Looking forward to 2014

2013 was a remarkable year for the sanitation movement in Nepal as well as the GSF programme.
The year’s highlight was the Fifth South Asian Conference on Sanitation (SACOSAN-V) which was successfully organized by Nepal. Before SACOSAN-V, Nepal also organized the First Nepal Conference on Sanitation (NECOSAN), along with several regional and district level conferences. These events helped bring together stakeholders and build consensus for accelerating the sanitation movement. As a result, more than 1000 VDCs have now been declared as Open Defecation Free (ODF).

The GSF programme also witnessed more than 50 VDCs along with its first district being declared as ODF. UN-Habitat also signed an agreement with the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) to expand the GSF programme in Nepal in nine additional districts. At the request of the National Sanitation and Hygiene Coordination Committee, GSF programme will now spread its wings to the eight Terai districts where the sanitation coverage is less than half the national average.

As we step into 2014, we look forward to an even more exciting and productive period as we take on new challenges. Many people have told us that promoting sanitation in Terai will be difficult. No doubt, 2014 will not be easy but it will probably be a major milestone in Nepal’s sanitation movement as the Terai also joins the sanitation bandwagon.

“It always seems impossible, until it is done” – Nelson Mandela