Answers

Name:

Tobias Trier Fuglsang

Organisation:

WWF Verdensnaturfonden

Response:

Africa Water Facility – Public Hearing Response WWF Denmark welcomes the strategic vision and ambition of the Africa Water Facility’s Project Preparation Window. The Facility fills a critical gap in Africa’s water sector by supporting the early-stage development of bankable, climate-resilient water and sanitation projects—an essential step toward achieving SDG 6 and strengthening climate adaptation across vulnerable regions. We commend the Facility’s emphasis on climate resilience, local ownership, and technology transfer, and recognise its potential to unlock further investment and innovation in the water sector. To enhance both the sustainability and scalability of its impact, we encourage the Facility to more explicitly and systematically integrate: • Ecosystem health and biodiversity safeguards • Nature-based solutions as cost-effective, resilient alternatives to grey infrastructure • Meaningful engagement of local civil society and communities in planning and implementation Environmental organisations like WWF bring substantial technical expertise in these areas, including catchment-level planning, green infrastructure, and NbS. WWF Denmark, together with our local partners in Kenya and South Africa, stands ready to contribute to the development and delivery of the Facility’s objectives. Key recommendations: 1. Strengthening ecosystem and biodiversity integration While climate resilience is a core objective, the facility lacks an explicit focus on ecosystem services, wetland protection, and biodiversity co-benefits. This is a missed opportunity given the vital role of natural systems in supporting water security and adaptation. Recommendation: Include environmental indicators and ecosystem-based appraisal criteria in project selection. Add biodiversity outcomes to the results framework and emphasize ecological safeguards. 2. Systematically embed Nature-based Solutions Nature-based solutions are mentioned briefly in the Kenya and Morocco components, but they lack a clear framework or delivery model. As part of WWF’s ongoing engagement in the Kenya–Denmark SSC, we welcome the establishment of the Technical Working Groups and are pleased that WWF, through WWF Kenya, will be represented in the Nature-Based Solutions TWG, supporting the design and implementation of SSC activities. WWF is likewise also happy to continue to share global and regional experience with NbS, implementation under the IUCN standards and guidelnes and to provide practical guidance and support. Recommendation: WWF encourages the facility to ensure the use of clear technical standards, impact metrics, and funding eligibility for NbS components. NbS should be positioned as a viable, scalable pathway across urban, rural, and utility-based contexts. 3. Ensure local and community ownership The emphasis on SSC, local partnerships, and public utility engagement is well-placed. WWF recommends expanding engagement to include civil society, indigenous groups, and local conservation organisations who can ensure long-term social and ecological sustainability. Recommendation: Promote co-design approaches that include community water committees, women's groups, and environmental CSOs in project planning and pilot implementation. 4. Climate and Water Security Linkages While the Facility focuses on climate resilience, it primarily addresses this through infrastructure and technology. Within the climate-water-ecosystem-human security nexus, WWF would like to suggest integrated catchment approaches that factor in: - Climate vulnerability mapping - Source water protection - Nature-based buffering against climate extremes (eg. floods, droughts) Recommendation: WWF recommends incorporating watershed-scale climate vulnerability assessments and ecosystem-based climate adaptation strategies into project selection and technical design phases. 5. Transboundary water governance (regional cooperation) WWF would like to highlight the importance of regional basin-level planning, especially since water systems cross borders even if the project countries are nationally focused. Recommendation: We encourage the Facility to explore regional or transboundary collaboration components, particularly in shared river basins, to improve water security and reduce political and ecological risk across borders. 6. Safeguards, monitoring, and learning The project preparation window does not outline a clear environmental and social safeguard framework or a plan for environmental learning. Recommendation: WWF recommends the inclusion of safeguard principles aligned with best practice and the integration of environmental learning mechanisms. 7. Public–Private–Community partnerships There’s strong focus on blending public and private finance, but community ownership is underplayed. Recommendation: WWF recommends strengthening the role of public–private–community partnerships in the design of pilots, particularly in rural and peri-urban contexts where service gaps are highest. 8. Future phases of the Africa Water Facility WWF Denmark recommends that future phases of the Africa Water Facility consider expanding to Uganda and Tanzania, which face similar water sector challenges and share transboundary basins with current focus countries. Both countries offer high potential for project pipeline development, strategic sector cooperation, and nature-based solutions, making them natural extensions of the Facility’s current geographic scope. As mentioned above, WWF Kenya, already active in the Kenya–Denmark SSC on water, has been formally invited to join the Nature-Based Solutions Technical Working Group (TWG). This involvement creates direct alignment with and potential pilot projects in Kenya. WWF is also available to provide technical capacity building in NbS. Suggested areas of contribution by WWF: • Technical and implementation capacity of green infrastructure NbS pilots • Groundwater ecosystem management and nature-based recharge approaches • Wetland restoration and flood buffering • Catchment-level planning and payment for ecosystem services

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