IDS
Bangladesh’s sanitation achievements and the second generation challenges

Toilets and related sanitation systems can prevent the spread of diarrhoeal diseases and faecally-transmitted infections threatening young children’s lives. Bangladesh increased sanitation coverage remarkably rapidly due to several factors, including a vigorous national campaign from 2003 to 2006. Now in its ‘second generation’ of sanitation development, Bangladesh faces new challenges.
The Partial Usage of Toilets

Report from the CLTS Sharing and Learning workshop at SACOSAN VI
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Innovative Bangladesh: CLTS Sharing and Learning at the 6th SACOSAN Conference in Dhaka

Regional CLTS sharing and learning workshop, Sunday 10 January 2016: Innovative Bangladesh!
The traditional pre-SAN gathering of CLTS practitioners and enthusiasts brought together an interesting and eclectic group in Dhaka, with a notably large and welcome presence by the Afghanistan delegation. The focus of the first session was on innovation and new learning. While always difficult to focus the group’s attention tightly on new learning, several interesting new developments were highlighted.
Evaluating programmes in the WASH sector

The Dhaka Declaration

An important change agreed upon is the creation of a SACOSAN Secretariat and a Working Group, to facilitate communication and horizontal learning between the biennial conferences. The Sri Lankan government has volunteered to host the Secretariat.
Another point in the declaration is to reach out to other multi-country fora with information and advocacy for sanitation improvement. SAARC, the regional coalition, was specifically mentioned; and a SAARC representative spoke in the concluding ceremony.
Leaving no one behind- Day 3 at SACOSAN VI

Leave No One Behind
Presentation by an Afghan woman (Adiba Quraishi): We women do not use public toilets. We are embarrassed to be seen going into them. During these last few days, I have learned that governments are doing a lot.
Update from SACOSAN VI

Session on Community Approaches to Sanitation and Hygiene
Reporting from SACOSAN VI

The eight large and small countries involved in these biennial South Asia Sanitation Conferences (SACOSAN) differ in important ways. The Maldives is an island nation. Bhutan and Nepal are mountainous areas. Bangladesh’s, Afghanistan’s, and Pakistan’s populations are majority Muslim. India, of course, is the largest and most diverse. And Sri Lanka may be the most advanced in terms of literacy and other development indicators. Sri Lanka has recently experienced civil war and a tsunami, which also hit the Maldives. Nepal had a terrible earthquake last spring.