By Global Water and Sanitation Center (GWSC)
Manila, 11-12th February 2024 – The Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Gates Foundation, the Global Water & Sanitation Center at the Asian Institute of Technology (GWSC-AIT), and Dasra successfully hosted an event at ADB Headquarters in Manila and online, strengthening partnerships and collaboration among Gates Foundation partners, experts, and ADB colleagues to advance sustainable and inclusive water and sanitation projects.
Fostering Synergy and Strategic Partnerships for Greater Impact
The event began with remarks from Mr. Norio Saito, Senior Director for Water and Urban Development at ADB, and Dr. Roshan Raj Shrestha, Deputy Director at the Gates Foundation, who highlighted the importance of partnerships in addressing sanitation challenges. Mr. Norio emphasized ADB’s decade-long partnership with the Gates Foundation, describing the event as a valuable platform for knowledge exchange and capacity building among ADB staff. AIT’s GWSC remains committed to ongoing collaboration with ADB and its partners to advance effective, sustainable, and inclusive water and sanitation solutions.
Dr. Roshan stated that “financial investment alone is insufficient for designing and executing innovative and sustainable projects. Knowledge and capacity-building play a pivotal role in ensuring long-term success.” Following this, Prof. Thammarat Koottatep, Co-Director of GWSC, outlined the day’s objectives, emphasizing knowledge-sharing and scalable solutions.
The event was moderated and facilitated by Mr. Jitendra Kumar Singh, Water Supply and Sanitation Specialist at ADB, who served as the lead and main focal person from the ADB team. He outlined the agenda and presentation flow for the day, ensuring a structured and engaging discussion.
The session continued with an introduction to GWSC and Dasra, led by Prof. Sangam Shrestha, Dean, School of Engineering and Technology and Co-Director of GWSC, and Ms. Parnasha Banerjee, Director of Dasra. Prof. Sangam provided an overview of GWSC’s partnerships, its various hubs, and initiatives beyond the Gates Foundation grant, while Ms. Parnasha discussed Dasra’s plans to expand its learning and knowledge efforts to support partners in scaling initiatives across South and Southeast Asia.
Technical Assistance and Digital Innovations
The first session highlighted the technical assistance (TA) efforts of various partners and how they support different tiers of the government, showcasing their role as catalysts for systems change, the integration of WASH and climate resilience through innovative planning, tools, and technology, and the real-world impact of these initiatives. Led by Ms. Isha Basyal, Deputy COO of GWSC, the session featured panelists who shared real-life examples from their projects. Partners included CDD, CWAS, Innpact Solutions, and the WASH Institute. ADB champions Ms. Laxmi Sharma and Mr. Jaemin Nam also shared their experiences collaborating with GWSC and navigating challenges in Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand.
A subsequent session, led by Prof. Sangam Shrestha focused on showcasing digital systems, particularly the Integrated Municipal Information System (IMIS) and Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), implemented by various partners. It covered key digital solutions introduced by each partner, real-world applications of these systems, and their benefits, scalability, and sustainability. The discussion emphasized how IMIS and DPI enhance municipal operations, streamline data management, and support decision-making for improved water and sanitation service delivery. Experts from AI Brain Lab, ISPL, Tiller, eGov, and CWAS contributed valuable insights.
Capacity Building and Best Practices
Prof. Srinivas Chary Vedala, Director of ASCI led discussions on institutional capacity building, joined by experts from NIUA, ITN-BUET, ADB Institute, and ASCI, highlighting the importance of global networks in scaling impact. The session provided a consolidated overview of GWSC and its partners’ capacity-building programs in WASH, showcasing their synergy, collaborative approaches, and collective impact on strengthening urban water and sanitation outcomes across South and Southeast Asia.
The discussion covered capacity-building methodologies, focusing on strategies and tools to enhance capabilities within governments, institutions, and local communities. It also explored regional reach and impact, featuring success stories and lessons learned from various projects in South and Southeast Asia, demonstrating the tangible benefits of collaboration in improving WASH systems.
