The Global Water Partnership is calling on G20 Leaders to prioritise bold, coordinated investment to achieve water security by 2030. With just five years left to meet the Sustainable Development Goals, the world faces a staggering annual water investment gap of over USD 140 billion, leaving billions vulnerable to water scarcity, disease, and economic instability.
During the G20 Social Summit from 18–20 November 2025 in Johannesburg, the G20 Presidential Legacy – Global Water Investment Platform (GIP) will be presented as a new global mechanism to accelerate the mobilisation and implementation of water investments worldwide. As a G20 Presidential Legacy initiative, the GIP aims to position water security as a defining social and economic priority for the G20. The GIP expands the Continental Africa Water Investment Programme (AIP) into a global initiative across Asia, Latin America & Caribbean, and Europe while accelerating AIP implementation as its African Pillar in collaboration with African Union.
From Africa Water Investment Summit to G20
The GIP builds on the outcomes of the Africa Water Investment Summit, which adopted the Cape Town Declaration and identified USD 10–12 billion per year in water investment opportunities. It will also highlight the Roadmap for the G20 Presidential Legacy, unveiled on the margins of the 80th UN General Assembly in New York, providing a clear pathway for mobilising global partnerships and financing for climate-resilient water and sanitation systems.
The G20 Social Summit is expected to:
- Recognise water security as integral to the G20’s social and economic outcomes;
- Endorse the Cape Town Declaration and its targets for water investment by 2030;
- Strengthen collaboration among governments, MDBs, UN agencies, and private investors through the GIP;
- Build momentum ahead of the UN 2026 Water Conference (co-chaired by the UAE and Senegal), a key milestone for global water investment transformation.
The unveiling of the GIP at the Social Summit marks a pivotal moment in elevating water security within the G20 and catalysing the partnerships required to deliver resilient water and sanitation systems for all.
“Water investment must no longer be an afterthought at climate and finance discussions. It must be at the center of discussions. It must be financed, tracked and championed. Let us leave this Summit with deals, pipelines, partnerships and a permanent global mechanism to sustain the momentum.”
H.E. Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa and G20 President
Watch H.E. Cyril Ramaphosa launch the G20 Presidential Legacy – Global Water Investment Platform:
To view the AU – AIP Africa Water Investment Summit 2025 Summit Declaration, click here.