....to demand action for expanded toilet facilities

Accra, Feb. 12, GNA- Between March 20 and 22, 2010, civil society groups across Ghana would partake in the World's Longest Toilet Queue, a global mobilisation bringing together thousands of campaigners from across the world to demand real change.

It is aimed at using this global world record breaking queues to demand action from local, national and international political leaders to put sanitation and water issues at the top of the global agenda. Mr Patrick Apoya, outgoing Secretary of CONIWAS, WaterAid Ghana, explained the concept about the longest toilet queue when he briefed the media in Accra on the First Annual High Level Meeting (HLM) to be held in Washington on April 23 this year.

Mr. Apoya explained that the meeting which was the first of its kind, would be attended by Ministers of Finance from 18 developing countries including Ghana, Liberia and Uganda, and accompanied by their Ministers responsible for water and sanitation as well as Ministers of Development Co-operation from donor countries.

The meeting would offer the opportunity to reverse the political and financial neglect of a crisis that is undermining all progress towards the attainment of the MDGs.

He said it was important that Ghana's delegation to the meeting equipped themselves with adequate information on the water and sanitation situation in the country, the progress and challenges, so that they would be able to clearly articulate the needs of the sector to attract positive investment.

He called on the general public to support the campaign when the time comes to help drum home the urgent need for expanded toilet infrastructure both in communities and within private residences. In Ghana queues would be organised simultaneously in all communities across the country, and would be monitored by WaterAid Ghana, a non-governmental organisation whose aim is to transforms lives by improving access to safe water, hygiene and sanitation in the world's poorest communities.

They work with partners such as the Coalition of NGOs in Water and Sanitation (CONIWAS) and influence decision-makers to maximise their impact in the sector.