/Water Financing Partnership Facility

The Water Financing Partnership Facility (WFPF) was established in November 2006 to mobilize additional financial and knowledge resources from development partners to implement ADB’s water financing program. Its initial focus was to support the achievement of targeted outcomes set for 2006–2010 and was subsequently adjusted and extended to 2020 following approval of ADB’s Water Operational Plan 2011–2020. Building on this experience, the WFPF will continue to support ADB’s water operations from 2021 onwards, guided by the Water Sector Framework 2021–2030: Water-Secure and Resilient Asia and the Pacific, which articulates how water operations contribute to ADB’s Strategy 2030.

The WFPF held several major activities in 2022. These included launching Asia and the Pacific Water Resilience Hub, the Asia Water Forum, and the Water Organization Partnership for Resilience Program (WOP4R). Asia and the Pacific Water Resilience Hub built a coalition of international and external stakeholders for knowledge-sharing and leverage efforts toward improving project development and implementation. The Asia Water Forum held 9–11 August 2022 provided a platform for sharing knowledge, experience, and innovations in the water sector across the region. It brought together leading experts from around the globe, along with developing member country policy makers and practitioners, to promote practices and technologies to tackle the complex water challenges facing Asia and the Pacific and to raise the profile of water on the region’s development agenda.

The WOP4R was considered the next generation of ADB’s successful water operators’ partnership program. The program covering additional water organizations and water and sanitation providers, such as river basin management organizations and irrigation associations, also provided channels for intensive engagement between mentor and recipient water organizations, including financing digital solution pilots to address identified water challenges. The WFPF also supported selected municipal- and village-governing bodies, utilities, and water resource management entities in integrating information and communication technology, digital and remote-sensing tools, and other technologies to improve water security and resilience in their projects, policies, and operations. Particular focus on strengthening inclusive decision-making processes and systems that include women and girls will be maintained while designing the digitalization support for the entities.