Community Driven Participatory Monitoring for Safe, Equitable, Sustainable and Climate Resilient WASH Services, Bangkok, Thailand
[ 25 Feb, 2026 ]
At the IWA-WaterDevelopmentCongress2025 in Bangkok, FANSA convened an important session highlighting the role of community-driven approaches in strengthening inclusive and accountable WASH systems across South Asia.
The session focused on community-driven participatory monitoring and social audits as practical pathways to address exclusion, improve accountability, and build trust in WASH service delivery. Drawing from real-world experiences, the discussion demonstrated how meaningful community engagement transforms WASH initiatives from short-term projects into people-centred systems.
Moderated and co-chaired by Samira Shakya, the session was chaired by Lajana Manandhar, Regional Convener, FANSA, who set the context by emphasizing the need to institutionalize community engagement within local governance structures.
The discussion was enriched by perspectives from across the region, including Sashi Stephen (Sri Lanka), Gulnaz Khan (Pakistan), Mayor Meena Kumari Lama (Hetauda, Nepal), Bhawana Sharma (Nepal), and special guest Roshan Raj Shrestha (Gates Foundation).
The event concluded with a shared message: Community engagement in WASH cannot remain optional; it must be institutionalized in local governance. Advancing equity, sustainability, and rights requires sustained support, formal recognition, and scale-up of community-driven accountability practices.
FANSA remains committed to amplifying these voices and strengthening community-led WASH approaches across the region, in collaboration with partners and networks
The session focused on community-driven participatory monitoring and social audits as practical pathways to address exclusion, improve accountability, and build trust in WASH service delivery. Drawing from real-world experiences, the discussion demonstrated how meaningful community engagement transforms WASH initiatives from short-term projects into people-centred systems.
Moderated and co-chaired by Samira Shakya, the session was chaired by Lajana Manandhar, Regional Convener, FANSA, who set the context by emphasizing the need to institutionalize community engagement within local governance structures.
The discussion was enriched by perspectives from across the region, including Sashi Stephen (Sri Lanka), Gulnaz Khan (Pakistan), Mayor Meena Kumari Lama (Hetauda, Nepal), Bhawana Sharma (Nepal), and special guest Roshan Raj Shrestha (Gates Foundation).
The event concluded with a shared message: Community engagement in WASH cannot remain optional; it must be institutionalized in local governance. Advancing equity, sustainability, and rights requires sustained support, formal recognition, and scale-up of community-driven accountability practices.
FANSA remains committed to amplifying these voices and strengthening community-led WASH approaches across the region, in collaboration with partners and networks
