Statement by Governor Monticelli
Statement by Governor Monticelli at Water forward: Driving jobs and prosperity (Washington D.C., 15 April 2026)
16 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
Carlo Monticelli
Governor
Council of Europe Development Bank
The Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) is a multilateral development bank with an exclusively social mandate from its 43 member countries. The CEB finances investment projects and provides technical assistance in social sectors such as education, health and affordable housing, while focusing on the needs of vulnerable people, as well as on the social dimensions of climate change and the environment. Borrowers include governments, local and regional authorities, public and private banks, non-profit organisations and others. The CEB, which has a triple-A credit rating, funds itself through international capital markets. In addition, the CEB receives funds from donors to complement its activities.