Amount of ODA disbursements for water and sanitation, by recipient country and by sector (millions of constant 2021 USD)(Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD] n.d.):

• Water resources policy/administrative management
• Water resources protection
• Water supply and sanitation - large systems
• Basic drinking water supply and basic sanitation
• River basin development
• Waste management/disposal
• Agricultural water resources
• Hydroelectric power plants
• DC_TOF_WASHL

This disaggregation provides relevant information on the primary purpose of the allocated funds and their potential impacts on the provision of water and sanitation services. It highlights which water sectors are being funded. It shows where gaps remain and where opportunities for new funding and partnerships for developing countries exist. Thus, it contributes to enhancing the monitoring of development finance to support water management and its outcomes with a view to adapting ODA flows to population needs and national priorities (OECD 2022).

This disaggregation is in line with the UN General Assembly Resolution, recognizing access to safe drinking water and sanitation as a distinct human right (UNGA 2016a). It alsocontributes to the UN Water Action Decade (UNGA 2017b) and the SDG 6 Global Acceleration Framework (UN-Water 2020).

Access to water and sanitation is critical for a healthy environment and social and economic development (UN-Water n.d.a). Vulnerable and marginalized groups are disproportionately affected by insufficient delivery and the not-so-optimal quality of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services and sometimes face discrimination as a result (UN 2022a). The current level of funding is insufficient to reach SDG 6 targets by 2030, leaving 2 billion people lacking managed drinking water and 3.6 billion people lacking safely managed sanitation. US$114 billion of investment per year is needed to achieve this target (UNESCO and UN-Water 2020).

In this context, development cooperation needs to be strengthened and to focus on pro-poor water strategies and projects aligned with national plans, while climate finance could be used more extensively to support water-climate synergies.

Annual expenditure for drinking water, sanitation and hygiene, by country and source of finance (millions of constant 2021 USD)(WHO 2022a).

• Users
• Government
• External
• Repayable

This disaggregation emphasizes the total amount of funding by different financial sources in the WASH sector (UN-Water n.d.b).

It can be used by decision-makers to identify untapped resources, leverage existing financing resources (e.g. with the private sector) or create new sources of funding (e.g. blended finance, public-private partnerships or mobilizing climate finance). The contribution of the private sector in water infrastructure remains limited in low- and middle-income countries as is commercial finance mobilized by development cooperation for WASH, and public finance does not create sufficient synergies to raise additional capital.

This disaggregation is in line with the UN General Assembly Resolution, recognizing access to safe drinking water and sanitation as a distinct human right (UNGA 2016a). It alsocontributes to the UN Water Action Decade (UNGA 2017b) and the SDG 6 Global Acceleration Framework (UN-Water 2020).