Gajendra Shekhawat Joins Asia-Pacific Ministers at FMs' Meeting 2020 to Discuss Water-related Issues

Finance and sectoral ministers across Asia and Pacific region, including India’s Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, met on Wednesday at the Finance Ministers’ Meeting (FMM).

Unlike previous years, due to the ongoing global pandemic, organisers decided to host 2020’s FMM gathering virtually.

Ministers met to discuss topics such as better utilisation of existing financial capital as well as means of attracting additional resources for the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector.

The FMM was organised by Sanitation and Water for All (SWA), a global partnership of governments, donors, civil society organisations and other development partners, brought together with the common goal of achieving universal access to clean water and adequate sanitation.

The Asia and the Pacific Regional Meeting was co-convened by UNICEF, World Bank Water Global Practice, and the Asian Development Bank.

The objective of the SWA Asia and the Pacific FMM was to develop and strengthen partnerships with finance ministers in the region for smart investments in water, sanitation and hygiene. The meetings underscored the crucial role of water, sanitation and hygiene to the Asian economy, population and environment during and after COVID-19, and will offer ministers practical avenues for financing the sector.

The two-hour SWA Asia and the Pacific FMM was live-streamed and simultaneous translated in English, French and Spanish.

The SWA Asia and the Pacific FMM is preceded by a two-month preparatory process that will rely on multi-stakeholder dialogue at country level to ensure that finance and sector ministers are briefed and ready to actively participate in the FMM.

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