In an innovative initiative aimed at advancing gender equality and inclusivity in the delivery of sanitation services, officials from the Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE) participated in a specialized workshop titled “Strengthening Gender Inclusion in Sanitation Service Delivery.” The workshop was jointly organized by DPHE, ITN-BUET and CWIS-FSM support cell, with the support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Taking place at BRAC CDM, Rajendrapur from May 13th to 14th, the workshop brought together a total of 30 delegates (18 female and 12 male), including 19 senior officials from DPHE.

ITN-BUET, ENPHO, and FANSA have organized a six-day long virtual training course on CWIS from 08 May 2023. FANSA Regional partners from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Pakistan, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, who are implanting the “Rising for the Rights” project, are the primary participants of this online training program.

Amidst the pressing need to address city-wide sanitation solutions across South Asia, partners from the region convened virtually at a side event on the 10th Asia-Pacific Forum for Sustainable Development Forum (APFSD) to highlight effective and scalable models to upscale inclusive sanitation.

The 1st Sustainable Water Management (SWM) Expo was organized to align with the World Water Day theme of expediting change and taking collective efforts to solve the water crisis. The expo was jointly organized by the Bangladesh Water Works Association (BWWA), ITN-BUET, Dhaka WASA, WaterAid, and other partner organizations in Dhaka from March 20-22, 2023. The expo aimed to provide resources to achieve SDG-6 targets, and ITN-BUET offered practical insights into addressing environmental and public health issues.

The necessity of efficient collaboration among councilors and the mayor for sanitation conditions improvement through empowering women was highlighted in the dissemination workshop of the study titled “Measuring Urban Sanitation Empowerment (MUSE)” at Saidpur. Saidpur Municipality arranged the workshop in collaboration with ITN-BUET and CWIS-FSM Support Cell (CFSC), DPHE. The workshop took place on March 20, 2023, at the Conference Room of the Fecal Sludge Treatment Plant (FSTP) of the Municipality.

Two separate 2-day long training courses were conducted in Cox’s Bazar on March 15-16 and March 18-19, 2023, to enhance the knowledge and skills of professionals in fecal sludge and solid waste management from the Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE). The training was organized jointly by ITN-BUET and DPHE under the Emergency Multi-Sector Rohingya Crisis Response Project (EMCRP).

On 14 March 2023, an orientation workshop for strengthening leadership skills aimed at CWIS for women leaders was held at the ITN-BUET seminar room. The event was jointly organized by ITN-BUET and UCLG-ASPAC. Members of The Gender, Equity, and Social Inclusion (GESI) Unit of the Municipal Association of Bangladesh (MAB) attended the event.

A study titled “Measuring Urban Sanitation Empowerment (MUSE)” discovered that almost half of the women living in Saidpur and Meherpur municipalities still need permission to buy sanitary products. The study’s preliminary findings were presented at a dissemination workshop held on March 5, 2023, at the ITN-BUET seminar room, in honor of International Women’s Day. The study was conducted in collaboration with Emory University and received support from the CWIS-FSM Support Cell, DPHE, WaterAid Bangladesh, and Practical Action.

The prototype of “CWIS Knowledge Repository” has been launched to promote access to knowledge and support continuous learning on city-wide inclusive sanitation and fecal sludge management. The launching ceremony was held on February 21, 2023, in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.

A workshop on “Measuring Urban Sanitation and Empowerment (MUSE) Study Project” was organized by ITN-BUET and Practical Action on 7th February at the Conference room of Meherpur Municipality. The workshop aimed to provide insights into the sanitation conditions in the municipality and promote women’s empowerment toward sanitation.