Ordinary Thematic Session

Bringing over testimonials from community leaders, women, youth and indigenous communities from different continents on how they deal with access to water, how they manage it, how they participate on decision-making processes related to water and how they would change in the water sector of today.

"Access to information on the state and evolution of water resources and their uses is an imperative need and a major challenge to establish an inclusive governance framework that takes into account in a structured manner the different links of integrated water management.

The COVID-19 pandemic has acted as a magnifying glass on pressing water and sanitation challenges in Africa, especially for the 56% of the urban population living in informal settlements, lacking access to proper hygiene conditions. Climate change, urbanisation and population growth will add further pressure on water resources. This session will aim at raising the profile of Mayors and City leaders in enhancing water security in Africa. Participants will discuss challenges and opportunities towards water security in Africa.

According to the OECD Principles on Water Governance, effective, efficient and inclusive water governance is key to guarantee enhanced water security and better access to safe drinking water and sanitation services. As “one cannot improve what cannot be measured” measuring the economic, social and environmental impacts of water governance, would provide evidence on tangible results to governments, citizens, businesses and services. The session will discuss existing tools, methodologies and guidelines to measure the impacts of water governance.

Addressing the policy, institutional and regulatory aspects of water and sanitation service delivery is more crucial than ever before. The reason? PIR is a key enabler of other levers – such as financing, infrastructure, and technical solutions - for meeting SDG6. By focusing on an integrated approach, PIR can help address systemic challenges to sustainability – such as climate change and short-term crises and shocks. This session will zoom in on how PIR can be an enabler of financial and technical solutions and enhance their impact for better services.

"Growing, and maximising the impact of urban sanitation investments and services in Africa."

The session seeks to engage to the voices of rural communities, youth, mayors and other local actors, as well as the financial sector in order to include their perspectives into the dialogue on financing water.

These shared perspectives can help shape and influence global initiatives, including the Roundtable on Financing Water and the OECD Global Observatory on Financing Water Supply, Sanitation and Water Security

Creating opportunities for action-oriented solutions providers (entrepreneurs, investors, corporations, utilities, public authorities, associations) to network and accelerate the spread of their solutions.

Investing in nature-based solutions, such as preserving or restoring wetlands and natural flood management measures, is essential to enhance water security. These solutions can complement or substitute for grey infrastructure, such as built reservoirs and water treatment plants. Mobilising funding for those solutions raises specific challenges, as they generate multiple benefits for a diverse range of beneficiaries - and only some of these benefits can be monetised.

The session discuss traditional as well as innovative financing instruments for the water sector in Africa in view of lessons learned globally. During the session a handbook on available financing instruments for the Africa region will be released and through a panel discussion between world experts and regional pioneers the most important principles for innovative and climate finance, will be elucidated. This will include a discussion on the potential of partnerships and coalitions and the role of multiple players: NGO's, public development banks and others.