Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - The World Bank's Eastern and Southern Africa Leadership Summit on universal access to water supply, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) is currently underway in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The two-day summit, held from November 14 to 15, 2023, emphasizes the role of private capital in advancing WASH initiatives.
According to South African Government News Agency, Director-General of the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) in South Africa, who is participating in the summit, the event follows the 7th Africa Sanitation and Hygiene Conference in Namibia. Co-hosted by Ethiopia's Ministry of Finance and the World Bank, the summit aims to increase both private and public investment and implement necessary reforms in the water and sanitation sector to ensure access for all residents of Eastern and Southern Africa.
The summit's discussions will focus on three key areas: policy and institutional reforms to promote efficient use of resources, pivotal investments for the water sector's transformation, and platforms for country and regional collaboration. These conversations are expected to build on previous dialogues and advance plans to accelerate access to WASH services.
Stakeholders at the event, including water sector ministers, finance ministers, development partners, and private sector leaders, are set to engage in high-level ministerial and technical discussions. These discussions aim to identify opportunities to increase funding and implement sector reforms, aligning with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6, which focuses on the right to water and sanitation services for all.
Phillips highlighted the summit's role in addressing global inequalities in WASH services and promoting strategies, actions, and policy reforms to boost private sector financing and participation. He also mentioned South Africa's commitment to achieving SDG 6.
The WASH initiative, covering 18 countries, faces challenges, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, which is experiencing a regression in basic water supply and sanitation. Over the past 20 years, the region has seen a decline in access, resulting in millions more people without basic services.
The implications of limited access to basic water supply and sanitation were previously discussed at the UN Water Conference and the World Bank-IMF Spring Meetings. African Ministers of Water and Finance have committed to effecting change through regional platforms to monitor the progress of universal WASH access.