Consider the following statements regarding World Toilet Organization :
1. It is one of the agencies of the United Nations.
2. World Toilet Summit, World Toilet Day and World Toilet College are the initiatives of this organization, to inspire action to tackle the global sanitation crisis.
3. The main focus of its function is to grant funds to the least developed countries and developing countries to achieve the end of open defecation.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
2 only
3 only
1 and 2
2 and 3
Answer is Right!
Answer is Wrong!
This question was previously asked in
UPSC IAS – 2024
1. It is one of the agencies of the United Nations. This is incorrect. The World Toilet Organization is an international non-profit organization founded in 2001, not an agency of the United Nations.
2. World Toilet Summit, World Toilet Day and World Toilet College are the initiatives of this organization, to inspire action to tackle the global sanitation crisis. This is correct. WTO organizes the World Toilet Summit and founded World Toilet Day (which is now officially recognized by the UN as 19 November). It also runs the World Toilet College to provide training in sanitation.
3. The main focus of its function is to grant funds to the least developed countries and developing countries to achieve the end of open defecation. This is incorrect. While WTO works towards improving sanitation globally, its primary function is advocacy, raising awareness, capacity building through education and training (like the World Toilet College), and fostering innovation and collaboration. Granting large-scale funds is typically the role of development banks, governments, and larger international aid organizations, not the core activity of WTO.
Therefore, only statement 2 is correct.
– WTO initiated World Toilet Day (now a UN observance) and holds summits and training programs.
– WTO focuses on advocacy, education, and capacity building rather than being a primary funding body.