ADBI-Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Roundtable on Sanitation and Development

Sanitation gaps are a global problem that continues to affect large segments of developing Asia and the Pacific, despite the considerable progress of efforts to address it in recent decades. The COVID-19 crisis has further increased the importance of improving inclusive sanitation access and the lives of targeted users, especially across poor areas and vulnerable groups.

Dil Rahut

Dil Rahut joined the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI) as a Senior Research Fellow in January 2021 and was appointed Vice-Chair of Research in April 2022.

His research focuses on development microeconomics, agricultural economics, and environmental and natural resource economics. He is currently implementing experiments and field research in agriculture, natural resources, and climate in Asia.

K.E. Seetha Ram

He is concurrently visiting professor at the Center for Spatial Information Science, University of Tokyo, Japan, and a special advisor to East Japan Railways Company (JR East) for India High-Speed Rail. Between 2013-2017, Seetha acted as the focal point for ADB-wide knowledge management, working to spur innovative solutions to the varied development challenges in Asia.

Nisha Arunatilake

Nisha Arunatilake is the Director of Research and a fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) of Sri Lanka. She has considerable post-doctoral experience in conducting policy related economic research in labour market analysis, education, public finance and health. Her work is published in both local and international journals, book chapters and reports. She has collaborated with, and has been a consultant to bilateral and multi-lateral donor agencies.

Monzur Hossain

Monzur Hossain obtained his Ph.D. in International Economics, an M.A. in Public Policy (Economics) from the National Graduate Institute for Policy studies (GRIPS), Tokyo, Japan. He has participated and served as team leader in numerous professional research projects. He served as consultant for the UNDP, ADB, UNCTAD, EU, International Growth Center, London School of Economics etc. He is highly experienced in conducting performance assessments and impact evaluations for such organizations as UNDP, World Bank, Bangladesh Bank, USAID and the Government of Japan.