12 2 STA T .5 1 9 9 CON C UR R E NT RESO L UT I ONS — AU G .1 , 2 0 0 8framewo r k for c o unt r i e s an d internationa l or g ani z ations to com -b at suc h global social ills as p o v ert y, hunger, and disease
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hereas one target of the M illennium D evelopment G oals is to halve by 2015 the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation, the only target to be codified into U nited S tates law in the Senator P aul Simon Water for the Poor A ct of 2005 ( Public L aw 10 9– 121 )
Whereas the lack of access to safe water and sanitation is one of the most pressing environmental public health issues in the world; Whereas over 1,000,000,000 people live without potable water and an estimated 2, 6 00,000,000 people do not have access to basic sanitation facilities, which includes 9 8 0,000,000 children; Whereas every 20 seconds a child dies as a direct result of a lack of access to basic sanitation facilities; Whereas only 3 6 percent of sub-Saharan Africa and 3 7 percent of South Asia have access to safe drinking water and sanitation, the lowest rates in the world; Whereas at any one time almost half of the developing world ’ s people are suffering from diseases associated with lack of water, sanitation, and hygiene; Whereas improved sanitation decreases the incidences of debili- tating and deadly maladies such as cholera, intestinal worms, diarrhea, pneumonia, dysentery, and skin infections; Whereas sanitation is the foundation of health, dignity, and develop- ment; Whereas increased sanitation is fundamental for reaching all of the Millennium Development Goals; Whereas access to basic sanitation helps economic and social development in countries where poor sanitation is a ma j or cause of lost work and school days because of illness; Whereas sanitation in schools enables children, particularly girls reaching puberty, to remain in the educational system; Whereas according to the World H ealth O rganization, every dollar spent on proper sanitation by governments generates an average of $ 7 in economic benefit; Whereas improved disposal of human waste protects the q uality of water sources used for drinking, preparation of food, agri- culture, and bathing; Whereas, in 2006, the United N ations, at the 61st Session of the General Assembly, declared 2008 as the I nternational Y ear of Sanitation to recognize the progress made in achieving the global sanitation target detailed in the Millennium Development Goals, as well as to call upon all Member States, United Nations agen- cies, regional and international organizations, civil society organizations, and other relevant stakeholders to renew their commitment to attaining that target; Whereas the official launching of the International Year of Sanita- tion at the United Nations was on November 21, 2007; and Whereas the thrust of the International Year of Sanitation has three parts, including —
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