Accelerating adaptation finance for climate resilient WASH in Asia and the Pacific

A blue graphic featuring thumbnails of these two finance briefs

Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) is essential to supporting community climate resilience, particularly ensuring that no one is left behind. Marginalised communities disproportionately experience the harsh impacts of climate change due to existing socioeconomic vulnerabilities and fragile water sources that often fail in the face of droughts, floods and extreme weather. Women and girls are often excluded from decision-making even though they play important roles as custodians of water and community caregivers.

The world’s annual total climate finance has not gone above US $681 billion. Of that, only US $12 billion has gone to water adaptation and only 0.1% of that amount to basic WASH.

Launched during COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, these climate finance briefs were developed to assist both Donors and CSOs improve access to climate adaptation financing in the Asia Pacific.

For Donors: Accelerating adaptation finance for climate resilient WASH in Asia and the Pacific

WASH is a critical entry point for reducing community vulnerability to climate impacts, closing gaps on gender, education, prosperity and health inequalities. This brief covers the challenges and opportunities for Donors as well as the importance of investing in WASH.

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For CSOs: Improving opportunities for civil society to access climate adaptation funding for WASH

CSOs must find and support pathways to access climate funding.
Based on a number of procedural, design and systemic barriers identified through the project, this brief recommends key pathways for CSOs to increase access to funding for climate resilient WASH projects.

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These resources are the result of collaboration between Water for Women partners under the Water for Women Learning Agenda. WaterAid along with iDE, International Rescue Committee, University of Technology Sydney’s Institute for Sustainable Futures, Plan International, and RTI International undertook a study based on secondary data from a desk review and primary data from interviews with key climate finance stakeholders to understand the barriers faced by Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in accessing funds for climate resilient WASH, and opportunities for funders to improve accessibility.

These resources were developed specifically for release at COP27, and will be followed by a more extensive regional brief along with country-specific briefs. If you would like to be informed of their release, you can subscribe to our mailing list.

This work was supported by the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.