Advancing safely managed sanitation for vulnerable urban communities in Lao PDR and Nepal, through peer learning, climate resilience, and South-South cooperation.
The Challenge
Despite significant global progress, the sanitation crisis remains acute, particularly in rapidly urbanising regions of Asia. With an 3.6 billion people worldwide still lacking access to safely managed sanitation services, and in countries like Lao PDR and Nepal, rapid urban growth is outpacing the development of adequate infrastructure.
Climate change is compounding these pressures. Increasing frequency of floods and droughts is disrupting existing sanitation systems at a time when they are already overstretched. Vulnerable groups such as women, children, and low-income urban communities bear the greatest burden, facing disproportionately high health and safety risks. Existing policy frameworks in both countries often lack provisions for climate resilience, gender equity, and a human rights-based approach to sanitation planning, leaving critical gaps that this project seeks to address.
Project Strategy
At the city level, the project will establish Sanitation-focused Water Operators’ Partnerships (SWOPs) in two cities, one in Lao PDR and one in Nepal, as structured peer-learning mechanisms. Each SWOP will facilitate mentoring and hands-on training between experienced and developing water and sanitation operators, supporting the development of city-level sanitation plans with a strong emphasis on climate resilience, equity, and gender inclusivity. This approach is designed to build long-term operational capacity to sustain improved sanitation service delivery for low-income and vulnerable communities well beyond the project period.
At the national level, the project will undertake in-depth policy reviews in both Lao PDR and Nepal. These reviews will identify gaps in current legal and institutional frameworks for sanitation and recommend concrete improvements for integrating climate-resilient and human rights-based approaches into policy. The process will ensure that national frameworks are aligned with Sustainable Development Goal commitments, particularly SDG 6 on clean water and sanitation.
At the regional and international level, the project will organise a programme of knowledge-sharing events to promote collaboration and scale successful practices. Regional workshops and study tours will be coordinated with UN ESCAP to build skills among sanitation operators and policymakers across Asia. International knowledge exchange events will disseminate best practices to the broader Asia-Pacific sanitation community, and South–South cooperation initiatives guided by UNOSSC will foster peer learning among developing countries throughout the region.
Expected Outcomes and Impact
The project will enhance the capacity of water and sanitation operators in target cities to deliver improved services to their communities. Through the SWOP process, city sanitation plans will be developed and adopted that directly address climate resilience and equity, leading to tangible improvements in sanitation infrastructure and service delivery, particularly for low-income and vulnerable populations.
The project will enhance the capacity of water and sanitation operators in target cities to deliver improved services to their communities. Through the SWOP process, city sanitation plans will be developed and adopted that directly address climate resilience and equity, leading to tangible improvements in sanitation infrastructure and service delivery, particularly for low-income and vulnerable populations.
The project will establish a regional network of sanitation stakeholders engaged in ongoing South–South knowledge exchange, with documented best practices and lessons learned shared across Asia-Pacific. This collaborative infrastructure is designed to sustain engagement between UN entities, national governments, and local operators well beyond the formal project period.