The Global Handwashing Partnership
The Covid-19 pandemic provided a stark reminder that one of the most effective ways to stop the spread of a virus is also one of the simplest: hand hygiene, especially through handwashing with soap. To beat the virus today and ensure better health outcomes beyond the pandemic, handwashing with soap must be a priority now and in the future.
Essity, hygiene product manufacturer, has become a strategic partner of the GHP, Global Handwashing Partnership, an organisation that aims to bring hand hygiene within everyone’s reach.
GHP’s prestigious steering committee members include UNICEF and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Essity’s CEO and President, Magnus Groth, said “The Global Handwashing Partnership brings together the expertise, experience, ideas, resources, and reach of both the public and private sectors all over the world to promote handwashing with soap.
“Hand hygiene is essential for our wellbeing - and in the midst of an ongoing pandemic we need to do more to increase our hygiene practices both now and in the future....as a leading supplier we feel uniquely placed to team up with GHP to promote hand hygiene.”
Established in 2001, the Global Handwashing Partnership organises the annual Global Handwashing Day, established in 2008, takes place each year on October 15. Local and national leaders use the occasion to demonstrate the value of clean hands, spreading the handwashing message and supporting communities with facilities such as sinks and tippy taps.
Handwashing with soap can dramatically reduce the risk of serious illness and even death, according to the Global Handwashing Partnership. Good hand hygiene can also help to prevent the spread of many infections diseases.
In 2020 the theme of the GHD was ‘Hand Hygiene for All’ and this initiative, co-led by WHO and UNICEF, was to ensure that hand hygiene products and services be made available to everyone, particularly those in disadvantaged countries.
Global Handwashing Partnership’s Secretariat Director Ron Clemmer said: “We want hand hygiene to become normalised and habitual, thus achieving the vision of hand hygiene for all by 2030.
“Essity is an important partner with us in this initiative, sharing the company’s leadership to support hand hygiene in schools and work environments.”
