Speakers including water and sanitation experts, private entrepreneurs, academics, and development partners at the inaugural session of the Toilet Conference 2025 on Tuesday called for addressing gaps in sanitation facilities in the country.
They said that an estimated 230 tonnes of faecal waste ended up in Dhaka鈥檚 open water bodies every day.
Mentioning that over one-third of Bangladesh鈥檚 population lacks access to safely managed sanitation, they said that fragile sanitation practices contributed significantly to environmental pollution and posed serious health risks to marginalised communities, especially children.
This year鈥檚 theme is 鈥榯he future of sanitation鈥�.
The two-day conference began at a hotel in Dhaka.
At the inaugural session, World Toilet Organisation founder Jack Sim Juek Wah said, 鈥楢 toilet is the cheapest medicine in the world. If you invest in toilets and sanitation, you will halve your diseases.鈥�
Echoing Jack, UNICEF Bangladesh representative Rana Flowers said, 鈥楪overnments must prioritise sanitation by making the right investments and policies,鈥� Rana said.
The Swedish ambassador to Dhaka, Nicolas Weeks, emphasised the need for improving sanitation for the country鈥檚 development and reminded the audience of achieving the sustainable development goal of 鈥榣eaving no one behind鈥�.
Andre Carstens, head of mission at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Bangladesh, said, 鈥楾echnology-driven solutions, such as smart toilets and advanced wastewater management, are paving the way for the next phase of development.鈥�
WaterAid Bangladesh country director Hasin Jahan emphasised the importance of proper toilet facilities for a better environment and improved societal productivity.
On the first day, the plenary sessions showcased innovative technologies and climate-resilient sanitation.
Professor Juliet Willetts from the Institute for Sustainable Futures at the University of Technology Sydney and Stamford University Bangladesh鈥檚 emeritus professor Feroze Ahmed presented keynote speeches.
In another session, Antoinette Kome, global head of water at SNV, and Anandita Kakkar, leader of marketing at SATO (Asia), delivered keynote speeches on sanitation financing and private sector engagement.
The event also featured multiple technical sessions on climate-resilient sanitation, gender equality, disability, and social inclusion.
The conference was supported by the Gates Foundation, Kimberly-Clark, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, UK International Development, RFL, BRAC, Practical Action, ITN-BUET, and SNV as partners.