Background

As the 21st-century transitions into a new decade, 453 million people across Asia and the Pacific still defecate in the open. About 1.2 billion people have no access to basic sanitation services. Of these numbers, 72% live in rural areas.

The United Nations estimate that by current indications, many developing countries will fall short of reaching the Sustainable Development Goal on sanitation for all by 2030 (SDG 6.2). It is imperative that programs and projects for sanitation in the region must be pursued immediately.

The situation also stresses the demand to doing things differently. We need to flush away business as usual to ensure that investments are directed toward communities where interventions are needed the most.

In addition, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has made water, sanitation, and hygiene a critical means to prevent the transmission of the virus and strengthen public health, especially among the vulnerable.

Theme: Accelerating Inclusive Sanitation

The Online ADB Sanitation Dialogue 2021 (ASD 2021) focused on the theme of “Accelerating Inclusive Sanitation.” ASD 2021 is an opportunity to raise awareness and action on increasing access to inclusive sanitation. This means everyone has access to and benefits from sustainable sanitation services and human waste are safely managed along the whole sanitation service chain.

Adapting to the new normal, ASD 2021 was redesigned as a series of webinars over the course of two weeks that was available for all.

As the fourth edition of the dialogue, ASD 2021 aims to amplify awareness on citywide inclusive sanitation (CWIS), a systemic approach based on equity, safety, and sustainability. To avoid the unwelcome 2030 scenario of leaving people behind without adequate sanitation, this dialogue focused on practical solutions, addressing bottlenecks, and building capacity to reinforce the motivation for sanitation for all.

Objectives

ASD 2021 aimed to share knowledge on developing and implementing inclusive sanitation through:

• upfront presentations of the consequences of poor sanitation and polluted water sources;
• heavy use of case studies to demonstrate solutions, including the CWIS approach;
• focus on introducing resilience planning in CWIS strategy using urban climate change resilience tools;
• use of smaller workshops to ensure greater focus on issues confronting developing members;
• opportunities for ADB and partners to explain how they can be of practical assistance to developing members; and
• ensuring developing member delegates leave with a sense of purpose and clear views on what actions they can take to accelerate their sanitation work programs.

Participants

ASD 2021 gathered representatives from ADB developing member countries, specialists, project officers, and decision-makers. Major partners, such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Urban Climate Change Resilience Trust Fund, as well as other multilateral development banks, related organizations, private sector, and civil society also attended.

Participants discussed the latest sanitation strategies, tools, new technologies, and alternatives, integrating resilience, as well as ways to tap financing and leverage partnerships.

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