The United Nations appoints Mother London to world sanitation brief
The Millennium Development Goals, responsible for the most successful anti poverty push in history, highlighted poor sanitation as a major health and environmental hazard. With just 800 days to go meet the 2015 target date for the Goals' achievement, the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson has initiated, on behalf of the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, a renewed effort to drive progress on sanitation.
Mother was appointed following a competitive international pitch process. The agency will work closely with the UN Millennium Campaign (UNMC) and the UN's Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) to deliver a creative concept and produce an integrated communications campaign to support the global call to action on sanitation.
2.5 billion people in the world - one third of humanity - still lack improved sanitation facilities. One billion people continue to practice open defecation - behaviour acknowledged as a key indicator of poverty and a major factor in the spread of disease. Mother's campaign will create greater awareness on sanitation as a health issue and as a human right, stressing the gravity of the problem, but also recognising the significant progress being made in many countries. The campaign will run globally in English but be adaptable to specific local needs (languages etc) to enable as many local partners as possible to support the call to action. The campaign will be rolled out in mid 2014.
"The UN was looking for an agency with global capacity, an understanding of public service campaigns and a breakthrough idea," said Mother Global Creative Partner Carlos Bayala. "From the outset we knew the concept had to be simple and adaptable to enable the greatest local impact. As we roll out the campaign in partnership with the WSSCC and UNMC, we hope we can help facilitate the rapid progress required by the Millennium Development Goals."
About the UN Millennium Campaign
The UN Millennium Campaign (UNMC) was established by the UN Secretary-General in 2002. The Campaign supports citizens' efforts to track government's commitment towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. The UNMC is an extremely innovative entity with a proven record in building partnerships across the UN and with over 700 civil society organisations, the media, the creative industry and the private sector to deliver innovative communication and advocacy campaigns with global reach.
About the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council
The UN Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) is a global multi-stakeholder partnership and membership organisation that works to save lives and improve livelihoods. It is committed to contributing substantially to global efforts to improve sanitation and hygiene for vulnerable sections of society, with a special focus on communities in Africa and Asia. WSSCC has built its reputation with a 20-year credible track record as a major global organisation with extensive experience in water, sanitation and hygiene issues at the community, national and international level. It was a lead advocate in the campaign to have a sanitation target incorporated into the MDGs in 2002, and has maintained this advocacy profile ever since.
