Tackling Water Bankruptcy: The Role of Governance & Finance
Today, 2.2 billion people lack access to safely managed drinking water, and 3.5 billion people live without safely managed sanitation (UNSD, 2024). Action is urgently needed.
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank's (AIIB) recent Where the Water Flows report offers clear pathways for addressing these challenges in an increasingly destabilized hydrological environment. Yet, financing remains insufficient: an additional USD 140.8 billion in investment is needed annually to meet SDG targets 6.1 and 6.2 by 2030 (World Bank, 2024).
Traditional water funding modalities – tariffs, taxes, and transfers – are under strain, jeopardizing sustained investment and potentially widening the funding gap. Innovative governance models and financing solutions have a critical role to play in this evolving landscape. As the World Bank operationalizes its new global initiative Water Forward, there is a growing need for alignment and dialogue on the strategic allocation of capital for water, alongside the potential of new financing and governance models.
Held on the sidelines of the IMF and World Bank Spring Meetings, this event, co-organized by CPI and AIIB, will convene water finance practitioners actively leveraging innovative governance and financial approaches to fund water in emerging markets. The panel will explore:
1. Governance as an enabler for unlocking capital; and
2. Innovative financing approaches for water and sanitation in an evolving context.
Opening remarks will be delivered by Zou Jiayi, President and Chair of the Board of Directors, AIIB.
Speakers will include:
Tim Wainwright, Chief Executive, WaterAid
Andrea Erickson-Quiroz, Global Managing Director, Food and Water Systems, The Nature Conservancy
Andrew Johnstone, CEO, Climate Fund Managers
Rachel Kyte, UK Special Representative for Climate
Arunabha Ghosh, CEO, Council on Energy, Environment and Water
Bella Tonkonogy, Senior Director of Programs, CPI
Please note that the event will begin promptly at 1:30 pm, so we recommend arriving by 1:15pm.
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