“Bangladesh can play the lead role on sanitation in the South Asian region,” said Abdul Malek, secretary, Local Government Division, Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives (LGRDC), at the closing session of sanitation conference ‘Journey to ZERO’, says a press release. He also mentioned that going forward Bangladesh must continue to prioritise sanitation in order to meet the Sustainable Development Goals. Speakers mentioned emerging challenges in sanitation including faecal sludge management, access to WASH in hard-to-reach areas and improving hygiene behaviour. They also commended the conference for bringing forward many new ideas and methods for meeting these challenges. Citing Bangladesh’s pioneering role in organising the first SACOSAN, speakers praised the papers and discussions in the conference as a valuable opportunity to reflect and prepare for the upcoming SACOSAN VI, to be hosted by Bangladesh in 2016.
Abdul Malek also committed that LGRDC would take sanitation in public spaces and in public transport as a key area of work, focusing on inclusive facilities that are accessible to all, and include and menstrual hygiene management amenities.
Dr Md Khairul Islam, country representative of WaterAid Bangladesh, presented a summary of the conference.  Ambassador of Switzerland in Dhaka Christian Fotsch, Ambassador of Sweden Johan Frisell, and M Feroze Ahmed, vice-chancellor of Stamford University, attended the session, among others.
The two day conference, organised by the Sanitation Secretariat of Bangladesh in collaboration with a number NGOs and networks organisations at a hotel in the capital, was attended by national and international policymakers, practitioners and academicians.