April 3, 2023 GovernanceSanitationSDGs

IWA announces advisory board and task force for sanitation

The International Water Association (IWA) has announced the establishment of an advisory board and task force for its Inclusive Urban Sanitation initiative, to provide guidance, feedback and direction on the initiative’s priorities, activities and performance.

IWA’s Inclusive Urban Sanitation initiative aims to reshape the global agenda on urban sanitation over the coming years, especially in low- and middle-income countries. It forms part of IWA’s work to promote inclusive, resilient, water-wise and sanitation-secure cities.

The advisory board and task force consist of sanitation experts, regulators, strategic partners and members from various global regions in order to secure a balanced geographical representation and address a wide variety of sanitation challenges.

Global map outlining where our Advisory Board and Task Force members are based

The advisory board is made up of 11 high-profile individuals who will act as advocates for inclusive urban sanitation and provide strategic support and guidance for the initiative. The board will focus on expanding the initiative’s outreach and engagement with the broader water and sanitation sector, and in particular with public sector agencies. It will also oversee the work of the task force.

The task force comprises 22 individuals who will provide support to the initiative by discussing and proposing a common framework and guidelines for achieving inclusive urban sanitation, and contributing to the dissemination activities related to the project, including through concept notes, case studies, position papers, blog posts and more.


Meet the Advisory Board

  Name Organisation Country
Patrick Ty Manilla Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System Philippines
Mathi Vathanan Housing and Urban Development Department, State of Odisha India
Jennifer Molwantwa Water Research Commission South Africa
Margaret Maina Limuru Water and Sewerage Company Kenya
Sylvain Usher African Water and Sanitation Association Côte d’Ivoire
Yvonne Magawa Eastern and Southern Africa Water and Sanitation Regulators Association Zambia
Kate Medlicott World Health Organization Switzerland
Neeta Pokhrel Asian Development Bank Philippines
Osward Mulenga Chanda African Development Bank Côte d’Ivoire
Thammarat Koottatep Asian Institute of Technology Thailand
Damir Brdjanovic IHE Delft Institute for Water Education Netherlands

 

Meet the Task Force

Name Organisation Country
Diego Polania Colombia Regulatory Agency Colombia
Hitesh Vaidya National Institute of Urban Affairs India
Sharmistha Debnath Department of Public Health Engineering Bangladesh
Recca Tharmarajah National Water Services Commission Malaysia
Allan Nkurunziza Kampala Capital City Authority Uganda
Beatrice Chiwala Chibwe Lusaka Water and Sanitation Company Zambia
Priscillah Oluoch Malindi Water and Sewerage Company Kenya
Funke Adepoju Lagos State Water Regulatory Commission Nigeria
Charlotte Adjei Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources Ghana
Jay Bhagwan Water Research Commission South Africa
Ibra Sow Pan Africa Association of Sanitation Stakeholders Senegal
Aditi Dwivedi CEPT University Center for Water and Sanitation India
Najib Lukooya Bateganya Cabinet EDE International Senegal
Hasin Jahan WaterAid Bangladesh Bangladesh
Annabell Waititu Big Five Africa Kenya
Srinivas Chary Administrative Staff College of India India
Peter Harvey UNICEF Nepal
Abishek Sankara Narayan Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (EAWAG) Switzerland
Kirsty Carden University of Cape Town South Africa
Charles Niwagaba Makerere University Uganda
Juliet Willetts University of Technology Sydney Australia
Srikanth Mutnuri Birla Institute of Technology and Science – Pilani India

 


How to get involved

This initiative consists of a project team led by the IWA Secretariat as well as an Advisory Board and Task Force.

In addition, there are opportunities for IWA members to get involved and help shape the outcomes of this imitative and contribute to its mission of achieving inclusive sanitation. IWA members can:

  • Attend upcoming webinars from this initiative, more information will be posted in due course on the IWA Learn section of the website.
  • Engage with the initiative on IWA Connect Plus where you can share knowledge, lessons learnt and insights on regulating for inclusive sanitation from different contexts
  • Get in touch with one of the project team members based within the IWA Secretariat (Suresh Rohilla) if you are working on any similar projects or initiatives that have synergies with this initiative or likewise if you have any relevant case studies you wish to share with us.
  • Submit your inclusive sanitation story! iwa-network.org/sanitation-stories
  • Join the discussion online using #SanitAction to promote inclusivity for resilient, water-wise, and sanitation-secure cities!