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Water Financing Program

INFOCUSADB works closely with our clients to ensure that waterresources and services support inclusive and sustainableeconomic growth

Water is an essential resource and service. The lack o

clean and reliable water service has dire consequences

or ADBs developing member countries.

Economic growth, population pressures, and

increased urbanization have combined to sharply

increase water use in the region. Pollution and

climate change pose additional threats. Today, about

600 million people across Asia and the Pacic lack

access to sae drinking water, and nearly 1.8 billion

people have inadequate sanitation acilities.ADB views water as a socially vital economic good,

and sees water management as a crucial challenge.

The region has sucient technology and expertise

to solve both existing and uture water problems,

and ADB experts are partnering with national

and local governments, the private sector, civil

society, knowledge hubs, and other development

proessionals to help clients deliver targeted,

knowledge-based water solutions.

Water for All

Adopted in January 2001, ADBs Water or All policypromotes a national ocus on water sector reorm.

It recognizes that sustainability o water resources is

Through the Water Financing Program ADB is working to double water investments in rural communities, cities,

and river basins, and includes support for reforms, capacity development, and regional cooperation.Amy Leung, Chair, ADB Water Committee; Director, Urban and Social Sectors Division

Challenge Annual investments o at least $8 billion1 are needed to meet United Nations Millennium Development Goaltargets or sae drinking water and sanitation. Additional investments are needed or irrigation services, riverbasin management, wastewater management, food management, and climate change adaptation.

Strategy To meet the expanding water needs o Asia and the Pacic, ADB launched the Water Financing Program (WFP)to make water a core investment area in our operations.

Response WFP aims to strengthen country-ocused investments, increase technical assistance, and develop research,policy advice, and project proposals to acilitate increased water investments.

key, and that it is best achieved through the active

involvement o people at all levels.

The policy osters the integrated management

o water resources in river basins, and supports

improving and expanding the delivery o water

services. In the ace o climate change and an

increase in water-related disasters, ADB President

Haruhiko Kuroda has emphasized the need or

partnerships to increase water security or all.

Doubling investment to achieveprogram goals

ADBs WFP sets targets or increasing the number

o people in Asia and the Pacic with access to

reliable and aordable water services or sae water,

sanitation, and productive livelihoods. ADB is also

helping reduce disaster risks and introduce integrated

water resources management in 25 river basins.

To meet the objectives o ADBs long-term strategic

ramework or 20082020 (Strategy 2020), WFP

is working to double water investments to achieve

targeted goals or rural water services, urban waterservices, and basin water management.

ADBs Strategy 2020meeting the needs o Asiaand the Pacifc

Strategic Direction Inclusive Economic Growth

Environmentally

Sustainable Growth

Regional Integration

Drivers o ChangePrivate Sector

Good Governance

Gender Equity

Knowledge Solutions

Partnerships

Read more at

www.adb.org/Strategy2020/

1 Estimates are rom the report Asia Water Watch 2015published by ADB and partners in December 2005. Read more atwww.adb.org/water/actions/REG/target-ten.asp

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In this publication, $ refers to US dollars. Asian Development Bank. April 2010.

Also included are reorms,

capacity development, knowledge

management, and regionalcooperation, with support rom

the Water Financing Partnership

Facility. WFP has gained

momentum since 2006, and has

generated a substantial pipeline o

new investments.

WFPs targeted outcomes2 call or

200 million people with

sustainable access to sae drinking

water and improved sanitation

(projects beneting 109 million people have been

approved);

100 million people with reduced risks to food

(projects to benet 37 million people have been

approved);

40 million people with more productive and

ecient irrigation and drainage services (projects

to benet 9 million people have been approved);

25 river basins introduced to integrated water

resources management (projects beneting 24

river basins have been approved).

Strengthening partnershipsto implement our action agenda

Evolving priorities or WFP are guided by the seven-

point agenda or prioritizing water investments in the

region, outlined by ADB President Kuroda at the Water

Leaders Summit in Singapore in 2008. The agenda is

helping clients and development partners prioritize

water investments or the region in the coming years.

Because water management aects almost all

sectors, investing in partnerships is essential to

delivering results. ADB has developed collaboration

with partners through the Water Financing

Partnership Facility.

This will better position ADB to increase conancing

and leveraging o nancial resources to catalyzeinvestments toward water security or all.

Strengthening regionalinstitutional infrastructure

ADB is also energizing the regions institutionalinrastructure or water knowledge management

and networking. ADB leads the AsiaPacic Water

Forums priority theme or water nancing and

capacity development in collaboration with the

Japan International Cooperation Agency. ADB also

leads collaboration or the orums key result area o

increasing public outreach.

ADBs Water Operators Partnerships (WOPs)

Program, introduced by the United Nations Secretary

Generals Advisory Board to the water sector, aims

to enable water utilities to improve service delivery

through a twinning program that matches an expert

utility providing guidance and know-how to a

recipient utility within the context o an agreed-

upon work program.

Eleven twinning pairs have been established

and are being monitored. ADBs WOPs Program also

provides programmatic training and capacity building

on nonrevenue water management and other aspects

o utility operations.

At the 2008 Stockholm International Water Week,

ADB signed a cooperation agreement with the

International Water Association and the United States

Agency or International Development, establishing

WaterLinks to better coordinate implementation othe WOPs Program in Asia and the Pacic by member

organizations.

In partnership with Singapore Public Utilities Board

and the UNESCO-IHE Institute or Water Education,

ADB has also paved the way to establish AsiaPacic

Water Forums Network o Regional Water Knowledge

Hubs. These hubs develop knowledge and promote

knowledge sharing.

Seventeen hubs have been established to date

and proposals or additional hubs and partners

continue to be received. Hubs are aligned strategically

to ensure that their products have relevance to policy

makers and project clients in developing countries.

Going forward. Asia and the Pacics water

challenges are many and the stakes are high. But

thanks to its technical and nancial capacity

and network o partners, ADB is well positioned

to continue delivering knowledge and nancing

solutions to clients or years to come.

NFOCUS

ADB Focal PointsAmy S.P. Leung

East Asia Department

Wouter Lincklaen Arriens

Regional and SustainableDevelopment Department

www.adb.org/Water/

For inquiries, contact

ADB Media Center

mediacenter@adb.org

Tel +63 2 632 5090

ADBs seven-point agenda orwater

The agenda is designed to helpgovernments, the private sector, civilsociety, local communities, and otherdevelopment partners prioritize theregions water investments in thesestrategic areas:1. Rural water services2. Bankable urban water projects3. Sanitation and integrated water

resources management4. Climate change adaptation5. Disaster preparedness6. Leadership and knowledge sharing7. Investing in partnerships

Working in partnership, we can catalyze and leverage investments andpool the regions knowledge in seven priority areas, to raise the standard

of living for hundreds of millions of poor people in the regionand increase water security for all.

Haruhiko Kuroda, President and Chair, Board of Directors, Asian Development Bank

2 Figures are based on the status o project approvals as o 31 December 2009.