This session showcases how forward-looking regulation and Water Operator Partnerships (WOPs) can drive equitable, climate-resilient water and sanitation services in the Global South. It highlights bold reforms and replicable models from countries like Kenya, Colombia, and India where data-driven governance, pro-poor financing, and performance-based systems are accelerating progress towards SDG 6. Participants will explore how enabling regulation unlocks investment, strengthens utility performance, and builds local institutional capacity to deliver at scale. Practical recommendations will be generated for policymakers and partners to embed regulatory innovation into all efforts to strengthen WOPs.

As of 2022, 2.2 billion people lack safely managed drinking water and 3.5 billion lack safe sanitation. At the current pace, achieving SDG6 by 2030 requires a six-fold acceleration for water, five-fold for sanitation, and eight-fold for hygiene. Climate shocks, population growth, and underinvestment further compound these gaps especially in rapidly urbanizing and climate-vulnerable regions.

WOPs offer a tested, high-impact model for peer learning and institutional transformation. They pair stronger and weaker utilities to build technical, financial, and leadership capacity over time. When supported by enabling regulation, WOPs catalyze long-term service improvements and empower utilities to meet rising demand equitably.

Globally, regulatory models offer lessons. Colombia's hybrid system, the Philippines' dual regulator model, and Australia’s independent benchmarking approach illustrate how oversight and flexibility can coexist. Africa and South Asia are adapting similar strategies to balance investor confidence with public interest.

The financing gap remains stark $6.7 trillion needed by 2030, rising to $22.6 trillion by 2050. Market-responsive regulation is essential to unlock private capital. India’s blended finance for wastewater, Nepal’s decentralized utilities attracting capital, and Latin America’s performance-linked concessions show it can be done.
Kenya is one to watch. Facing $780Million annual investment gap, it has introduced equity-oriented policies such as the 2024 Sanitation Policy, revised Pro-Poor and Tariff Guidelines, and a Water Bill encouraging private participation. Encouragingly, 75% of low-income households support a sanitation surcharge, revealing strong demand. WOPs in Nakuru, Kisumu, and Homa Bay are already yielding gains cutting NRW, expanding informal settlement coverage, and enhancing utility resilience.

This session draws from these examples to share bold insights and scalable solutions. It calls on governments, regulator and partners to prioritize regulatory strengthening in SDG6 strategies, and to embed WOPs into national systems through smart policies, pro-poor financing, and cross-sector collaboration. Only with robust regulatory foundations can water sector deliver safe, affordable WASH for all.