Rolf Luyendijk and Portia Persley on Tackling the Global Sanitation Crisis

Three out of every five people on the planet, or about 4.5 billion people, face every day without access to safely managed sanitation, while more than 890 million still practice open defecation. With such a daunting level of unmet need for improved sanitation facilities and services, what does the path forward look like? To wrestle with this difficult question, this special World Toilet Day edition of Global Waters Radio features two thought leaders in the water and sanitation sectors: Rolf Luyendijk, Executive Director of the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC), and Portia Persley, Deputy Director of the Water Office at the U.S. Agency for International Development. In this podcast, Rolf and Portia discuss the scope of the world’s current sanitation crisis, highlight promising innovations for scaling-up sanitation solutions globally, and talk about the financial commitments needed to lay the foundation for a healthier future for all. Having trouble accessing this episode? You can also stream this podcast by searching "Global Waters Radio" on iTunes, Google Play, or your preferred podcast platform. For more information on topics, programs, or organizations related to this podcast: World Toilet Day Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme Globalwaters.org: Sanitation and Hygiene Global Waters Radio was a podcast series produced by the Water Team at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) from 2016 - 2020. The series offered listeners insights from USAID officials, development partners, thought leaders and experts from across the water sector as they discussed USAID water programming and cutting-edge research from around the world.