To achieve the safely managed sanitation target under Sustainable Development Goal 6, the Government of Bangladesh has developed an Institutional and Regulatory Framework for Faecal Sludge Management and National Action Plan. The plan commits the country to gender transformative approaches. Practical Action’s experience of developing an inclusive sanitation system in urban centres in Bangladesh provides useful insights on how this can be achieved. A system
that integrates and formalizes services provided by informal sanitation workers serving low-income communities addresses negative consequences of widespread mismanagement of faecal sludge which disproportionately affect women. The integration of the new system with municipal gender action plans, urban poverty reduction strategies, and sanitation governance enables and supports women and other marginalized communities to influence decision making and access emerging employment and business opportunities.