The state of water supply and sanitation access and services strongly influences human and economic development. Sustainable Development Goal 6 seeks to “ensure access to water and sanitation for all” by 2030. In moving toward the attainment of SDG6, many World Bank Group client countries face a difficult challenge in covering their large gaps in access to improved water and sanitation services while also improving service delivery. The higher performance benchmarks of SDG 6 will need an investment estimated at $1.7 trillion in the next 15 years, which is three times historic levels—a difficult gap for many World Bank client countries to address given the sector’s poor cost recovery record, dependence on public funds, and low and uncertain fiscal transfers.

This event featured findings from IEG’s report – A Thirst for Change: An Evaluation of the World Bank Group’s Support for Water Supply and Sanitation with Focus on the Poor. Following a presentation on the report’s key findings, experts from academia, the private sector, and the World Bank Group discussed the report’s implications for improving access to adequate, reliable, and sustained water and sanitation services in client countries. The discussion included an examination of how well the Bank Group is equipped to support countries in moving toward SDG 6 with a particular focus on the financial viability and accountability of service providers.

Watch the re-play of the live event

 Keep the conversation going on twitter at #Goal6

Read A Thirst for Change: An Evaluation of the World Bank Group’s Support for Water Supply and Sanitation with Focus on the Poor

View the presentation

WELCOMING REMARKS

Caroline Heider
Director-General, IEG, and
Senior Vice President
World Bank Group

PRESENTATION
A Thirst for Change: The World Bank Group’s Support for Water Supply and Sanitation

Ramachandra Jammi
Senior Evaluation Officer, Sustainable Development Unit
Independent Evaluation Group

MODERATOR

José Carbajo Martinez
Director, Financial, Private Sector & Sustainable Development Unit
Independent Evaluation Group
World Bank Group

 

PANELISTS

Usha Rao-Monari
Chief Executive Officer
Global Water Development Partners, Blackstone Portfolio Company

Jennifer Sara
Director, Water Global Practice
World Bank Group

Dale Whittington
Professor of Environmental Sciences and Engineering
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

View the infographic: A Thirst for Change

Water Supply and Sanitation Infographic_online.jpg

Comments

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Q1: The "chain of result" described in the IEG report mentions "outputs", "outcomes" and sometimes "impacts". It never discuss "inputs". It would have been useful to discuss mandates, budgets, staffing, procedures and incentives of World Bank units dealing with water supply and sanitation (WSS) and to establish at least a correlation between such inputs and outcomes. In particular It would have been good to mention if the quality enhancement process at project concept, appraisal and implementation stages is deemed adequate by IEG?
Q2: For decades OED and now IEG reports on WSS have highlighted the poor financial performance of service providers implementing Bank-financed WSS projects. During the last twenty years the Bank capacity to carry out financial appraisals and prepare and supervise financial recovery plans of service providers seems to have been totally depleted. In addition, OP/BP 10.00 of 2014 does not even require a financial analysis of projects, even those implemented by revenue earning entities!!! Are IEG reports on WSS influencing Bank policies and procedures?

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