Meeting the MDG Water Target in Asia: The Role of Regional Co-operation

This paper focuses on access to water and sanitation related to the Millennium Development Goals. Asian region contains some of the top achievers in improving access to water and sanitation and also some of the nations with least improvement. Based on an analysis of data from WHO-UNICEF and other assessments, this research attempts to (a) forecast progress with target 10 for countries in the Asian region; and (b) examine and identify the role of institutional and policy variables such as the role of aid for water sector, water sector policy reforms, and institutional factors related to water utilities in contributing to the MDG target of improving access to water and sanitation. On the basis of these, the paper aims to identify issues for regional co-operation. This paper was presented at the 2006 LAEBA Third Annual Meeting, in Seoul, Korea, on November 16-17, 2006.