A total of 301 delegates and guests from nine Country Delegations (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka) and other local and international organisations, participated in the South Asian Conference on Sanitation (SACOSAN), held in Dhaka, Bangladesh, from 21 – 23 October 2003. SACOSAN was a high-level conference, with ministerial representation from each of the participating countries. Other delegates also came from the public and private sectors, civil society, external support agencies, academia and the media. All delegates were actively engaged in formulating, advocating or implementing sanitation policy at a managerial or professional level in South Asia.

The proceedings apart from ‘The Dhaka declaration on Sanitation’ entailed nine country papers, 10 thematic papers and three keynote papers in addition to speeches from dignitaries in the inaugural and closing ceremony.