BY JOY OFASIA
World Toilet Day 2025 was celebrated today at the Heritage Park Hotel in Honiara, with the RWASH Program and the Ministry of Health and Medical Services coming together to promote better sanitation for all Solomon Islanders.
The event featured speeches, presentations, panel discussions, and sanitation booth displays. World Toilet Day is marked every year on November 19.
Speaking at the event, Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Health and Medical Services, Pauline McNeil, highlighted this year’s theme, “Sanitation in a Changing World – We’ll Always Need the Toilet.” She said the theme is a strong reminder that access to proper sanitation must remain a priority.
“The theme calls for urgent action to protect and expand access to sanitation in the face of growing challenges, aging infrastructure, rising demand, and low investment, especially as climate change intensifies,” McNeil said.
She explained that the ministry continues to work hard to improve sanitation and water supply in health facilities across the country. “We must ensure that our facilities have proper sanitation and a good functioning water supply,” she said.
McNeil added that the theme speaks directly to the situation in the Solomon Islands. “Here in the country, we strongly identify with this theme and tagline as they reflect our reality. We have low sanitation coverage, and we are also vulnerable to the impacts of climate change,” she said.
World Toilet Day serves as a global reminder to push forward efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6): Clean Water and Sanitation for All by 2030.
In the Solomon Islands, many rural, peri-urban, and even urban communities still face major challenges in accessing safe sanitation. Today’s event encouraged everyone—government, partners, and communities—to work together to improve toilets, protect water sources, and build a healthier future for all.
