This report is a global assessment of national public development banks’ (PDBs) involvement in the water sector in its broadest sense. It was commissioned by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) in the context of the Finance in Common Initiative, which seeks to enhance PDBs’ role in financing countries’ commitments to the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement.
This report is a global assessment of national public development banks’ (PDBs) involvement in the water sector in its broadest sense. It was commissioned by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) in the context of the Finance in Common Initiative, which seeks to enhance PDBs’ role in financing countries’ commitments to the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement. PDBs have a specific mandate to deliver on public policy objectives that support the economic and social development of a country or region. Water sector investments (in the broad sense) represent on average between 5% and 15% of PDBs’ portfolio, though figures are not always available in a comparable manner. The study provides suggestions on how to advance PDB support, including support to the enabling environment of the water sector, i.e. support to the institutions and the regulatory and policy environment in which PDBs operate and incentives linked to financing mobilisation. It makes recommendations on how water-specialised institutions’ roles can be more impactful on PDBs and help shape their agenda for the future.
