Overview
The Australian Government supports healthy, climate-resilient and inclusive societies by investing in water resources management and water, sanitation and hygiene services. The programs below are a sample of global, regional, multilateral and bilateral water-related initiatives in DFAT’s development portfolio.
The Australian Water Partnership (AWP)
$30 million, 2024-2029
The Australian Water Partnership (AWP), now in Phase 3, is a global program engaging over 250 mostly Australian water sector partners. AWP mobilises Australia’s expertise in climate-resilient water management to respond to critical water resource planning needs of partner countries.
Climate related disruptions to the water cycle, extreme weather events and water scarcity mean water resources are increasingly vulnerable and threaten the sustainability of communities and economies. AWP interventions target ‘water for climate’: resource management for adaptation and mitigation outcomes.
Since its inception in 2015, AWP has provided technical assistance and partnership approaches to strengthen water resource management in some 30 countries, the vast majority in the Indo-Pacific.
Additional information on the partnership can be found on the Australian Water Partnership website.
The Global Water Security and Sanitation Partnership (GWSP)
$40 million, 2017-2030
The GWSP is a multi-donor water partnership with the World Bank. GWSP leads global research on water and supports the World Bank’s $30 billion portfolio of water projects. It does this by generating knowledge, research and technical analysis as well as providing country-level technical support and capacity building.
Additional information on the partnership can be found on The Global Water Security and Sanitation Partnership website.
The Indonesia Australia Partnership for Infrastructure (KIAT)
$300 million, 2017-2026
Through KIAT we support development of high-quality infrastructure projects in water and sanitation, and transport. KIAT aims to reduce regulatory constraints that impede infrastructure investment and build the capacity of government bodies responsible for infrastructure delivery.
KIAT works with various partners to strengthen dialogue between government and civil society to ensure that women and other vulnerable groups are consulted in the planning, design, implementation, and evaluation of infrastructure projects.
KIAT works to improve the reliability and safety of water provided by local water utilities. KIAT activities have generated employment opportunities in the infrastructure sector for unskilled and low-skilled Indonesians, including women and people with disabilities.
KIAT also provides implementation support for the Palembang City Sanitation Project (PCSP), Water and Sanitation Grants Program (Watsan Hibah), Australia Indonesia Grants for Sanitation (AIIG) and the Provincial Road Improvement and Maintenance Program (PRIM).
Additional information on the partnership can be found on the Indonesia Australia Partnership for Infrastructure website.
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Regional WASH Program
$6 million, 2022-2025
This program supports improved water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services in line with Sustainable Development Goal 6, Clean Water and Sanitation. The program works in 14 regional countries in the Indo Pacific Region, with an in-depth focus on six countries: Cambodia, Indonesia, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste. The program ireaches100,000 people across these six countries and works in four main areas: data collection; developing options for climate-resilient WASH; developing solutions for climate-resilient WASH; and generation of knowledge products for WASH sector partners.
Water for Women Fund
$159.9 million, 2017-2025
Water for Women (WfW) was a Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) program working in 16 Indo Pacific countries.
The Fund supported improved health, gender equality and wellbeing for more than 4.4 million direct beneficiaries and millions more indirectly through delivery of climate-resilient and socially inclusive WASH projects. The Fund supported a total of 40 projects (20 WASH and 20 research projects) via 10 civil society organizations and partnerships with eight research organisations.
The Fund produced over 1,500 knowledge products, positioning it as an important contributor to global knowledge generation on climate-resilient inclusive WASH.
To access information on the Fund, including learning materials on inclusive WASH and climate resilient WASH, and project outcomes visit the Water for Women website.
Key resources on the Fund and its impact include:
- The Interactive Water for Women Impact (Annual Completion) Report (ACR) [Adobe InDesign]
- A short video on how WASH contributes to climate resilience - Resilient together: our learning agenda (part 2) [YouTube]
- The Impacts of Climate Change on WASH - Thread by thread: our learning agenda (part 1) [YouTube]