At COP27 today, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and its partners announced their intention to raise more than $200 million between 2021 and 2025 for the development of Asia and the Pacific’s water and sanitation security and resilience, a press release from ADB states.
The Asia and the Pacific Water Resilience Program, commonly known as “RUWR: ARe yoU Water Resilient?,” is a broad initiative with a primary focus on bridging gaps, addressing needs, and utilizing local opportunities to mainstream resilience. The ADB has promised to expand support for coping with climate change.
ADB today welcomed additional support that will take effect in 2023, building on the mobilization of more than $80 million in 2021–2022. With a $20 million donation to the recently created Water Resilience Trust Fund, which operates under the auspices of RUWR and will emphasize adaptation, innovation, and inclusivity to speed up water resilience, the Government of the Netherlands is supporting the effort. The Sanitation Financing Partnership Trust Fund will receive $10 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as part of the initiative. This money will be used to expand inclusive urban sanitation services, test and advance sanitation technology and innovations, and support the development of laws and institutional frameworks that will result in inclusive, resilient, and sustainable sanitation systems.
The effort would be supported by more than $120 million in grants from ADB from 2023 to 2025 for water and sanitation security and resilience. Additionally, it has created a $8 million technical assistance (TA) cluster called Mainstreaming Water Resilience in Asia and the Pacific that would oversee the RUWR. The Japan Fund for a Prosperous and Resilient Asia and the Pacific, e-Asia and ADB resources all go toward funding the TA cluster.
The Netherlands and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will also contribute to the $115.9 million in grant finance that has already been obtained from partners under the Water Financing Partnership Facility (WFPF), that has supported 113 ADB investment projects in 20 countries since 2006.
The initiative’s work will be guided by the newly released Mainstreaming Water Resilience in Asia and the Pacific: Guidance Note, which is in line with ADB’s larger efforts to lead climate initiatives in the area.
