AquaFed is the International Federation of Private Water Operators. We represent private companies that deliver water supply or sanitation services under the direction of public authorities but also all organisations that want to collaborate with us.

We have two types of members. Our first membership College is for companies of all sizes, working both locally and internationally. These companies operate through PPP contracts or licenses to supply drinking water and provide sanitation services to the public and commercial and industrial users. They work in urban, peri-urban and rural settings around the world.

Our second membership College is for any organisation that wants to work with us and collaborate on projects - for example, engineering companies, investors, donors, civil society groups, regulators, and academics. All organisations and individuals are welcome to join AquaFed.

What is AquaFed?

By joining AquaFed, you will be part of an international federation of organisations based all over the world.

You will be able to connect with and network with other members and with the other organisations across the international water sector. You will also be able to connect via AquaFed to UN organisations, national governments, donors and investors and other intra-national bodies like the World Water Forum and the Sanitation and Water for All Partnership.

Join us

Private operators have a wide range of innovative solutions and public-private partnerships are an option public authorities to improve water and wastewater services.

medium_advocating.png

small_advocating.png

thumbnail_advocating.png

advocating.png

How private water operators and our partners contribute to the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and help mitigate and adapt to climate change.

small_demonstrating.png

thumbnail_demonstrating.png

demonstrating.png

The human right to safe drinking water and sanitation and our members' solutions for achieving these rights so no-one is left behind.

small_promoting.png

thumbnail_promoting.png

promoting.png

With partners to improve the water sector and solve issues together by sharing our members’ expertise and work.

medium_working.png

small_working.png

thumbnail_working.png

working.png

AquaFed is calling on all organisations working in water and wastewater to work with us to break down silos and accelerate progress on the Water Action Agenda and SDG6 targets.

The Federation is appealing to all organisations, not just private operators, to join AquaFed so that collectively, we can plan and implement multi-stakeholder partnerships for Water Action Agenda Commitments.

AquaFed’s appeal to new partners came during the recent [Special Event on SDG6 and the Water Action Agenda](https://www.unwater.org/news/sdg-6-and-water-action-agenda-special-event-high-level-political-forum-sustainable-development) at the UN in New York (16 July), where it was revealed that a lack of collaboration and partnership is the biggest factor holding back Commitments from being achieved.

Fred Van Heems, AquaFed’s President, who spoke at the Special Event, said: “Water must always remain under public control, but for too long stakeholders who can implement solutions have been on different sides and in silos.

“Private sector organisations bring innovation, technology, data and many other specialisms like skills and training best practise and efficient utility management. But these can only be implemented successfully via multi-stakeholder partnerships if the Water Action Agenda Commitments and SDG6 targets are to be achieved. As we know, effective partnerships themselves are an SDG goal and there is so much more potential for all organisations working in water.

“AquaFed now has a second College of membership that is open to everyone because we are determined to break down silos and barriers to progress. Our aim is to implement successful public-private-partnerships together with all stakeholders. Collectively, we should all be making the case for and delivering services that operate transparently and make the best use of data.”

At the Special Event, Madhushree Chatterjee, Chief of Natural Resources and Interlinkages Branch at the Division for SDGs of UN DESA and Secretariat of the UN 2023 Water Conference, explained the key challenges and barriers that Commitment-holders are currently experiencing:

- lack of knowledge and skills to implement commitments
- lack of community knowledge and awareness of commitments
- political and leadership challenges and in particular, enabling policies that support implementation
- need for much greater global collaboration and momentum.

Comments from Fred Van Heems and other panellists at the Special Event can be viewed [here.](https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k15/k15eqkxhue?kalturaStartTime=6150) 

The first part of the session is available to see [here](https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1v/k1v3a5u9fu).

For more information about AquaFed and how to join, contact:
Neil Dhot, Executive Director, AquaFed. info@aquafed.org


large_MC_Target_17.17.png

medium_MC_Target_17.17.png

small_MC_Target_17.17.png

thumbnail_MC_Target_17.17.png

MC_Target_17.17.png

Call to water sector to work with AquaFed and accelerate Water Action Agenda progress

AquaFed worked in partnership with the World Bank to lead calls for the opening of markets and investment in water and wastewater services in Central Asia this week.

