The German Network for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) was founded by German non-governmental Organisations (NGOs) on June 20th 2011. The members of the WASH Network are German non-profit organisations which focus on development cooperation or humanitarian emergency relief and rehabilitation and are actively engaged in the WASH sector.
Although one of the primary aims of the network is joint advocacy and public relations it is also an effort to further professionalisation through the continuous exchange of knowledge and through improved integration of emergency- and transitional aid and development cooperation.
UN-Water is the official supporter of our campaign "Sanitation is Dignity".
UN-Water is a mechanism to strengthen co-ordination and coherence among all UN bodies dealing with water-related issues, from health to farming, environment to energy, food to climate, and sanitation to disasters. Set up in 2003, UN-Water consists of 26 members, including UNICEF, WHO, WSSCC, UNDP, UN-Habitat, UNEP and FAO.
UN-Water is not another UN agency; it adds value to existing UN programmes and projects, more co-operation and information-sharing among existing UN agencies as well as outside partners. UN-Water is responsible for organizing the annual United Nations World Water Day (22 March) and the Decade on Water 2005 - 2015.
UN-Water views water and sanitation issues to be among the most urgent challenges of our time.
GTO is Partner of the "Sustainable Sanitation Alliance".
The "Sustainable Sanitation Alliance" is a network consisting of experts, governmental and nongovernmental organizations, which work in the area of sustainable sanitation concepts. The network was founded in the preparation for the "International Year of Sanitation 2008".
The objective of the "Sustainable Sanitation Alliance" is to coordinate and toharmonize the actions of the partners in order to spread and to support sustainable solutions.
The GTO works actively in the working group "Public Awareness & Sanitation Marketing".
GTO supports the initiatives of End Water Poverty.
EWP is an international campaign to end the global injustice causing millions to live without access to clean water and sanitation.
The members call for policy changes that must be delivered by donors as well as both national and local governments. Their initiatives are strongly connected to the G8 process. EWP aims to encourage the G8 - as one of the most influential donor forums - to constitute a global action plan for sanitation and water monitored by one global task force.
The GTO is a member of the umbrella organisation of the German Development non-governmental organisations. (VENRO)
VENRO is a voluntary coalition of 120 German non-governmental organisations (NGOs) which are working nationwide. Its aim is to promote dialogue and the exchange of experience among these NGOs and to represent them in public and in dealing with governmental agencies and other international organisations.
The GTO advocates for the issues water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) within VENRO to ensure that it gets the necessary attention in German development work.
GTO is a member of the Working Group on Water of FUE.
FUE is a mechanism for coordination and coherence among german Non-Governmental-Organisations (NGOs), which work in the field of environmental conservation and development cooperation.
By working together we are able to have a greater impact and we have plenty success stories where a collaborative approach has been critical e.g. the World Toilet Day 2008 press conference in front of the Berlin's Central Station
GTO is member of the "Berliner Entwicklungspolitischen Ratschlag e.V." (BER).
BER is the network of initiatives, organizations and groups in Berlin, which work in the field of development and cooperation politics. BER coordinates the activities between its members and represents their interests.
The GTO is a member of the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC).
The Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) was formally created in 1990 to continue the work of the International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade (1981-1990). The Collaborative Council exists under a mandate from the United Nations. It is governed by a multi-stakeholder steering committee elected by the Collaborative Council's members, combining the authority of the UN with the flexibility of an NGO and the legitimacy of a membership organisation.
Using the MDGs' targets as milestones, the Collaborative Council aims to improve access to water, sanitation and hygiene for all people and to achieve broader goals like poverty eradication, health and environmental improvement, gender equality and long-term social and economic development.
WSSCC works by enhancing collaboration among sector agencies and professionals rather than implementing its own projects and aims to be at the forefront of global knowledge, debate and influence in its field.
The GTO has been inspired by Project CLEAN for its project "Toiletised World" in Germany.
Project CLEAN has worked 17 years to improve the safety, cleanliness and hygiene of public school restrooms and is the national leader in these efforts in the USA.
The project is led by the coordinator Dr. Tom Keating. The GTO is thankful for his inspiration and pioneering ideas for the implementation of our projects in schools in Germany.
The GTO is an independent partner of the World Toilet Organization (WTO).
The WTO was founded in Singapore in 2001 and is an internationally active,nonprofit organization. The objective of the WTO is to support theattainment of the UN Millennium Development Goals.
WTO cross-links international experts and more than 50 national institutions in the area of sanitation and sewage systems. WTO organizes regularly the World Toilet Summit, World Toilet Forum & Expo and the World Toilet Day (19th of November each year.
The GTO and Saniblog are partners.
Saniblog.org is the German knowledge platform for sanitation provision, which through its up-to-date information has developed into an knowledge-management institution for the branch.
Like many other experts in the WASH sector, the GTO publishes its latest research and results on Saniblog.
GTO member Jürgen Eichholz is the webmaster und moderator of the blog .