On April 12–13, the World Water Council together with the OECD and the Netherlands organized the inaugural meeting of the Roundtable on Financing Water in Paris.
The Roundtable was established to facilitate a fresh approach and augmented dialogue between the water and finance communities on how to overcome the global challenges of financing the investments needed for water security and sustainable economic growth including water’s contribution to the wider set of Sustainable Development Goals.
Over 60 participants joined the invitation-only meeting. The discussions involved a wide range of actors from financiers to water project owners, international organizations, academia and government representatives. Over one and half days, the expert dialogues focused on:
- The gap between the economic case for investment in water security and the financial case
- Financiers’ expectations and the water security investment environment
- How to convert the economic benefits of water security into financial returns
- How to scale-up financing through an attractive risk-return profile
Financing water-related investments is and remains a major challenge for both developed and developing countries. Addressing water related risks will require substantial investments in infrastructure, innovation, technology, risk management, knowledge creation, people and partnerships.
The World Water Council closed the meeting by emphasizing the importance of strengthening the collective understanding on water financing; bridging the gaps between investor and investment needs; and encouraging a robust participation in the processes of the 8th World Water Forum which shall be held in Brasilia, where Financing will feature as a major theme. Roundtable on Financing Water Prospectus