The call for action came during the Private Sector Forum, organised by AquaFed, World Bank and the Tajikistan Government, at the [Dushanbe Water Action Decade Conference](https://conf2024.dushanbewaterprocess.org/).

The forum was a dialogue between the private sector, development banks (also including the IFC, Asian Development Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development) and representatives from the government of Tajikistan and neighbouring countries. 

The clear messages from AquaFed and the development banks were:

•	Commitment: The finance, technical expertise and technical assistance are all ready. We just need the green light from governments.

•	Trust: We need to build trust with governments and people in the region and this starts with small steps.

•	Stability: A predictable and stable political and regulatory framework is essential for investment - and the Central Asian region is relatively stable.

•	Reform: Tariff reform is one of the biggest priorities and it is very difficult politically- but it is possible and has been done recently in the region.

•	Capacity Building: Another very clear building block for greater investment is building skills and capacity and national and local level. In particular, public officials need support in negotiating and managing contracts with private companies.

•	Opportunity: There are so many opportunities to make the improvements to water and sanitation services and water resource management that are so urgently needed in the Central Asia region. 

AquaFed is now hoping to create a Central Asia Business Forum for water, to help create the conditions in the region which will lead to a pipeline of water and wastewater projects.

AquaFed was also involved in the ‘Interactive Dialogue’ event about water and health, led by the UK and Dominican Republic governments. Mark Muller, Aquafed Vice-President, explained the role of private operators in delivering crucial water and wastewater services and focused on the essential need for digital solutions to improve utility performance.

At a meeting with representatives of the Azerbaijan government (hosts of this year’s COP29), Mr Muller said that operators will go to that event to show best practice on many solutions, including water reuse, energy efficiency and climate-related disaster risk management.




thumbnail_IMG_1968.jpg

IMG_1968.jpg

Call to action to bring investment and the private sector in Central Asia

AquaFed is organising and involved in a very wide range of sessions at the World Water Forum in Bali in May 2024.

The topics we are focusing on include utility revenue and financing, climate change infrastructure and resilience, technologies and democratic inclusion in decision-making. We’re also very proud to be holding a networking event for women professionals.

AquaFed has been very involved in the organisation of the Forum, not only through our sessions but also as coordinator of the events under Sub-Theme 1: Water, security and prosperity and co-organiser of four High Level Ministerial Panels. We are trying to make all the sessions we have organised interesting, dynamic, fast-paced and solutions-focused.

Below is a list of Thematic Sessions that AquaFed is organising, with a brief introduction to them and a list of other sessions where you will see AquaFed representatives.

We really hope to see you at these sessions!



**Title**: 1A4 - Can utilities be incentivized to supply less and reduce demand while remaining viable?

**Date and Time**: 22 May, 10.20am

**About the session:**
As freshwater becomes an even scarcer resource, it is essential to explore new models for utilities beyond the traditional approach where revenue increases alongside the amount of water supplied.

Is it right that we continue to incentivize consumption? Is there a way of reversing this model, so utilities and water providers are paid more to supply less and take steps to make their customers and users more water efficient?

This session intends to bring together public and private utility managers, water financers and regulators to think with open minds about the issue and analyse possible solutions that could be trialled and implemented.

Questions will include:

•	Are current utility revenue models appropriate in the context of climate change?

•	Can we incentivize supplying less water?

•	Can users be incentivized to pay to use less water?




**Title:** 5B2 – Financing: Beyond banks – engaging more actors in water finance.

**Date and Time:** 21 May, 08.30am

**About the session:**
This session focuses on repayable finance, and specifically on how to engage with a wider spectrum of market actors to mobilise private investment into water. This is a focus on the fundamentals of private capital and how it is used for investment in the water sector – especially for people with a non-finance background who want to know more about private investors and repayable finance. 

The discussion will cover deal flow, with the objective of demonstrating how the capital markets can unlock finance for water and sanitation investment, particularly for projects in the “missing middle”, i.e. with capital requirements of between US$10-100 million. This segment is currently poorly served, in part because of asymmetries in perceived risk and return, but also because project developers, private sector companies and public utilities all depend on a relatively narrow range of market actors to access finance. 

