The World Bank will on April 15 launch the Water Forward, a new global initiative designed to strengthen water security and scale water partnerships that mobilize investment and unlock economic potential.

At the 2026 Spring Meetings in Washington, D.C., leaders from governments, the private sector, multilateral development banks, and development partners converge to drive coordinated reforms that turn water systems into engines of jobs and lasting prosperity.

According to experts, water underpins 1.7 billion jobs globally across agriculture, industry, energy, and services. Yet lack of reliable water continues to limit growth, productivity, and opportunity in many parts of the world, it stated.

The 2026 Spring Meetings of the World Bank Group and the International Monetary Fund take places from April 13 to 18 in Washington DC under the theme Building prosperity through policy.'

The events will see top leaders discuss policy reforms that support job creation, unlock private investment, and drive economic growth, it added.