About the G20 Presidential Legacy – Global Water Investment Platform (GIP)
What is the GIP?
The Global Water Investment Platform (GIP) is a G20 Presidential Legacy Initiative established as global mechanism to close the global water investment gap. It strengthens countries ‘abilities to prepare, package, and finance water infrastructure and systems using a structured model backed by G20 political leadership, development banks, and the private sector.
The GIP responds to a clear global need: fragmented financing, inadequate pipelines, and high transaction risks have slowed global progress on SDG 6, climate resilience, and inclusive development. The GIP provides a coordinated solution.
The GIP was launched in August 2025, as a flagship G20 Presidential Legacy Initiative under South Africa’s G20 Presidency, to unified global efforts to close the USD 140 billion annual water investment gap by 2030, building on the Africa Water Investment Programme (AIP).
Origins of the GIP: A Decade-Long Journey
The GIP is the culmination of global processes that recognised the need for a new investment model for the world’s water systems.
The GIP responds to a clear global need: fragmented financing, inadequate pipelines, and high transaction risks have slowed global progress on SDG 6, climate resilience, and inclusive development. The GIP provides a coordinated solution.
The GIP was launched in August 2025, as a flagship G20 Presidential Legacy Initiative under South Africa’s G20 Presidency, to unified global efforts to close the USD 140 billion annual water investment gap by 2030, building on the Africa Water Investment Programme (AIP).
UN–World Bank High-Level Panel on Water (2016–2018)
G20 Water Dialogue under its G20 Presidency in 2020
In 2020, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia initiated the first G20 Water Dialogue under its G20 Presidency. The G20 Declaration acknowledged the Water Dialogues and role of water as a key ingredient for socio-economic development, poverty alleviation, human health and well-being.
This G20 Water Dialogue process was sustained by the subsequent G20 Presidencies of Italy in 2021, Indonesia in 2022, India in 2023 and Brazil in 2024
Africa Water Investment Programme (AIP)
In February 2021, the AIP was endorsed by African Union Heads of State and Government. The AIP became the world’s first large-scale continental investment mobilisation programme for water with the goal of mobilizing at least USD 30 billion annually to close the water investment gap by 2030. During the 9th World Water Forum in Dakar, Senegal, the African Union AIP High-Level Panel on Water Investments for Africa was launched Co-Chaired by Presidents of Senegal, Namibia, Netherlands and 6th President of United Republic of Tanzania
AU-AIP Water Investment Summit — Cape Town (August 2025)
On 13 August during the AU-AIP Water Investment Summit, H.E Cyril Ramaphosa, President of the G20 launched the GIP as a G20 Presidential Legacy Initiative with a mandate to accelerate and scale up the Africa Water Investment Programme into a Global Water Investment Platform (GIP).
GIP Roadmap unveiled at the 80th Session of the UN General Assembly (2025)
Led by G20 Presidency of South Africa in collaboration with African Union, partners endorsed the GIP Roadmap, aligning the key milestones and deliverables toward the UN 2026 Conference and 2030 Agenda.
On the margins of the 80th session UN General Assembly, a Roadmap for the GIP was unveiled and adopted at an event convened by Convenors of the Water Investment Summit: African Union, AIP International High-Level Panel on Water Investments for Africa, AUDA-NEPAD, Global Water Partnership Organisation with support from United Nations Capital Development Fund. The GIP Roadmap defines key political and technical milestones across the global calendar from the AU-AIP Africa Water Investment Summit in Cape Town, e UN General Assembly, COP 30, the Global South-Africa Water Conference, the G20 Social Summit, the G20 Leaders’ Summit, AU Summit in February 2026, and the GIP Global Water Investment Summit to be held on the margins of the 2026 UN Water Conference.
The G20 Social Summit called for G20 leaders to exercise bold leadership and expand Global Water Investments.
G20 Leaders’ Summit, Johannesburg
The G20 High‑Level Panel on Global Financial Architecture, called for a Global Partnership on Investment to expand long‑term, sustainable finance. The G20 Global Inequality Report reinforces the need for urgent action and highlights, among others, the widening disparities in access to basic services, including water and sanitation. The G20 Leaders’ Declaration explicitly recognised water as essential for resilience, ecosystems, food security, disaster preparedness, and climate response— and ‘called for constructive outcomes at the 2026 UN Water Conference’ anchoring GIP’s Road Map into a globally UN mandated process.
UN 2026 Water Conference
The G20 Presidential Legacy-GIP Global Water Investment Summit will be convened on the margins of the UN 2026 Water Conference to be hosted in the UAE (2026)