FOCUS | WATER SANITATION

At the heart of the equilibrium of ecosystems and societies, water is an essential factor for biodiversity, food security, health, dignity and peace. Faced with the combined effects of demographic growth, the evolutions of lifestyles and climate change, the water resource is under pressure, both in terms of availability and quality.

In 2015, the adoption by the United Nations of a Sustainable Development Goal dedicated to water and sanitation (SDG 6) constituted both a recognition of the importance of these issues and a real hope. The international mobilisation around climate and biodiversity, of which water is a lever, is also an opportunity.

Nevertheless, it must be observed that the sector suffers from a glaring lack of funding to reach its targets due to an often significant deficit of governance.

Expressing France's international strategy for water and sanitation (2020-2030) and the vision of the AFD Group, this sectoral intervention framework renews the Group's mobilisation in favour of the water and sanitation sector. The operational scope of this sector-specific focus covers access to water and sanitation, the sustainable management of the resource, and the management of urban flood risks.

It is built around three focuses of action:

1. Reducing inequalities of access to water and sanitation;
2. Improving governance for efficient and sustainable services;
3. Acting at the territorial level for greater climatic and ecological resilience.