Finance Ministers’ Meeting

The objective of the FMM is to highlight practical actions that finance ministers can take to mobilize additional financing through increased cost recovery, better planning, and improved efficiency to deliver universal access to water supply and sanitation. This will be achieved by presenting evidence, practical experience and active dialogue between participants.

Unique in the sector, the FMMs are the culmination of robust ongoing strategic dialogue at country level, involving multiple stakeholders bound together by the belief that good governance and mutual accountability are key to achieve water and sanitation for all, always and everywhere.

This year’s FMM will be the fifth edition of the event, which is complemented by the regular SWA Sector Ministers’ Meetings (SMMs). The last FMM was hosted by the World Bank during their Spring Meetings in April 2017 and the last SMM was hosted by the government of Costa Rica in April 2019, co-convened by UNICEF and the Inter-American Development Bank.

Ultimately, the FMM will ensure that:

Finance ministers come away inspired by the discussions and real-life examples presented during the meeting and persuaded of the opportunities to make a difference in the lives of those currently without access to safely managed water supplies and sanitation.

During the Meeting, ministers will present short compelling experiences and evidence to illustrate key challenges and opportunities for closing the sector financing gap – including improving revenues (tariffs, taxes, transfers, commercial efficiency), reducing costs (capital and operational efficiency) and mobilizing additional financing (climate funds, market finance). The FMM will focus on four topics:

1. Planning and Financing Strategy to deliver SDGs
2. Improving Sector Performance
3. Incentive-based Financing
4. Climate finance as new sources of financing

These experiences will be the foundation for exchanges between participants - including finance ministers, sector ministers and representatives of SWA partners from the private sector, civil society, research and learning, development banks, and UN agencies.

The preparatory process

Before the event, SWA partners will be engaged in a 6-month preparatory process focused on joint advocacy and sector analysis on the adequate funding of the water, sanitation and hygiene-related targets of the SDGs. Activities are defined by partners based on each national context and can include briefing meetings between sector and finance ministers, a progress update of commitments tabled under the Mutual Accountability Mechanism, and/or media campaigns.

Throughout the preparatory process, the Secretariat will organize a series of webinars to facilitate mobilization and sharing of experiences among partners.

Follow the FMM preparations on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn via #2020FMM.