Dutch doctors deliver message in a potty
Minister of International Cooperation receives medical petition from Simavi in advance of key United Nations meeting
Credit: Mike van Hees
Just two weeks before Heads of State gather at the United Nations to discuss measures to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, Dutch NGO Simavi presented a petition signed by 401 Dutch doctors to Minister of Development Coorperation, Bert Koenders.
The petition was presented alongside 500 'potties' outside parliament, with each potty representing ten children who die each day from water-related diseases. Minister Koenders was met by Rolien Sasse, Director of Simavi, and two medical representatives.
The doctors' petition highlighted the key role played by sanitation in improving public health, and called for the Dutch Government to lead efforts to end the global sanitation crisis at the upcoming UN meeting on 25th September.
In response to the petition, Minister Koenders recognized that access to water and sanitation is a key catalyst to achieving improvements in public health, promised to monitor water and sanitation targets, offered to host an international conference, and reiterated the Dutch Government's commitment to provide water and sanitation to 50 million people by 2015.
The campaign in the Netherlands is part of broad international efforts taking place as part of the End Water Poverty campaign to ensure that the UN High-Level Event on the Millennium Development Goals, taking place in New York between 22nd and 25th September, delivers real progress for communities across the world.
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