2 September 2013: On the sidelines of World Water Week, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have announced the creation of the Sanitation Financing Partnership Trust Fund. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has invested US$15 million into the Fund, which will leverage over $28 million in investments from ADB by 2017.

According to ADB, the Trust Fund will be used to expand non-sewered sanitation and septage management solutions across Asia. It will pilot innovations in sanitation and septage management, and support polices on septage management and sludge treatment. The Fund aims to meet the needs of low-income urban communities lacking access to piped networks or safe wastewater disposal systems.

ADB notes that the Trust Fund will form part of its Water Financing Partnership Facility, an instrument that pools finance and knowledge from development partners to support improvements in the sector.

World Water Week is convening in Stockholm, Sweden, from 2-6 September 2013. [ADB Press Release]