ONE UN - Sanitation as a Foundation for Safe and…

This side event will highlight sanitation as a foundational urban system for safe, adequate, and climate-resilient housing, focusing on low-income and informal urban communities in Asia. Convened at the 13th World Urban Forum in Baku and co-organized by ESCAP, UN-Habitat, the World Bank, Habitat for Humanity International, Slum Dwellers International, and CWIS San Nepal, the event addresses the sanitation crisis and its direct implications for housing safety and urban resilience. The session will link sanitation to the WUF13 theme, "Housing the world: Safe and resilient cities and communities," and demonstrate how inadequate sanitation undermines housing habitability through flooding, structural damage, and public health risks. Three city case presentations will cover sanitation service capacity challenges in Luang Prabang, Lao PDR; practical implementation lessons from Nepal; and transferable approaches from a mentor city in South or South-East Asia. An interactive panel discussion will examine institutional, policy, technical, and financing barriers, with attention to disproportionate impacts on women, girls, persons with disabilities, and older persons. Participants will leave with actionable insights on strengthening sanitation service capacity and integrating climate-resilient sanitation into housing and urban resilience frameworks, contributing to SDG 6 and inclusive urban development. Objectives Elevate sanitation as a central priority at the World Urban Forum, highlighting its role as a critical foundation for safe, adequate, and resilient housing in low-income and informal urban areas. Build momentum by showcasing actionable, city-level solutions that strengthen climate-resilient sanitation systems and safeguard housing and communities. Facilitate peer-to-peer learning between cities at different stages of sanitation service provision. Identify key success factors related to: Capacity of public sanitation service providers; and Regulatory, governance, and policy reforms that enable integrated housing-sanitation solutions. Strengthen regional collaboration and informal networks of urban practitioners, policymakers, and development partners in the region and globally.

Facilitator:

Sanjeevani Singh

Partners:

• UNESCAP-United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, (Thailand)
• UN-Habitat Global Solutions Division (Germany)
• The World Bank (United States of America)
• CWIS San Nepal (Nepal)

Panelists:

• Mr. Norio Saito, Senior Director, Water and Urban Development Sector Office, Asian Development Bank (Philippines)
• Mr. Prashanta Mohapatra, Engineer-in-Chief, Orissa Water Supply & Sewerage Board (India)
• Mr. Chris Cormency, Senior Advisor, Water and Environment, UNICEF - United Nations Children's Fund (Jordan)
• Mr. Mario Flores, Director of International Field Operations, Housing Disaster Resilience and Recovery, Habitat for Humanity International (United States of America)
• Ms. Yolanda Gomez, Senior WOP Facilitator, Waterlinks (Philippines)