Scaling Water Resilience in the Developing Economies: Rethinking Governance and Financing Mechanisms

The Policy Center for the New South is organizing a special session as part of the official program of the XIX World Water Congress, to be held in Marrakech from December 1 to 5, 2025.

Titled “Scaling Water Resilience in the Developing Economies: Rethinking Governance and Financing Mechanisms”, this session is scheduled for December 3, 2025, and aims to explore strategies for enhancing water resilience in the developing economies by reimagining governance frameworks and financing tools. 

Across the Global South, developing economies are facing intensifying water crises driven by climate variability, demographic pressures, rapid urbanization, and unsustainable resource management. Many of these countries are among the most water-stressed in the world, facing declining per capita water availability, accelerating climate impacts, and overexploited groundwater reserves. In several countries, over 50% of current water withdrawals exceed renewable supplies, particularly due to unsustainable groundwater use. And over 80% of wastewater is not recycled, presenting a massive opportunity to meet water demands.

While regions such as the Middle East and North Africa exemplify this challenge, similar patterns are observed in South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and parts of Latin America. In response, many countries are increasingly investing in non-conventional water resources such as desalination, wastewater reuse, and water harvesting. Yet, financing these solutions remains a major bottleneck. While wealthier nations have successfully mobilized capital through sovereign wealth funds, public-private partnerships, and green bonds, many developing countries continue to struggle with structuring bankable projects, accessing blended finance, and maintaining regulatory coherence. Fragmented governance, underdeveloped financial ecosystems, and limited cross-border cooperation remain key barriers to progress.

To enrich the debate, this session will bring comparative perspectives from many water-stressed countries, where governance under pressure and institutional fragmentation provide critical lessons for building resilience.

This session will explore how water stressed developing economies can strengthen governance frameworks and unlock innovative financing mechanisms to scale non-conventional water solutions, enhance cooperation, and build long-term water resilience in the face of mounting environmental and economic pressures.