FANSA, WSSCC and WaterAid conducted an inclusive and consultative process at national and regional level to identify the gaps and challenges that are stopping the sanitation related MDG targets from being met.
National level analysis papers fed in to a two day pre-meeting, held prior to the conference and attended by community leaders and NGOs from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, to discuss and reach agreements on SACOSAN 3 issues, including a progress review against commitments made in the last two SACOSAN declarations.
The meeting concluded with a civil society declaration endorsed by all participants.
Many participants who attended the pre-meeting used the declaration to lobby their ministers within the official conference and Joe Madiath of Gram Vikas read out the declaration in a parallel session.
Indian PM Dr Manmohan Singh opened the official Conference with the statement that good sanitation should be the birthright of every citizen in South Asia.
The final declaration (known as The Delhi Declaration) recognises access to sanitation and safe drinking water as a basic right. It also asserts that giving “national priority to sanitation is imperative”. Significantly, the declaration commits members states (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka) to strengthen regional collaboration and promote independent monitoring.
Read the Delhi Declaration