Water.org Unveils $1 Billion Plan for Water Access at CGI

By Diogo Augusto and Tobias Schmitz

8 Oct 2022 by The Water Diplomat

Water.org, a global non-profit organization whose mission is to bring safe, accessible and cost-effective water and sanitation to the world”, has announced a US$ 1bn plan to improve the resilience of water services around the world. To achieve this, a dedicated Water and Climate Fund was launched at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) conference in New York, which aims to to help 100 million people in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The CGI is a programme designed by the Clinton Foundation, established by former U.S. president Bill Clinton, to help solve some of the world’s most pressing problems. The idea behind the initiative to create a billion-dollar investment portfolio to help under-served communities build and improve water infrastructure and then use wealth generated by these improvements to further fund the programme. Amazon partnered with Water.org to create this fund and announced the donation of US$10 million to provide 3 billion litres of water per year to 1 million people by 2025. This investment will kick start the Water and Climate Fund and support climate-resilient water and sanitation projects.

In a press release, Amazon stated: “People living in poverty are especially vulnerable to the impacts of climate change because they often lack access to reliable water and sanitation systems. They also have limited access to funding that can help them adapt to growing droughts, declining water quality, and shifting precipitation patterns. Water.org is working to change this.”

The fund was unveiled by actor Matt Damon, co-founder of Water.org. He said: “Water action is climate action. We must focus on global water security by putting the water and sanitation needs of the most vulnerable front and centre through our climate discussions and most importantly, our philanthropy.”