Statement: “Water forward: driving jobs and prosperity” (Washington D.C., 15 April 2026)

As delivered

It’s really an honour to be here. I’m Carlo Monticelli, Governor of the Council of Europe Development Bank, Europe’s only social development bank. Water is essential to our mandate.

Unequal access to safe water and sanitation drives inequality. It harms health, undermines dignity and limits opportunity.

Water insecurity hits low-income households most, particularly in marginalised communities. This is the vulnerability gap we, at the CEB, work hard to close.

Investment in water is at the same time an essential contribution to economic infrastructure and a powerful equaliser. Safe water supplies and sanitation transform daily life. Irrigation sustains jobs and livelihoods. Flood protection prevents avoidable losses. Projects in that area help build resilience and social cohesion.

Plus, water risk is climate risk. And for the CEB, climate change is also a social crisis. Scarcity, droughts and floods hit the most vulnerable the hardest – and can disrupt economies and societies.

Today, we are proud to join Water Forward and commit to improving water security for at least 3 million people.

Thank you