1st Meeting of the UfM Working Group on Financing and Investment (WATFIN)

27 May 2024, online – Since January 2018 the UfM Secretariat has carried out a work programme on water finance and investment in order to support UfM member states to implement the UfM Financial Strategy for Water. This work programme has included the organization of regional conferences on water finance and investment, the development of policy briefs on water finance and investment topics, and support for the organization for national workshops on water finance and investment, among other activities.

At its meeting of June 2023, the UfM Regional Platform for Water decided re-launch the UfM Water Finance Task Force in order to institutionalize, consolidate and further develop the UfM work on water finance and investment. Given the process of renaming the UfM bodies that took place in late 2023, the UfM Water Finance Task Force has been renamed the Working Group on Water Finance and Investment (WATFIN).

The objectives of the UfM Working Group on Water Finance and Investment are:

• To provide an opportunity for UfM member states and partners to share knowledge by presenting their work and experiences on water finance and investment, including the availability of public and private financial instruments.
• To support capacity development in the area of water finance and investment by: (a) identifying capacity development priorities, (b) supporting the organization of regional capacity development activities, and  (c) contributing to the creation of a network of experts and community of practice in the area of water finance in the Mediterranean region.
• To provide strategic expert advice by (a) helping to identify the topics to be discussed in the annual Conference on Water Finance and Investment, and (b) providing input to documents in the area of water finance and investment to be submitted by the Regional Platform on Water to regional ministerial meetings and other high-level events.
• To identify opportunities for (a) carrying out activities at national level that will support progress towards achieving the financial sustainability of the water sector and, (b) making use of available public and private financial instruments for financing water investments.

For more information about this meeting and the activities under this Working Group, please send us an email at: water@ufmsecretariat.org