On 12 August 2021, the founding co-convenors – AMCOW along with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), African Development Bank, Global Center on Adaptation (GCA), and Global Water Partnership (GWP) – adopted a resolution and established a partnership to convene the Panel and mobilize international commitment for water investments and to accelerate action towards the achievement of the SDGs and Africa Agenda 2063.
The International High-Level Panel on Water Investments for Africa will drive global political mobilization and international engagement to narrow the water investment gap on the continent and meet the socio-economic needs for water.
The Panel’s goal is to improve the investment outlook for climate resilient gender transformative water security and sustainable sanitation, and to address the twin challenge of climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic and make Africa resilient towards future pandemics.
During the inaugural technical meeting, the partners adopted a roadmap for the Panel, which is intended to serve for 18 months, from 2021 to 2023. The roadmap includes the launch of the Panel during the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in November 2021 in Glasgow, United Kingdom; meetings at the side-lines of the 9th World Water Forum in Senegal, March 2022; regional high-level water investments events across Africa; and the 2022 UN General Assembly (UNGA). A high-level event focused on mobilisation of private sector investments in water will also be convened during the course of 2022.
The Panel will develop a high-level action-forcing report and investment plan for the 2023 UN Conference and African Union Heads of States with a clear pathway and recommendations for countries to mobilize US$30 billion/year towards the water investment gap in Africa, which is currently estimated at US$45-US$54 billion/year.
The Panel will be convened at the Heads of State and Government level, with membership drawn from current and former Heads of States within Africa as well as internationally, industry leaders, foundation leaders, and other eminent personalities.
The inaugural meeting was hosted by the GCA, on the side-lines of the High-Level Dialogue on Climate Adaptation with Global Leaders ahead of COP26, in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, on 7 September 2021. The High-Level Dialogue was co-convened by Ban Ki-Moon, 8th Secretary General of the United Nations and Co-Chair of the GCA; Prof. Dr. Patrick Verkooijen, CEO of the GCA; and Ms. Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund. Outcomes of that event may be read here.
(Photo Credit: Roberto Caucino via Envato Elements)