Water Governance and Financing in Asia Pacific

Asia-Pacific, the world’s fastest-growing region, is facing pressing and emerging water security issues, which will be further exacerbated by climate change. By 2050, regional water demand is forecast to increase by 55% and 3.4 billion Asian people are expected to live in water-stressed areas. Sound water governance and sustainable financing will be essential to manage the risks of too little, too much, and too polluted water in the region while ensuring universal access to drinking water and sanitations services.
This session discussed water governance and financing in Asia-Pacific building on two OECD reports produced as part of ADB’s 2020 edition of the Asian Water Development Outlook (AWDO). Panellists shared perspectives on common challenges across the region and how to bridge identified governance and financing gaps to drive better water security now and in the future.