Objectives:
•	To hear from a range of private capital investors about how they work eg their sources of funds, risk/reward appetites how they are deployed.

•	To understand from them what attracts them to the water sector and what are the barriers to their investment.

•	To know right now, what do private capital investors believe are the big water ‘plays’ in the US$10-100 million bracket?





**Title**: CC1: How to educate and meaningfully involve people in the tough decisions on climate mitigation and adaptation?

**Date and Time:** 22 May 13.00

**About the session:**
Climate change impacts are forcing governments and public authorities into making extremely difficult decisions, but with the aim of protecting people and services in the short term, as well as building long-term resilience.

These decisions come with big financial, social and environmental trade-offs. People are going to have to pay much more through taxes, utility tariffs and other means. There will also be other difficult decisions around allocation of services, environmental protection, food production and many other aspects of people’s lives.

This session is about how governments and authorities can meaningfully engage with all sectors of society, so that ultimately decisions are fair, equitable and can galvanise society into action.

Objectives:

•	Explain the latest public engagement tools and methods for hardest to reach communities and sectors of society.

•	Discuss the views and voices from these communities regarding climate change mitigation and adaptation.

•	Inform future research, stakeholder engagement and public communication programmes.




**Title**: CC2: Climate resilient infrastructure: blending green and grey, traditional and non-traditional approaches to meet water security needs in a climate changed world.

**Date and Time**: 21 May 08.30

**About the session:**

There are a growing number of examples around the world where a combination of green and grey infrastructure is increasing resilience and water security for the short and long term. 
Research shows that these hybrid solutions really work and can be replicated and scaled up.

We are starting to see a wide variety of possible combinations of green and grey infrastructure for water, such as constructing wetlands that naturally treat industrial wastewater, or ‘floodable parks’ which can protect urban neighbourhoods from torrential rain. Rather than being seen as totally separate, grey and green solutions can go hand in hand for the optimal solutions.

This session will look at some of the latest examples of blended and mixed approaches to green and grey, traditional and non-traditional approaches to climate resilience and understand how these can be replicated and improved. The discussion will include how to finance these solutions, implementation challenges and best practices.




**Title:** Sub-Theme 1 Synthesis Session: Water, Security and Prosperity

**Date and time**: 24 May 13.00

**About the session:**
This session is as an inter-generational dialogue. It is about young people’s interpretation of the issues discussed in topics under sub-theme 1 and their proposals for the key messages and next steps. 

Through the topic sessions, experienced sector stakeholders will have given their evidence, information, and data on issues related to water, security and prosperity. But it is young people that have to interpret this information and take action, as part of shaping the world that they want.

The session will be a discussion with young people and the leaders of the topic areas, to mutually agree a set of messages for political leaders and messages to support region to region cooperation on water, security and prosperity issues. The discussion will include proposing next steps specifically on stakeholder co-operation on specific issues raised during the sessions.



**Other Thematic Sessions involving AquaFed**

•	1B1: 23 May at 14.50
The governance and building blocks for circular water and resource management for food security and resilient cities.

•	4C2: 23 May at 10.20am
What goes around comes around: Applying a circular lens to water policies.

•	5B3: 22 May at 10.20am
Delivery: Achieving a ‘net zero’ equivalent for water and the role of partnerships.

•	5D1: 23 May at 13.00
Making the green investment case for innovation to achieve water resilience and improved governance.

•	6A2: 20 May at 16.40
Innovations in Smart Water Management worldwide.

•	6B1: 22 May at 10.20am
Framing legacy and innovative approaches to understanding and implementing organizational change.

•	CC5: 22 May at 13.00
Making Progress toward Climate Resilience: elevating the urgency of drought resilience for the water sector

•	CC9: 23 May at 16.40
Capacity Building, Innovation and enhancement of data and information collection in a Data-Rich world.


Latest news

Call to water sector to work with AquaFed and accelerate Water Action Agenda progress

Call to action to bring investment and the private sector in Central Asia

AquaFed at the World Water Forum: Thematic Sessions

What is AquaFed?

Our missions

Join us