• 2.3 billion people worldwide do not have access to basic sanitation facilities, including 892 million people who have no choice but to defecate in the open. Open defecation is one of the clearest signs of extreme poverty and inequality.
  
• For children under five, water and sanitation-related diseases are among the leading causes of preventable death. Every year, 288,000 children under the age of five die globally from diarrhoeal infections linked to poor access to safe drinking water and sanitation.
  
• Toilets play a crucial role in keeping children healthy, preventing the spread of disease, and allowing them to live with dignity

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone. For more information about UNICEF and its work for children, visit www.unicef.org. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

UNICEF does not endorse any company, brand, product or service.

LIXIL makes pioneering water and housing products that solve every day, real-life challenges, making better homes a reality for everyone, everywhere. Drawing on our Japanese heritage, we create world-leading technology and innovate to make high quality products that transform homes. But the LIXIL difference is how we do this; through meaningful design, an entrepreneurial spirit, a dedication to improving accessibility for all, and responsible business growth. Our approach comes to life through industry leading brands, including INAX, GROHE, American Standard, and TOSTEM. Over 70,000 colleagues operating in more than 150 countries are proud to make products that touch the lives of more than a billion people every day.

Media Assets:

The images below and of the press conference held in Tokyo on July 26,2018, are available for download here: http://urx2.nu/L6UR
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