WSSCC shines a global spotlight on sanitation and hygiene

SACOSAN IV, the 4th South Asian Conference on Sanitation which is part of a series of important periodic meetings designed to improve peoples' access to sanitation and hygiene in the region, takes place 4-7 April in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) has helped drive preparations for the meeting and will have a multi-dimensional presence on site for the event and at the gathering of civil society organization representatives preceding SACOSAN IV.

WSSCC is an alliance of members from a range of sectors who are committed to improving the lives of poor people around the world by improving access to basic sanitation, good hygiene practices and safe drinking water. WSSCC's active engagement in SACOSAN IV stems from the fact that while South Asia has progressed relatively well with sanitation and hygiene policies, institutions and investments, it remains the region of the world with the largest number of people who lack sanitation and suffer from poor hygienic practices. Because of this, the region as a whole will likely miss the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) sanitation target.

"WSSCC's involvement in SACOSAN is part of our commitment to ensure that not a single person in South Asia is left without access to safe sanitation in the future," said Jon Lane, WSSCC Executive Director. "Governments in South Asia together with people themselves are the biggest investors in facilities; WSSCC can only play the role of smart facilitators. The biggest challenge in the region is reaching those who have no voice, information or means to access their basic entitlements." He called the fact that over 700 million people in the region defecate in the open and many more do not have adequate water for washing bathing or personal hygiene as "an unacceptable situation that we must correct together."

Several leading sector organizations, including WSSCC, have teamed up in the run-up to SACOSAN IV to bring the voices of the people and the most vital topics to the podium and raise the challenges around the unserved in the region, with a view to seeing increased commitments and meaningful collaborative action reflected in the meeting outcomes and beyond. Countries in focus include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

WSSCC support to event preparations and sessions
WSSCC has been involved actively in the development of the conference programme through its place on the International Steering Committee for SACOSAN IV, where Ms. Archana Patkar, Programme Manager for Networking and Knowledge Management, represents WSSCC. During SACOSAN IV, WSSCC will also serve as a member of the Conference Declaration Drafting Committee.

The final declaration will set the general tone and direction for continued sanitation and hygiene work in South Asia for the next several years.

In addition to the overall conference engagement, WSSCC and a number of its partners are involved in some of SACOSAN's premier topical sessions. These include:
• Pre-SACOSAN IV Consultation Meeting of Civil Society Organizations, 1-2 April 2011 at the Hotel Tammarind in Colombo, which WSSCC is organizing together with its partners the Freshwater Action Network South Asia (FANSA) and WaterAid
• Opening Plenary of SACOSAN IV on 4 April, where WSSCC Executive Director Jon Lane will speak on the global importance of sanitation
• Grassroots and Civil Society Voices: the voices of the `un-served' and the relevance of barefoot activists, arranged with WaterAid and FANSA, 5 April, 12.00 to 13.30
• Reaching the Unserved, 5 April, 14.45 to 16.10• "WASH in Schools, including attention for special needs of girls," coordinated by Plan International, 6 April, 09.15 to 10.40
Bringing out the voices of the unserved
A major effort by WSSCC and its partners has been to prepare reports and audiovisual materials that will speak about unspoken topics, and in doing so, give voice to the affected peoples of South Asia. One report, the Equity and Inclusion Regional Synthesis Paper for South Asia, was produced by WSSCC with WaterAid and UNICEF. Another, the South Asian People's Perspective on Sanitation – Executive Summary and Regional Synthesis Report, was produced by WSSCC with WaterAid and FANSA and involved personal, one-on-one dialogues with unserved people through the region during the last five months. Two videos designed to let people themselves speak about the importance of sanitation and hygiene – or lack thereof – in their lives, have also been prepared and will be shown at key points during both the pre-meeting and SACOSAN proper.

Practitioners, journalists and staff comprise
WSSCC team on siteIn addition to Mr. Lane and Ms. Patkar, WSSCC staff participating at SACOSAN includes Ms. Carolien van der Voorden, Programme Officer for Networking and Knowledge Management, and Mr. Oliver Jones, Programme Officer for the WSSCC Global Sanitation Fund. WSSCC has also sponsored a number of civil society participants, joining forces with WaterAid and FANSA to bring 20 civil society representatives from throughout the region to the Colombo events. Indian journalists Rina Mukherji and Darryl D'Monte complete the WSSCC team.

Joint exhibition brings civil society voices to the fore
WSSCC, WaterAid and FANSA will have a joint exhibition booth in the main SACOSAN exhibition area. The exhibit will showcase the civil society experience, voice and expertise to the conference, but also make available the latest WSSCC knowledge and advocacy products, provide information on WSSCC's growing Global Sanitation Fund portfolio of country programmes, and offer updates on the 9-14 October 2011 WSSCC Global Forum on Sanitation and Hygiene set for Mumbai, India. For the Global Forum on Sanitation and Hygiene, WSSCC will bring the lessons and experiences from the South Asia SACOSAN process to a global WASH audience in Mumbai, providing an opportunity for cross-border and cross-regional knowledge sharing, networking and planning for future work around the globe on sanitation and hygiene issues. 

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