The International Year of Sanitation

                 In December 2006, the UN General Assembly declared 2008 as the International Year of Sanitation and requested the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) to serve as the focal point for the Year and to develop proposals on possible activities. The Year was one of the recommendations of the Hashimoto Action Plan launched by (UNSGAB) in March 2006 at the 4th World Water Forum. 

During International Year of Sanitation '08 (IYS)

A world record for hand washing with soap was set?

Governments allocated more funding to sanitation?

Parliaments committed to incorporating sanitation as a basic human right in national constitutions?

Coordinating bodies for sanitation were established?

Policies and action plans on sanitation were signed?

Soap packaging in some countries was redesigned to include sanitation messages?

Community approaches to sanitation were integrated into national planning?

Many people around the world talked about toilets?

⇒Related links: http://www.un.org/en/events/sanitation/

The International Year of Planet Earth

      The International Year of Planet Earth was held in 2008. It focused on activities that protect the planet's future and improve the standard of life. This event occurred simultaneously with other UN initiatives- the International Year of Languages and International Year of the Potato

About this logo: In 2002 the German Ministry of Education and Research in 2002 instigated the very successful Jahr der Geowissenschaften. The logo used in the national event forms the basis of the International Year logo, by kind permission of the German Ministry. This consists of an inner circle (red) representing the solid Earth, then the biosphere in green and the hydrosphere in dark blue, above which is the pale blue atmosphere, all constituents of the Earth System.

⇒Related links: http://yearofplanetearth.org/