34th Annual WEDC Conference in Addis Ababa

19 June 2009

A sustainable latrine in Ethiopia.

Credit: WaterAid / Caroline Irby

By invitation of the Ethiopian Ministry of Water Resources the 2009 Water, Engineering and Development Centre (WEDC) conference took place in Addis Ababa on 18-22 May showcasing sector experience from around the world.

The WEDC International Conference is a highly respected, global platform for practitioners, decision makers, academics and researchers who lead water and sanitation innovation in developing countries.

WaterAid presented findings from three recent country case-studies exploring aspects of sustainability and equity as related to total sanitation programmes. The report is a synthesis of research carried out across Bangladesh, Nigeria and Nepal, in 2008-2009. It contributes to the global understanding of community wide open defecation free approaches, with a focus sustained and equitable improvements in sanitation related behaviour.

The conference lasted five days with a number of parallel sessions of formal presentations, informal discussions, workshops and one day for local field trips.

The Water, Engineering and Development Centre (WEDC), based at Loughborough University, is one of the world's leading education, training, research and consultancy institutes concerned with improving access to infrastructure services for people in low and middle income countries.

For more information please visit www.wedcconference.co.uk (opens in a new window).