Two weeks ago, the SuSanA Secretariat together with the SuSanA Global Steering Committee (GSC), SuSanA members and key partners from around the world attended the Stockholm World Water Week and were able to speak on behalf of the Sanitation Community.

But before the World Water Week even started, the Secretariat and the GSC spent several days planning for the future of SuSanA, discussing important topics such as the institutional change process, funding, upcoming topics and trends, the regional chapters or cooperation with other networks. These days have been very intense, but also, we feel that we now are more aligned with what the next steps for SuSanA are!


 
On Sunday, August 20 we kicked off the week with the 33rd SuSanA meeting. This was a wonderful opportunity for the SuSanA community to convene after years of online meetings and reduced opportunities to travel. The meeting centred around three main topics: Hot topics and thematic priorities for SuSanA 2023-2024, key sector challenges that SuSanA could help to address and SuSanA’s joint positions and key messages to the SDG mid-term review and beyond. In the afternoon, we heard several fascinating inputs on new approaches to WASH awareness, strengthening the sanitation workforce, sanitation and climate as well as sanitation and resource recovery. This was also a great opportunity for the SuSanA community to get to know our new GSC!


 
After that, the actual World Water Week started! Thanks to the efforts of many individuals, SuSanA was able to advocate for the inclusion of sanitation and hygiene as a prerequisite for access to safe and clean water and contributed to various discussions related to:

• WASH and One Health
• Pandemic Prevention
• Wastewater Treatment
• Women’s empowerment
• Menstrual Health and Hygiene (MHH)
• Container-based sanitation
• WASH in Schools
• Behaviour Change

A big shoutout goes to all our booth contributors who showcased innovative work at our booth! Big thank you to our Goodwill Ambassador Fatma Haxhialiu who shared some new insights from the #LetsTalkPERIODcampaign in Albania ! Also big thank you to all SuSanA partners for theirpitches on their sanitation innovations, including Container Based Sanitation and Mechanized Pit Emptying! Shoutout and thank you to our partners  Fresh Life ,  Loowatt Ltd ,  Sustainable Organic Integrated Livelihoods (SOIL)  and  Container Based Sanitation Alliance  for their inputs.
 
But that's not all! SuSanA, in collaboration with several women networks hosted the Stronger Together! Women's Mingle. The evening was dedicated to celebrating and connecting the remarkable women in the water and sanitation sector from around the globe. 


 
After this very intense and discussion-packed week we feel ready and inspired to continue driving meaningful change and innovation in the field of sustainable sanitation, forging new partnerships and implementing actionable solutions to address global challenges.
 
If you missed the conference or the SuSanA meetings, we have made all the resources from the 33rd SuSanA Meeting available in the SuSanA library, including a recording, presentations and our program overview. Additionally, we offer an overview of all featured events during the Stockholm World Water Week on our website:
 
33rd SuSanA Meeting - Presentations,Recordings and further Resources - Resources • SuSanA
 
SuSanA at World Water Week 2023 -Sustainable Sanitation Alliance (SuSanA)

For more impressions, check out our flickr database for more images:  SuSanA Secretariat | Flickr
 
Thanks to everyone for joining and meeting us in Stockholm!

Best regards, 

Daphne and Teresa
on behalf of the SuSanA Secretariat