Dhaka, Bangladesh | 25-26 February 2025
Meet the steering committee members of the Toilet Conference 2025. This dedicated team plays a crucial role in guiding the event’s vision, ensuring impactful discussions, and driving global collaboration on sanitation and hygiene.
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Ms Hasin Jahan is the Country Director at WaterAid Bangladesh. She is a Civil Engineering having expertise in water and environmental management. She has progressive career in the development sector and is recognised as an influential development expert for promoting gender equality and youth empowerment. She worked for Local Government Engineering Department, DANIDA, the World Bank and an international NGO - Practical Action. Currently she is leading design and development of locally led water and sanitation provisions and approaches for enhancing resilience of the climate impacted communities in Bangladesh.
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A graduate of MSc studies in Bio Engineering and later Water Resources Engineering, Mr Peter Maes served as Chief WASH in Kinshasa, Democratic Rep.of Congo before starting in December 2023 as Chief of WASH with UNICEF Bangladesh. Prior to those engagements he has been concurrently Leader of the WASH working group of MSF International, Vector Control expert in the Malaria Working Group of MSF International, and Coordinator of the Environmental Health Unit of MSF-OCB based in Brussels, Belgium. He worked as well for over 2 years in the Emergency pool of MSF-OCB providing multidisciplinary support in the most challenging of contexts. Preceding these HQ positions, Mr Peter Maes worked in humanitarian contexts in Africa, Asia and Europe. Mr. Peter Maes has extensive experience in Project conceptualisation and management, Operational Research, HR management and Infectious Diseases Control in a variety of contexts.
A water and environmental sanitation specialist, Mr Alauddin Ahmed is dedicated to sustainable development, addressing challenges like climate change, humanitarian crises, public health, and WASH service delivery. His expertise spans Civil, Environmental, and ICT Engineering, enabling the development and implementation of pragmatic solutions. Currently as a Project Manager at ITN BUET, he is leading multi-million-dollar projects funded by organisations like the Gates Foundation and ADB, focusing on city-wide inclusive sanitation, capacity building, and policy development. His research activities explore a range of critical topics, including sanitation innovation, impact of climate change on water supply and sanitation vulnerabilities, and occupational health and safety of sanitation workers. Previously, he served the World Health Organisation, where he mainstreamed the water safety plans, responded to the Rohingya refugee crisis, and developed healthcare WASH standards. Mr Ahmed is a proven leader, securing significant funding, building partnerships, and making positive changes in the water and sanitation sector and the society.
Mr Hossain Ishrath Adib is the director of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), integrated development and Ultra-Poor Graduation at BRAC. Mr Adib is a seasoned development professional with over 22 years of experience. He started his career as a programme organiser at the microfinance programme in BRAC. He spent the first 15 years of his career at BRAC in multiple roles in different programmes, including microfinance and public health. He was instrumental in designing and implementing BRAC’s development initiatives in Uganda, Tanzania, and Indonesia. He served as the country programme manager of BRAC in Tanzania between 2008 and 2009. Over the years, Mr Adib’s professional engagement expanded into piloting and scaling up development projects in the fields of WASH, community resilience building, and integration of digital services with multi-sectoral engagement in rural, urban, and humanitarian contexts. He also worked in WaterAid, BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health, and Practical Action in various leadership roles. Prior to joining BRAC, he served as the director of programmes at WaterAid Bangladesh for over 2 years. He is also an adjunct faculty at East West University where he takes courses on Development Economics. Mr Adib pursued his Master’s in Development Economics from The Australian National University and Bachelor’s in Economics from North South University.
Ms Maya Igarashi-Wood is an expert in the fields of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), climate change and knowledge management, with extensive experience in international development. She currently serves as Sanitation Lead at WaterAid UK, providing technical support for strengthening systems to deliver inclusive and climate-resilient and safely managed sanitation services across Asia and Africa. Previously, she worked with multi-lateral and bilateral organisations, leading initiatives in climate resilient programming, development and implementation of sanitation strategies, and emergency preparedness and response. Ms Maya has managed projects from national to global level, facilitated global and regional knowledge-sharing events, and collaborated with governments and partners to improve WASH services for the most marginalised. She remains committed to advancing equitable and sustainable WASH solutions worldwide.
Mr Mostafizur Rahman is a climate resilience and development professional with 17+ years of experience in climate change adaptation (CCA), disaster risk management (DRM), water, sanitation and hygiene(WASH), humanitarian response, and environmental programmes. He currently serves as a Programme Officer at the Embassy of Sweden, managing the climate and environment portfolio. Mr Mostafizur has held leadership roles at Plan International Bangladesh, Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation, Help Age International, and Save the Children Sweden-Denmark, leading programmes on disaster preparedness, climate resilience, and WASH and emergency response across Bangladesh and globally. His expertise includes program design,implementation, and technical support, with extensive experience across Asia, Africa, and Latin America, particularly as a global DRM policy coordinator based in London. Mr Mostafizur holds a Master’s in Sociology from the University of Rajshahi and is committed to advancing inclusive climate resilience and innovation, especially for vulnerable populations.
Shahidul Islam works for SNV in Bangladesh and leads the ‘Water’ sector. He began his career with the Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE). Before joining SNV in 2014, he worked for World Vision and WaterAid. Throughout his career, he has focused on urban planning and governance related to water, sanitation, and waste management, as well as capacity building for city authorities and engagement in national-level WASH policy initiatives. Over the last decade, he has promoted citywide inclusive sanitation, sanitation financing, sanitation business models, private sector engagement, and sustainable urban water security.
Ms Tazeen Hossain is a development facilitator with over 20 years of experience in the non-governmental development sector. She has extensive expertise in program design and delivery, advocacy for human rights and equality, resource mobilisation, and research facilitation. Ms Tazeen has successfully led teams and projects at both national and regional levels,including in Africa. As the regional focal point of Grameen Trust, she has implemented projects across Bolivia, Bosnia, China, Ecuador, El Salvador, Malaysia, Mexico, the Philippines, and Samoa. Her expertise spans multiple development areas, including livelihoods, climate resilience, disaster risk reduction (DRR), Education, Health, Humanitarian response, Energy, and WASH.Passionate about creating meaningful change, Ms Tazeen is committed to improving the lives of communities and advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), ensuring that no one is left behind.