South Asian Conference on Sanitation

Following the example of the AfricaSan Conference held in Johannesburg last year, between the 21st and 23rd of October 2003, the BCF Conference Centre in Dhaka, Bangladesh, will be the stage for the South Asian Conference on Sanitation (SACoSan). This working conference will be hosted by the Local Government Division of the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives (LGRD&C) of the Government of Bangladesh, and co-hosted by the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC), UNICEF, the Water and Sanitation Programme - South Asian region (WSP - SA), Danish International Development Assistance (DANIDA), UK Department for International Development (DFID), WaterAid and Plan Bangladesh. Participating countries to the conference include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. From each of these countries, participants will include representatives from ministries, public and private sector, civil society, external support agencies, academia and the media.

The overall goal of the conference is to accelerate the progress of sanitation and hygiene work in South Asia so as to enhance people's quality of life. This is in fulfilment of the Millennium Development Goals and the commitments made in the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg. There are four specific conference objectives:

1. To raise the profile of sanitation, health and hygiene in South Asia after the WSSD;
2. To generate political commitments that prioritise and facilitate an agenda (fixing targets and strategies) for sanitation and hygiene;
3. To strengthen leadership/advocacy for improved sanitation and hygiene in South Asia; and
4. To assess the state of sanitation and hygiene in South Asia, sharing experiences and lessons by people and organisations working in the field.

A copy of the background paper is available here.

Participating countries at the event will bring together a number of 'Country Papers' that examine what is being done to counter the problems arising from inadequate sanitation coverage, both in terms of the approaches (people-centred, awareness-raising, subsidy-free), and the processes (facilitative, demand-responsive, participatory, etc.) being undertaken. Papers will also outline a future Plan of Action that represents a series of commitments to formulating and implementing policy.

Additionally, the conference will facilitate a series of discussion groups on key thematic issues where those working at a policy level on issues relating to sanitation will present their papers and engage in discussions. Themes will include motivation and collective action; supply and demand; and institutional support.

The Prime Minister of Bangladesh will inaugurate the conference. A Ministerial roundtable discussion will be held at the end of the conference and a formal Declaration will be presented by the Minister of LGRD&C, Government of Bangladesh. The Conference resulted in the Dhaka Declaration now available here.

• Local Government Division, Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives (LGRD&C) of the Government of Bangladesh
• Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC)
• UNICEF
• Water and Sanitation Programme - South Asian region (WSP - SA)
• Danish International Development Assistance (DANIDA)
• UK Department for International Development (DFID)
• WaterAid
• Plan Bangladesh