Approval Date: March 2020

The achievement of sustainable development goals (SDGs) is a priority function of the Government Republic of Bangladesh. In line with this objective, this initiative of the Local Government Division is undoubtedly commendable. This document, "Institutional and Regulatory Framework for Faecal Sludge Management," provides a guideline for implementing fecal sludge management. It builds upon a comprehensive framework for consistent and harmonized interventions maintaining pace towards fecal sludge management.  It is very important to develop the NAP that specifies the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders at different levels (e.g., national/local) for implementing/undertaking specific actions with set milestones to be achieved within a given period. NAP also ensures coordination among the stakeholders for effective implementation of current and future FSM initiatives for long-term operational sustainability. Since there are different frameworks for different Local Government Institutions, there is also a need for separate National Action Plans for these institutions. This document presents the NAP for implementation of IRF-FSM for Rural Areas. The NAP for Rural Areas has been developed with the objective of rapid implementation of FSM in all Rural Areas under 64 districts by 2030, The specific objectives of the IRF-FSM for Rural Areas are: (a) Identify ways and means of safe management of fecal sludge in the Rural Areas; and (b) Define specific roles and responsibilities of various institutions and stakeholders, particularly the Union Parishads and Upazila Parishads, for effective management of fecal sludge.