A workshop on Sub-Regional Workshop on Urban Water and Sanitation Services in South and South-West Asia was held on 9-10 August, 2017 in Kathmandu, Nepal. It was organized by United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) and co-organized by Ministry of Urban Development, Ministry of Water Supply and Sanitation and Kathmandu Valley Development Authority, Government of Nepal. Subarna Ershad, Environmental Economist from Centre for Climate Change and Environmental Research (C3ER), BRAC University, participated in the event as an observer from Bangladesh. The two days workshop had some specific objectives and issues to be addressed. Delegates from 10 countries of this Asian region (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Iran, Nepal, Maldives, Pakistan, Thailand, Sri Lanka) participated in the workshop and shared their experience and gave valuable inputs.
The two days program included the presentations from each country to identify their common problems as well as to focus on the best possible solutions. They discussed the challenges and gaps of this specific region to manage the issues of sanitation and water successfully as well as inter linkage of the SDG goal 6 and goal 11 was being emphasized to achieve the 2030 agenda. Overall the workshop was a successful one as it united the delegates from different countries in identifying the common but critical problems of the South and South-West region of Asia. When it came to the possible solution of the problems, the experts opined that understanding the past could solve the problem at present and in the future.