Engaging with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs)
Ms. Kaveri Dhawan, Manager at Dasra, facilitated a session on civil society engagement, featuring panelists from UMC, CFAR, FANSA Regional, and FANSA India, who shared strategies for driving systemic change. The session focused on the role of community-based platforms in ensuring inclusive sanitation service delivery, particularly for marginalized communities. Discussions explored mechanisms to sustain and scale CSO collaborations, emphasizing their role in strengthening participatory planning and implementation for long-term impact.
Adoption of Best Practices and Knowledge Management
In a session led by Mr. Dhruv Mitter, Manager at Dasra, partners shared best practices in climate-resilient WASH services and inclusive sanitation, featuring case studies from OUA, NIUA, CWAS, and CREA. The discussion explored city-wide inclusive sanitation (CWIS) models, key factors for scaling, and the role of knowledge management in supporting adoption. Partners highlighted how they develop and share best practices through institutes, platforms, and curricula, ensuring sustained impact and wider implementation.
ADB’s Investment Strategies
The final session, led by experts from ADB Water and Urban Development Group Mr. Jaemin Nam, Sector Project Administration Unit Head, East, Central, and West Asia (ECWA), Mr. Hikaru Shoji, Unit Head, Portfolio Management, and Mr. Michael White, Senior Urban Development Specialist, outlined ADB’s sanitation portfolio and future investment pipelines across South, Southeast Asia, the Pacific, East and Central West Asia.
Commitment to Future Collaboration
The event concluded with reflections from Ms. Sakshi Gudwani, India WSH Lead at the Gates Foundation, and Mr. Satoshi Ishii, Director of Water and Urban Development at ADB. They emphasized the value of long-term partnerships with key stakeholders and reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening collaboration for more effective and sustainable water and sanitation initiatives.
This dynamic gathering reinforced the power of collaboration, innovation, and knowledge-sharing in tackling global sanitation challenges, paving the way for stronger, more sustainable solutions.
ADB and GWSC Strengthen Urban Water & Sanitation Capacity Through Targeted Training
On the second day, ADB and GWSC held a strategic meeting focused on developing a country-specific training program to enhance sanitation systems across Asia. This is led by Mr. Satoshi Ishii, along with ADB Country Focal Points Ms. Jie Bai, Tajikistan; Mr. Hoang Nhat Do, Vietnam; Mr. Pedro Miguel Pauleta De Almeida, Sri Lanka; Mr. Edkarl Galing, Ms. Heeyoung Hong, Kyrgyzstan; Ms. Bethany F. Mann, Maldives; Mr. Raushan Mamatkulov, Mongolia; Ms. Elma Morsheda, India; Mr. Kiyoshi Nakamitsu, Ms. Momoko Nitta, Bangladesh; Mr. Massimo Petrone, Uzbekistan; Tiago De Jesus Ribeiro, Cambodia; Mr. Pushkar Srivastava, Nepal and GWSC team, including leadership such as Prof. Thammarat Koottatep, Prof. Sangam Shrestha, and Ms. Isha Basyal. Discussions centered on addressing technical gaps, institutional capacity-building, and long-term sustainability. The initiative aims to strengthen ADB staff expertise in digital transformation, low-cost sanitation, and non-networked solutions, ensuring more effective service delivery.
GWSC will play a critical role in identifying country-specific needs and governance challenges, tailoring the program to institutional priorities. While technology is a key enabler, GWSC emphasizes the importance of regulatory frameworks, policy development, and institutional coordination to create sustainable sanitation solutions. In addition, the program will incorporate gender equality, disability, social inclusion (GEDSI) throughout the projects and financial sustainability strategies to maximize long-term impact.
Moving forward, GWSC will support ADB through exposure visits, technical exchanges, and specialized training, leveraging AIT’s three schools, outreach centers and alumni network and expertise in site visits and twinning programs. The next steps include defining the training scope, developing pilot projects, and forging partnerships for funding and implementation. By integrating capacity-building with a strong policy focus, ADB and GWSC aim to enhance water and sanitation governance across the region.
