Mentor City- Kushtia Paurashava

To advance and incorporate the CWIS approach in both Bangladesh and Nepal, ITN-BUET, in collaboration with key stakeholders in the sector, is working towards establishing a total of eight cities as CWIS mentor cities. Of these, six will be located in Bangladesh, and two in Nepal. These mentor cities will concentrate their efforts on building the capacity to demonstrate efficient models based on the six foundational elements of CWIS. They will serve as hubs of knowledge, offering resources and expertise to guide and assist other cities in Bangladesh, Nepal, and beyond, in the adoption of the CWIS approach.

The mentor cities will actively engage in creating effective models for various CWIS standards and practices, covering transformative governance, business and service delivery, women’s entrepreneurship, digital financing, gender and social inclusion in sanitation planning, community engagement, and behavior change communication. Furthermore, these mentor cities will organize capacity-building programs to support sanitation projects in various towns, fostering knowledge exchange and mutual learning.

The initial selection process for potential mentor cities was initiated by ITN-BUET through a consultation workshop in collaboration with CWIS partner agencies, including the CWIS-FSM Support Cell, DPHE, WaterAid Bangladesh, Practical Action, Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP), SNV Netherlands Development Organization, and BRAC. These organizations possess extensive knowledge and experience in the CWIS sector in Bangladesh. The selection of potential mentor cities was informed by practical experience and sector knowledge gained through the implementation of CWIS and FSM-related projects and programs in various cities. Several cities in Bangladesh have made significant strides in mainstreaming CWIS through diverse initiatives and best practices, often with the support of NGOs and development partners. Based on on-the-ground information and stakeholder recommendations, 12 potential mentor cities were identified during a consultation workshop held in June 2022 at ITN-BUET.

This document provides specific details regarding Kushtia Paurashava as a CWIS Mentor city.