SUB-REGIONALSYNTHESIS SESSION DESCRIPTION FORM
10TH WORLD WATER FORUM

Climate resilient and inclusive WASH with a particular focus on inclusive
sanitation management and service delivery for marginalized groups in SouthAsia
Wednesday 22 May, 14.50-16.20 Uhr (Indonesian Time)
Room: Jakarta A&B, Roundtable 208 Seats

Session code: RP6
Session Coordinators•••

Manohara Khadka, IWMI Nepal Email : M.Khadka@cgiar.org +97798020211131
Santosh Nepal, IWMI Nepal; Email : S.Nepal@cgiar.org; +97798020211131
Ms Kusum Athukorala, Women for Water Partnership, Sri Lanka

Background
Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) are crucial for public health and well-being, yet they remain
major challenges in South Asia, a region prone to climate change and natural and human-caused
disasters. Access to improved water has increased from 73% to 93% since 1990. However, over 134
million people still do not have access to improved drinking water. Similarly, significant progress has
been made in recent years towards improving sanitation coverage, with the proportion of thepopulation with access to improved sanitation facilities increasing from 30% in 2002 to 87% in 2022.
Despite this progress, over half of the region's population lacks access to safely managed sanitation
facilities, leaving millions vulnerable to preventable diseases and health hazards.
South Asia is highly vulnerable to both natural and anthropogenic disasters. Each year, floods,cyclones, droughts, and earthquakes displace and bring suffering to millions of people, particularly
pregnant and lactating women, persons with disability, and socio-economically disadvantaged
groups. Around 12.5 million people were displaced in South Asia in 2022 due to natural disasters.
Insufficient access to clean water, sanitation facilities, and inadequate hygiene practices exacerbate
the situation for those affected by disasters, leading to a rise in waterborne diseases and hindering
recovery efforts. Particularly in rural areas, limited access to clean water, inadequate sanitation
facilities, and poor hygiene practices contribute to health problems and hinder overall well-being.
Many rural communities lack proper infrastructure for water supply, sanitation, and waste
management, leading to the contamination of water sources and the spread of waterborne diseases.
Applying a Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) lens to the water, sanitation, andhygiene sector in South Asia is essential as it focuses on identifying and addressing the specificchallenges faced by women, persons with disability, and other groups of people marginalised due tocaste, gender, ethnicity, geography, and religion. Thus, the region needs to prioritise inclusive water
security and access, as well as safely managed sanitation and equitable sanitation services.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim to achieve universal access to safely managed water,sanitation, and hygiene in households, healthcare facilities, schools, and institutions, prioritising theneeds of the poorest and marginalised groups while setting a higher standard of service. However,progress towards meeting the SDGs is slow. The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF
suggest that to meet SDG 6 on clean water and sanitation, progress must be five times faster in rural
areas globally and ten times faster in least developed countries.
Objectives and session outputs
The session, which will be coorganised by International Water Management Institue (IWMI), Asia
Pacific Water Forum, Women for Water Partnership, UNICEF, Smart WASH Solutions and Water forWomen, will address the issues and obstacles related to inclusive and climate-resilient WASH, with afocus on sanitation management and service provision in South Asia, focusing on marginalised
groups. The conversation in this session will involve various stakeholders who will lead the efforts tomake the water and sanitation sector more climate-resilient and enhance inclusive sanitation
management and service delivery in South Asia. The session will include a presentation on theoutcomes of the South Asia regional consultation held on 29 April 2024 and interactive panel
discussions to address challenges and barriers, and solutions for improving inclusive WASH in South
Asia. The expected outcomes will be :1. Increased awareness of the vulnerablity of the WASH sector to climate change and extreme
events
2. Improved understanding of gender equality, disability inclusion, and social inclusion in theWASH sector, ensuring equitable access to water security and safely managed sanitation
3. Key recommendations for the governments to prioritise climate-resilient and inclusive WASHpolicies in their policy frameworks and investment must be secured to achieve this.
4. Improved understanding and collaboration between WASH and other pertinent sectors, suchas Water Supply, Health, and multiple water resource usage, are essential.
5. Enhanced understanding of the need for a holistic perspective and systematic investment tomake the existing WASH system inclusive and climate-resilient.

Detailed Session plan:
Master of ceremony : Dr Jayati Chourey, SaciWATERs
ESTIMATEDTIMING
5 min

Welcome remarks

5 minsOpening remarks

10 mins

Special remarks

10 minOutcomes from the SouthConfirmed
Asia Regional Session
Panel discussion: Way forward for inclusive and climate-resilient WASH

50 mins

ITEM DESCRIPTION / ROLE

SPEAKERS
Ms Kusum Athukorala, Women
for Water Partnership
Dr Eduardo Araral, vice chair,
APWF Governing Council
Hon Shakti Bahadur Basnet Minister of Energy, Water
Resources and Irrigation, Nepal
Ms Arinita Maskey, UNICEF

SPEAKERS STATUS
Confirmed
Confirmed
Confirmed

●●●What are South Asia's major challenges and barriers to inclusive and climateresilient WASH services?
How could we address the challenges of resource gap, political commitment
and funding priorities for addressing inequality and marginalisation in theclimate-resilient WASH, especially sanitation services in the region ?
What does South Asia need to do differently in research, policy, and practices
to promote inclusive and climate-resilient WASH ?

Moderator: Dr Santosh Nepal, Researcher- Water Resources and Climate Change,IWMIPanellists:••••

Dr Mahreen Matto, Team Lead, National Institute of Urban Affairs (DasraNFSSM Alliance), India (Confirmed)
Dr Darshan Karki, IWMI (Nepal) (Confirmed)
Mr Amar Gunathilleke, MARGA Institute, Sri Lanka (Confirmed)Dr Alison Baker, Water for Women, Australia (Confirmed)

Questions/Answers
5 minsSpecial remarks

5 minsConcluding remarks withmain takeaways

Hon Jeevan Thondaman,
Ministry of Water Supply andEstate Infrastructure Development, Sri Lanka
Dr Inga Jacobs-Mata, Directorof Water-Growth and Inclusion,
IWMI

Confirmed

Confirmed

Total: 90 mins
Organised by: IWMI, Asia Pacific Water Forum, Women for Water Partnership, UNICEF, Smart WASHSolutions, Water for Women