Share New Delhi: Developing countries in Asia and the Pacific must reassess their approach and investment priorities to adopt citywide inclusive sanitation (CWIS) to address the region’s urban sanitation crisis, according to discussions today at the Online ADB Sanitation Dialogue 2021. “Sanitation continues to be a huge unmet need in Asia and the Pacific, despite the region’s progress,” said ADB Water Sector Group Chief Neeta Pokhrel. “About 1.2 billion people have no access to basic sanitation services and the region requires $53 billion per year on average up to 2030 to finance and address the water and sanitation gap.” The opening panel of the dialogue focused on how to fix the sanitation crisis using CWIS, which ensures that investments are based on equity, safety, and sustainability, and are directed toward communities who need interventions the most. CWIS aims to galvanize action to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 6.2 on sanitation for all by 2030.