Short Bio

Sunetra Lala offers 21 years of leadership and experience in project management, fund raising, multi-disciplinary team management, applied research, capacity building and knowledge and learning (K&L) in the development sector, of which 12 is in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). Her areas of expertise include WASH, faecal sludge management, social and behaviour change communication, gender, advocacy, capacity building and knowledge management. She has led the development and implementation of large-scale decentralised flagship Government of India, Nepal and Cambodia WASH programmes.

She has led strategic, managerial and technical guidance for WASH programmes in the WASH sector in Nepal, Cambodia and India and have proven analytical skills, and have several peer-reviewed papers to my credit. She has proven track record in project management, specifically in project planning, monitoring, evaluation, reporting and financial management for large scale comprehensive projects. Through her work with national and local governments and civil society, she has developed a strong network, and supported capacity development using a variety of approaches. She has demonstrated expertise in fund raising, organisational and institutional development, action research and policy analysis and development.

Motivation/Commitment to the GSC 

I am motivated and committed to building an evidence-base for effective WASH interventions through research and innovation and knowledge repositories such as the SuSanA platform. I would like to contribute my international experience of working on WASH policies and programmes to support SuSanA 2.0 and the GSC as the network transitions to a different form. I am driven by a desire to guide the development of capacity and apply evidence-based practice, and in so doing reduce inequity, in the developing world. I will contribute to the GSC by combining my expertise of knowledge and programme management to inform WASH programmes.

Is there anything else you would like to say to the SuSanA community?

I was previously the Moderator of the United Nations Solution Exchange Water Community of Practice, the first of its kind initiative for knowledge management in India. In this position, I combined my skills of knowledge management and networking to build the largest network of WASH practitioners in India, and the efforts were recognised by the sector. I have contributed significantly to national and international WASH strategies and programmes. I understand how networks like SuSanA may be leveraged to provide a similar voice for practitioners to contribute to WASH agenda and progress towards the SDGs.

I understand the role that sanitation plays in improving the overall quality of life and the environment as I have worked on environmental issues and sanitation programmes at UNICEF and internationally, with SNV. I will bring this knowledge and skills to the GSC to help guide discussions and the assimilation and dissemination of sanitation knowledge that is relevant to the developing world, especially India.