On October 23, 2019, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced its annual list of high-priority countries for assistance in safe water and sanitation. These partner countries will be the primary focus of the U.S. Government’s investments to build a more water-secure world.

USAID has designated 18 high-priority countries this year, in accordance with the requirements in the Water for the World Act of 2014. Countries newly added for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 are the Republics of Ghana, India, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique, and Sénégal; the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal; and the United Republic of Tanzania. In addition, USAID has re-designated the following countries as high priority for Fiscal Year 2020: the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan; the Democratic Republic of Congo; the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia; the Federal Republic of Nigeria; and the Republics of Haïti, Indonesia, Kenya, Liberia, South Sudan, and Uganda.

USAID identified these high-priority countries through a data-driven process in accordance with criteria in the Act that included lack of access to water and sanitation and opportunities to make significant progress in meeting these challenges.

For FY 2020, USAID also designated the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Lebanese Republic as strategic-priority countries because of a combination of national-security considerations and development needs.

Globally, billions of people struggle on a daily basis because they lack access to safe water and hygienic sanitation services. Since the passage of the Water for the World Act in 2014, USAID’s financial assistance has helped 14.6 million people gain access to improved drinking water and 10.6 million people gain improved sanitation around the world.

To find more information on USAID’s investments in water and sanitation, please follow these links:

• USAID Water Security and Sanitation Fact Sheet;
• U.S. Government Global Water Strategy; and
• Water for the World Priority Country Pages.