Water for Shared Prosperity in Asia and the Pacific- Pathway Forward Beyond Bali
May 24, 2024
Synthesized by the lead regional coordinators:
Asia Pacific Water Forum
Asia Water Council
Asian Development Bank

During the WWF10 week, 27 organizations came together, coordinatedand supported by APWF, AWC, and ADB, and delivered, successfully andimpactfully, 11 sub-region-specific and priority topic-specific sessions. 102
speakers from the region and around the world, contributed theirexpertise, knowledge, insights, and initiatives to decode the daunting
challenges and, more importantly, collectively reshape and reset someinspiring collaborations and partnerships.
Collectively, we have further reshaped three key Pathways forward:
1.
Pathway to promote gender equity and inclusiveness• Breakthrough: The Sri Lankan Minister shared a legislative agenda forenhanced gender-inclusive policy and planning.
 Pathway: capacity building through skill development and education,and community engagement to empower women Gender Mainstreaming in Disaster Risk Reduction and Planning:
Integrate gender perspectives in disaster risk reduction and WASH
policies, addressing women's vulnerabilities and capacities.
•2.
Pathways to Embrace Environmental Sustainability and Circular
EconomyScientific Collaboration and Strong Science-Policy-Social Interface
 Open science drives innovation in river basin management byintegrating local knowledge and scientific research, promoting naturebased solutions, and enhancing early warning systems. Combining
indigenous knowledge with modern technology addresses evolving
issues, while youth-led and intergenerational collaboration improveswater cycle management.

Integrated River-Basin Management and Effective Governance Strengthened regional cooperation and governance to managehydrological changes and disaster risks. Integrating socio-cultural
aspects with local knowledge and traditions ensures effective water
resources management. Stakeholder engagement, improved pollution
management, climate resilience, better environmental monitoring, andpartnerships for circular economy investment are crucial.
3.
Pathway to foster Innovation and Technological Advancement
 improved communication and cooperation among stakeholders toaddress climate change challenges effectively
 robust water resource management, strategic water allocation, andthe implementation of advanced water accounting systems to tackle
water scarcity
 collaborative efforts and strategic technology and management
investmentsCollectively, we have agreed upon three mainstreaming focuses:
1. Mainstreaming Open Science: River basin management, integrated
water resources management, and transboundary cooperation tosave the Aral Sea are among the top intervention opportunities todeliver transformative impact, led by UNESCO and partnerorganizations.
2. Maintreaming climate resilience finance: The Atoll and small island
developing states, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Central Asia allpresent the urgent need to scale financial flow towards water
security and sustainability, led by ADB, and other international
donors and investors.
3. Mainstream robust water accounting systems: At all levels, bothpublic and private sectors, as well as at the household level, led by
GWP Southeast Asia, with a particular focus on agriculture and foodsecurity . It includes the call for the Smart Water Management Support
Facility in Southeast Asia to tackle water scarcity challenges sustainably
across various sectors

Consensus on six priorities has also emerged in the following focal areas:
1. Risk assessment and management in financing Mountainglaciers preservation: The ADB President has positioned thechallenge as a Global Public Good. Its new initiative with Nepal andBhutan in Hindu Kush Himalayas is well aligned with the UN
International Year 2025 of glaciers Preservation, and fits for thepurpose of Early Warning For All (EW4ALL).
2. Accelerating deployment of EW4ALL in region: It provides theopportunity to enhance water security and climate resilience, interms of both infrastructure, knowledge and data, and capacity toprevent hazardous impacts, protect lives and livelihoods, led byWMO and all other partners.
3. Mapping climate change impact on women health: South Asia isnow championing this agenda, led by SaciWater and other partners.
It calls for partnership and collaboration from around the world.
4. Reshaping the metrics and standards for smart adaptive andresilient water management system and technologicalsolutions: That are inclusive, culturally, socially, and intergenerationally, built upon solid indigenous knowledge andexpertise, led by South Korea, China and Japan, Southeast Asia
5. Reinforce partnerships and collaboration: In inter-generational
talent development, capacity building, and innovation, in particular,
by enriching the cultural and indigenous knowledge andheritage.
6. Advancing data- and evidence-based transparency andaccountability: Riding the trend of converging priorities of water
security and climate resilience between the public and private
sector, it has become urgent to ring private sector leaders on board
and join the Blue Deal with investment, expertise, knowledge, andexperience to accelerate the transition.

At the closing session, highlight four Asia-Pacific regionally uniquecontributions to the emerging global blue deal:
1. Contributing to the global 2025 year of glaciers preservation through the Central Asia Aral Sea partnership and the Hindu Kush
Himalayas initiative. it’s a regional opportunity to forging reinforced
collaboration for solutions, which will contribute to the global
endeavor.
2. Accelerating deployment of EWS and Contributing to the UN
EW4ALL by 2027: AP has been showcasing the way forward in termsof deployment of EWS, compared to other regions, and yet hurdles
remain to be removed in order to achieve the goal of 100 percent
coverage by 2027.
3. Mainstreaming robust water accounting system and driving watersecurity-cored transparency and accountability of corporations:contributing to global alignment: from transparency andaccountability to unleashing the digital and smart technologicalpotentials, robust water accounting, data sharing, and disclosure
become key part of the solution and mobilize private financing toenhance our capability to build the shared prosperity that iscentered around water security climate resilience, intergenerational,cultural andtosocial
inclusivity.
4. Reinforcing
commitment
expandingexisting community-specificpractices and actions, such as those enabled through the PacificPartnership for Atoll Water Security.

We collectively appreciate the Indonesian government and the World
Water Council for organizing this Asia Pacific water security Summit
through the Asia-Pacific Regional Process and strengthening our regional
bridge with the rest of the world under the new Global Blue Deal.