The Toilet Conference 2025: The Future of Sanitation, held on February 25th and 26th at the Hotel InterContinental Dhaka, brought together global experts, policymakers, and innovators to address pressing challenges in sanitation and hygiene. This event, convened by WaterAid, UNICEF, SNV, and ITN-BUET and supported by organizations such as the Gates Foundation, Kimberly-Clark, Kingdom of the Netherlands, Sweden Sverige, UK International Development, aimed to foster collaboration and drive innovative solutions aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Bangladesh has made significant progress in sanitation, with 98.5% of its population having access to basic services. However, only 39% benefit from safely managed sanitation, highlighting the urgent need for enhanced data governance to bridge this gap. In alignment with SDG 6.2, which emphasizes equitable and sustainable sanitation for all, robust data systems are essential for effective monitoring, policy development, and resource distribution.
GWSC contributed to this landmark conference, collaborating with SNV on advancing sanitation data governance and with WSUP on empowering women-led sanitation enterprises. These partnerships underscored the importance of leveraging data-driven insights for smarter WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) solutions and promoting gender equity in the sanitation economy.
The Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE), in partnership with the Global Water and Sanitation Center (GWSC) and SNV, is driving advancements in sanitation data governance. Their collaborative efforts focus on improving data collection, validation, and management to support accurate and actionable insights, paving the way for Bangladesh to meet its national sanitation goals and SDG targets.
On February 25th, GWSC and SNV organized a panel session on Sanitation Data Governance: Unlocking Insights for Smarter WASH. One of the important discussion was on designing sustainable digital solutions. Ensuring the sustainability of digital systems beyond donor cycles requires an integrated approach that combines financial viability, institutional ownership, and community engagement. Models such as public-private partnerships (PPPs) and social enterprise frameworks can provide stable revenue streams, reducing dependency on temporary funding.
Makfie Farah addressed the audience on stakeholder engagement and their roles and responsibilities in sanitation data innovation.
In this session, governments are considered to play a pivotal role by embedding digital solutions into national policies and allocating budgetary support, while civil society organizations can advocate for continuity and transparency. Local communities are key stakeholders, contributing through user fees, oversight, and co-creation of solutions that address their needs. Building local capacity is essential for long-term impact, as it fosters technical expertise, enhances system maintenance, and nurtures a sense of ownership among users and administrators alike. These strategies create a foundation for digital systems to thrive and adapt sustainably.
On February 26th, a significant focus was placed on empowering women-led sanitation enterprises in Bangladesh. In collaboration with WSUP, a panel session centered around strengthening the role of women entrepreneurs in the sanitation sector was organized. Ms. Makfie Farah, GWSC Bangladesh Resident Program Manager shared her invaluable insights into advancing this mission. She emphasized the need for digital platforms on sanitation entrepreneurs (SEs), including women-led SEs, to be publicly available at both national and city levels, thereby enhancing business opportunities and market access. Establishing such platforms will require robust inter-agency collaboration, with key players such as DPHE, SME Foundation, and the Ministries of Commerce, Women, and Child Affairs. GWSC is already working with the government to digitize sanitation services and is poised to take the initiative if engaged to facilitate this SE platform.
The Women-Led Sanitation Enterprises session was packed with attendees, and Makfie Farah highlighted the unique challenges women face in balancing household responsibilities with running successful businesses.
Makfie Farah also highlighted the unique challenges women face in balancing household responsibilities with running successful businesses. She called for the creation of a balanced and supportive environment to ease these burdens and allow women entrepreneurs to thrive. She urged the government to implement a comprehensive nationwide listing of SEs and promote grassroots-level business opportunities, further enabling women entrepreneurs to lead in the sanitation economy. This collaborative approach, underpinned by digital tools and policy interventions, has the potential to create transformative impacts in the sector.
This first Toilet Conference marks the beginning of a series aimed at achieving Bangladesh’s sanitation goals. This conference offers a platform for learning, sharing insights and best practices, identifying new opportunities, developing innovative sanitation strategies, and networking among development partners and government agencies. With all the possibilities, see you in the next Toilet Conference.
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