The U.S. Global Water Strategy envisions a water-secure world, where people and nations have the water they need to be healthy, prosperous, and resilient.

To advance the Strategy, the U.S. Government will work with partner countries and key stakeholders to achieve four interrelated objectives. These objectives include: increasing access to sustainable safe drinking water and sanitation services and promoting key hygiene behaviors; protecting freshwater resources; promoting cooperation on shared waters; and strengthening water governance and financing.

The Strategy is required by the Senator Paul Simon Water for the World Act of 2014, and reflects contributions from more than 17 U.S. Government agencies and departments.

USAID Water and Development Plan

USAID developed an agency-specific plan (the “Water and Development Plan”) in conjunction with the whole-of-government Global Water Strategy (see page 12 of the Global Water Strategy).  It provides a framework for USAID’s contribution to the U.S. government’s shared vision for a water-secure world, and links directly to the following strategic objectives in the Global Water Strategy:

• Promote sustainable access to safe drinking water and sanitation services, and the adoption of key hygiene behaviors (Strategic Objective 1);
• Encourage the sound management and protection of freshwater resources (Strategic Objective 2); and,
• Strengthen water sector governance, financing, and institutions (Strategic Objective 4).

This contribution is aligned with and complementary to other USAID investments across development sectors that promote water security. 

Priority Countries and Plans

The U.S. Government's efforts will focus on high-priority countries where needs and opportunities are greatest and where engagement can best protect our national security interests. These countries include: Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Lebanon, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Nepal, Senegal, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. Both Jordan and Lebanon are designated as strategic-priority countries because of a combination of national-security considerations and development needs.

USAID has developed multi-year, country-specific plans for each of the high-priority countries designated in FY 2017, which describe how the Agency will implement the Strategy in that country (in part through U.S. foreign assistance). The USAID Water and Development Plan includes summary overviews of each high-priority country plan. The full-length high priority country plans, accessible via country plan pages on globalwaters.org,  represent a coordinated approach to address water and sanitation, and also align with host-country priorities, and complement programs by other U.S. government departments and agencies.

[View the USAID Water for the World Priority Country Plans]

For news and updates on USAID’s water sector activities, follow on @USAIDWater.