In 2002, the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg reaffirmed the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2000. The Summit also highlighted access to basic sanitation as a centrepiece of the poverty eradication commitments and added Target 10, under MDG 7, to halve the proportion of people without access to basic sanitation by 2015, relative to 1990 levels.
Progress toward Target 10 has been slow and uneven, leading the UN General Assembly to declare 2008 the International Year of Sanitation. On 21 November 2007, the UN officially launched the International Year of Sanitation to accelerate progress for the 2.6 billion people worldwide who are without access to proper sanitation facilities.
Australia is contributing to this global effort and playing a lead role in the Asia-Pacific region. The recent Budget committed an additional $300 million over three years from 2008-09 to 2010-11 on water and sanitation through Australia's international development assistance program. This initiative represents a major increase in Australia's water and sanitation aid (from a base of approximately $50 million per annum) and is an integral part of the Government's approach to achieving the MDGs in partner countries. Importantly, the new initiative will include a substantial expansion of funding for basic sanitation.
On 17 June 2008, the Parliamentary Secretary for International Development Assistance, Mr Bob McMullan, officially launched the International Year of Sanitation in Australia at a function in Parliament House, organised by the UN Information Centre. This launch marks the importance of sanitation in the Australian development assistance program and strongly underlined Australia's commitment to work with partner governments and international agencies to improve the living standards and life chances of the millions of people who currently miss out on basic services.
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