From Commitments to Capital: New Water Compacts Clinic Helps Countries Strengthen Pathways to Investment

BANGKOK, 15 October 2026. Countries can now access dedicated technical support through a new Water Compacts Clinic to strengthen national Water Compacts and help translate political commitments into investment opportunities. Countries interested in participating can register their interest here. 

The Clinic supports countries that are developing or have already developed Water Compacts under Water Forward, a global multi-stakeholder coalition and investment platform led by the World Bank Group to improve water security for up to 1 billion people by 2030. The Clinic is led by a consortium including the Resilient Water Accelerator (RWA), WaterAid, the Global Climate Finance Centre (GCFC) and Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) Austria, with funding from the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF). 

The Water Compacts Clinic was launched at a high-level roundtable co-convened by the United Arab Emirates and the World Bank Group during the October 2026 IMF-World Bank Group Annual Meetings in Bangkok. The roundtable was held in the lead-up to the 2026 UN Water Conference, co-hosted by the UAE and Senegal in Abu Dhabi from 8 to 10 December.

Bridging the gap between commitments and investment 

In developing countries, less than 2 per cent of water investment comes from private capital. The challenge is not simply a lack of available capital, but also the enabling conditions needed to attract investment, including supportive policy, legal and regulatory frameworks. Addressing these barriers is critical to mobilizing private capital and creating more investable water sectors.

Water Forward, launched in April 2026, provides governments with a starting point. Fourteen countries have announced Water Compacts so far with more under preparation. These Water Compacts set out national priorities, reform commitments, and investment plans. The next challenge is identifying which priorities within Water Compacts are suitable for private investment, how to structure projects to attract that capital and what reforms are needed to mobilize investment at the scale envisioned.

How the Clinic works

The Water Compacts Clinic works alongside country teams and relevant partners, including the World Bank Group. RWA and WaterAid lead the Clinic engagements, providing hands-on technical support to help countries identify the policy reforms, enabling conditions, and investment priorities needed to attract financing.

GCFC provides financing assessments for participating countries through its diagnostic tool, building on the Water Finance Framework developed with Water.org. The tool evaluates how a country’s priorities are currently financed, identifies realistic sources of financing at each stage, and recommends reforms that could help unlock commercial capital.

CPI leads the broader Commitments to Capital (C2C) project and conducts a comparative meta-analysis of Water Compacts, drawing on findings from the Clinic to identify lessons and good practices that can inform other countries, including those not directly participating in the Clinic.

Clean water and sanitation are essential for children to flourish, and Water Compacts can make this a reality by making country priorities clear to everyone. These clinics provide practical support for governments early in  developing their plans, ensuring country priorities can be financed and delivered. By creating the right conditions for investment in water and measuring outcomes for people, we can help ensure more sustainable water services for generations to come. – Kate Hampton, CEO, The Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) 

What happens next

• The Water Compacts Clinic will provide support from mid-October through the UN Water Conference. Countries interested in participating can register their interest here. 
• Interim findings from the Water Compacts meta-analysis and lessons learned from the Clinic will be shared at an official side event at the UN Water Conference on 9 December, alongside broader efforts to showcase investment-ready projects and mobilize financing during Abu Dhabi Finance Week.
• Lessons from the Clinic will also inform a Guidance Note for governments and their advisors, outlining practical steps to identify investment priorities, address financing barriers, and better engage with the investment community.
• GCFC’s diagnostic tool will be made publicly available on its website by January 2027.

About the partners

Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF). CIFF is an independent philanthropy working with partners to build a world where children are healthy, safe and have opportunities – and in turn, a world that is prosperous and secure for everyone. Alongside governments and multilaterals, NGOs, academics and the private sector, we invest in and scale solutions that work. Together, we are creating large-scale change which is locally owned and aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals.

Climate Policy Initiative (CPI). CPI is an international analysis and advisory organization with deep expertise in finance and policy. Its mission is to support governments, businesses, and financial institutions in driving economic growth while addressing climate change. This initiative is led by CPI Austria.  

Global Climate Finance Centre (GCFC). The Global Climate Finance Centre (GCFC) is an independent, not-for-profit institution established at COP28 with a mandate to mobilise climate finance in emerging and developing economies, and establish the UAE as a global climate finance hub. For the 2026 UN Water Conference, GCFC is the strategic partner to the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the Finance Track; convening partners, structuring initiatives and carrying results to implementation. 

WaterAid. WaterAid is an international non-profit with one goal: to change the world through water. Along with decent toilets and good hygiene, a reliable supply of clean water is essential for health, dignity and a life full of opportunity. We work alongside communities in 22 countries, setting up entire systems that deliver clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene for millions of people. Since 1981, WaterAid UK and its Country Programmes have reached 28.9 million people with clean water, 29.2 million people with decent toilets and 28.7 million people with good hygiene.

Resilient Water Accelerator (RWA). RWA is a non-profit company focused on catalysing capital for water security and climate resilience.  RWA brings together decision makers, technical experts, and investors to accelerate investment in water security in supply chains, cities, and watersheds through two complementary roles: market shaper and deal driver. 

Media contacts

For WaterAid: Lucy Cowie ([email protected])

For RWA: Aaron Baum ([email protected])

For GCFC: Jyotika Eapen ([email protected])

For CPI Austria: Annie Woscoboinik ([email protected])