100 WATER HEROES: SANJAY WIJESEKERA

Chief of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene and Associate Director of Programmes at UNICEF

© UNICEF/NYHQ2012-0010/Markisz

Sanjay Wijesekera is the Chief of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene and Associate Director of Programmes at UNICEF, where he provides strategic leadership and oversight of UNICEF’s WASH programmes.

Prior to joining UNICEF in 2011, Sanjay worked for the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) where he was in charge of leading their policy and international programmes related to the water and sanitation Millennium Development Goals. His work with DFID also included being an infrastructure advisor in Ghana, where he assisted in the coordination of a Joint Assistance Strategy for donors. He was also the main donor representative for the water industry during this time.

Sanjay’s experience in the water sector also includes his work with the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry in South Africa, during which he helped local governments to adequately deliver water and sanitation services, as well as assisting in the regulation of public and private sector service providers.

Sanjay is one of our #100WaterHeroes for devoting his career to highlighting, and finding solutions to, the global water, sanitation and hygiene crisis.

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/sanjay-wijesekera-1922b598

Twitter: @SanjayWash