Badung, 22 May 2024 — The need for investment poses a particular challenge in improving adequate water and sanitation infrastructure. The 10th World Water Forum, held in Bali from 18 – 25 May, can serve as a moment to design a global funding mechanism for water management.

The Minister of Finance of the Republic of Indonesia, Sri Mulyani Indrawati, stated that water is an essential aspect of people's lives. Therefore, the Indonesian government has allocated about 3.4 percent of the state budget (APBN) for water. However, she considered this amount relatively small compared to the annual investment needed in the water and sanitation sector.

“The government’s funds alone will not be sufficient.  Various efforts have been made at the local, village, national, and global levels,” said Sri Mulyani during the High-Level Panel of the 10th World Water Forum in the Nusantara 2 Room, Bali International Convention Center (BICC), Bali, on Tuesday (21 May).

She explained further that collaboration between the government and the private sector is needed to achieve water security and proper sanitation. The 10th World Water Forum is expected to be a platform for formulating effective and sustainable water funding schemes.

“Many international institutions, such as the World Bank, ADB, African Development Bank, AIIB, European Investment Bank, and others, strongly focus on water. They certainly have portfolios related to water and sanitation,” she said. .