{"id":17946,"date":"2026-04-20T14:44:40","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T12:44:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/global-finance-discovers-water-and-tries-to-save-it\/"},"modified":"2026-04-20T16:09:53","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T14:09:53","slug":"global-finance-discovers-water-and-tries-to-save-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ultimabozza.it\/en\/global-finance-discovers-water-and-tries-to-save-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Global finance discovers water and tries to save it"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Water is definitely entering the global economic agenda. With the Water Forward program<\/a>, launched April 15, the World Bank and major development banks<\/strong> are trying to change scale and approach, resulting in a coordinated strategy to ensure safe access to water for more than a billion people over<\/strong> the next four years. <\/p>\n\n

A crisis weighing on the economy<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

The numbers outline a growing pressure: 2.1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water<\/strong> and more than 3.4 billion live without adequate sanitation. But there is one figure that is even more striking: as many as 4 billion people experience severe water stress for at least one month a year. Meanwhile, global demand for fresh water could exceed supply by up to 40 percent by the end of the decade<\/strong>. It’s not just an environmental problem: “water shocks” are already taking GDP points away from several countries. <\/p>\n\n

“Water is critical to the functioning of economies,” said Ajay Banga<\/strong>, president of the World Bank. The goal, he added, is “to provide reliable water services on a large scale.” <\/p>\n\n

From public management to “mixed capital”<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

At the heart of the program is a paradigm shift: considering water <\/strong>no longer as a low-cost service, but as a strategic economic resource.<\/strong> Water Forward aims to mobilize public, private, and philanthropic capital, overcoming one of the sector’s main obstacles: underinvestment due to weak regulations and unattractive projects. The mechanism has three steps: align partners around national Water Compacts<\/strong>, mobilize capital<\/strong> through guarantees and blended finance instruments that reduce risk for private investors, then replicate models <\/strong>that work in other countries and regions. <\/p>\n\n

The World Bank paper stresses that “public investment alone is not enough” and that stable conditions need to be created to attract financing by strengthening institutions and governance.<\/p>\n\n

The “Water Compacts”: tailored plans.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

The operational lever is Country Water Compacts<\/strong>, government-led agreements that integrate reform, planning and investment. Each country sets priorities and projects, but within a shared framework that aims to make the water sector financeable and scalable. The rationale is to create the right conditions-regulatory stability, capable institutions, credible projects-so that households, farmers, businesses, and investors can plan with confidence. <\/p>\n\n

The program will start in 14 countries in Africa, the Middle East and South Asia.<\/strong> There are seven solutions being fielded, covering three areas: for people, optimization of urban water and sewerage services and water supply in rural areas; for food, farmer-managed irrigation and modernization of centralized systems to reduce costs; and for the planet, flood and drought risk reduction by combining early warning systems with nature-based solutions, and restoration of rivers and aquifers. <\/p>\n\n

Water, work and stability<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

The ambition is to transform water from a risk factor to an economic engine<\/strong>. Today it supports about 1.7 billion jobs-in agriculture, industry, energy and services-but inefficient systems hold back productivity and food security. It is estimated that with current water management practices in agriculture, 6.5 billion people will not be sustainably fed by 2050, let alone the 10 billion expected by then. <\/p>\n\n

The testimonies collected in the report give a concrete measure of the change. “When we didn’t have enough water, our harvest was poor. Now the paddy field is more lush and profitable,” says Sukeni, a farmer in Indonesia. <\/p>\n\n

Water Forward deploys resources and coordination but the problem remains political: tariffs, regulation and public management. Without credible reforms, capital also risks stalling. So the bet is twofold: ensure universal access and make the system economically sustainable<\/strong>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Water security, investment and reform: with the “Water Forward” plan, the World Bank aims to reach 1 billion people within four years<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":17947,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"googlesitekit_rrm_CAowscnaCw:productID":"","_app_feed_target":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1633,1609,1624],"tags":[1832,2418],"class_list":["post-17946","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-consumption","category-economy","category-world","tag-water","tag-world-bank"],"yoast_head":"\nGlobal finance discovers water and tries to save it • Ultima Bozza<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Water security, investment and reform: with the "Water Forward" plan, the World Bank aims to reach 1 billion people within four years\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, 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