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.

Water for Women Fund

$159.9 million, 2017-2025

This is our flagship water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) program. Water for Women partners with civil society organisations, research organisations and local partners to deliver 40 projects in 16 countries. Knowledge and learning are central to Water for Women, positioning the Fund as an important contributor to global knowledge development and sharing in climate-resilient, inclusive WASH. Water for Women’s learning agenda promotes collaborative learning, knowledge development and sharing to support long-term transformative change to WASH policy and practice globally. GHD is the implementing contractor.

Additional information on the partnership and individual projects can be found on the Water for Women website.

The Australian Water Partnership (AWP)

$30 million, 2024-2029

The Australian Water Partnership (AWP) is a global program over five years 2024-2029 (Phase III) which mobilises Australia’s internationally recognised expertise in climate-resilient water management from more than 240 mostly Australian partners to respond to the resource planning needs of partner countries. Disruptions to the water cycle, extreme weather events and water scarcity means water resources are increasingly critical to the sustainability of healthy communities and functioning economies in conditions of a changing climate. 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)

$36 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.

Partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)

$6 million, 2022-2025

This program supports improved WASH monitoring under Sustainable Development Goal 6 in 14 regional countries in the East Asia and Pacific Region, with a focus on six countries: Cambodia, Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Kiribati, Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea. This regional program is targeting 100,000 people directly in these six countries addressing four major issues: data collection; developing options for climate-resilient WASH; developing solutions for climate-resilient WASH; and availability of knowledge products for all WASH sector partners.