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.

ITN-BUET organized a dissemination event on February 4th, 2023 to share the results of its research project titled “Septic tank sludge treatment in Bangladesh: Constructed wetlands” with sector professionals, academicians, researchers, and government officials. The event took place at the Seminar Room, ITN-BUET, Dhaka.

On 12th January 2023, ITN-BUET and CWIS-FSM Support Cell (CFSC) of DPHE facilitated a technical session hosted by WaterAid Bangladesh (WAB) on ‘Orientation on CWIS’ for the participants from Chattogram Region of MAB.

On 11 January 2023, an ITN-BUET representative facilitated a technical session on ‘sharing roles and responsibilities for Gender, Equity and Social Inclusion Unit’ targeting the Unit’s members and other general members of MAB.

ITN-BUET and WaterAid Bangladesh jointly organized an international training and exposure visit on ‘Urban Rainwater Harvesting System’ during December 11- 14, 2022, at ITN Seminar Room, BUET, Dhaka, to sensitize and capacitate practitioners, planners, academicians, industrialists, students, researchers, and policymakers on RWHS.

ITN-BUET signed a Strategic Partnership Agreement with the Global Water and Sanitation Centre (GWSC) at the Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand, on 30 November 2022. The signing event took place during the launching ceremony of the Global Water & Sanitation Center (GWSC), funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.