Netherlands Trust Fund under the Water Financing Partnership Facility

What is the fund?

The Netherlands Trust Fund was established in May 2007 under the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Water Financing Partnership Facility (WFPF) to support the implementation of the water financing program of ADB. Its initial focus was to support achievement of targeted outcomes set for 2006-2010 and was subsequently adjusted and extended to 2020 following approval of ADB’s Water Operational Plan 2011-2020.

The fund continues to support ADB’s water operations from 2021 onwards guided by the Strategy 2030 Water Sector Directional Guide: A Water-Secure and Resilient Asia and the Pacific to deliver support in four areas of operational focus for the water sector: (i) water as a sustainable resource, (ii) universal and safe water services, (iii) productive use of water in agriculture and energy, and (iv) reduced climate change and water-related disaster risks.

Guiding the implementation of the Water Sector Directional Guide are five guiding principles for improving development outcomes: (i) building resilience and adaptive capacity, (ii) promoting inclusiveness and gender equality, (iii) embracing environmental sustainability and the circular economy, (iv) improving governance and catalyzing finance, and (v) fostering innovation and technological advancement.

What are the priorities?

The fund prioritizes activities designed to result in significantly more people with access to safe drinking water and improved sanitation, higher productivity and efficiency of irrigation and drainage services, more people with reduced risk of flooding and other water-related disasters; sustainable management of water resources; increased knowledge and capacity; improved sector governance; and increased focus on water-food security nexus.

What kind of activities are eligible for the fund?

The fund supports WFPF-eligible activities through two windows: project support and program quality support, delivered through the three pillars of the WFPF Results Framework 2021-2030 as follows:

Project Support Window

Pillar 1: Enhance Project Design and Implementation – providing sector and thematic analysis as a basis for improved project and program design; pilot testing promising innovations; catalyzing additional finance, including green funds and the private sector; creating incentives for bringing about change; and emphasizing resilience, inclusiveness, sustainability, good governance and innovation in project preparation and implementation.

Program Quality Support Window

Pillar 2: Strengthen Policies, Institutions and Regulations – focusing on support for enabling frameworks at country and regional levels that encourage good governance, including more effective and sustainable management of resources and delivery of services; greater inclusiveness and equality in the targeting of benefits; and more extensive involvement of the private sector.

Pillar 3: Develop Capacity and Manage Knowledge – creating capacity and upgrading skills of those responsible for delivering services and managing resources; and initiating knowledge management programs to accompany and support change processes, based on long term partnerships and a systematic assessment of knowledge needs.

Who is eligible to receive the support?

All ADB DMCs are eligible to receive support from the fund. The priority countries are: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, and Viet Nam.

Who supports the fund?

The Government of the Netherlands supports the fund.

Where can I get more information?

Further information is available from the WFFP Secretariat.