Importance of ODA among the different sources of financing to
reach the MDGs Increasing investments in the water sector is a
prerequisite for achieving the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs). Among the various sources of available funding, official
development assistance (ODA) plays an important role, for the
initiation of new projects and leveraging other financial flows.
Its importance is clearly recognized by donor countries, who
committed in the last few years to increase the amount of ODA
and improve its effectiveness. ODA to the water sector should
benefit from this increase, as many reports have recommended.
Political commitments related to ODA for water Donor countries
have demonstrated their will to increase and improve the
effectiveness of their ODA for water, in line with the proposals
made by the Camdessus Panel on ODA for water and the G8 action
plan for water. What is ODA? The term ODA for water here refers
to the DAC official definition. The DAC defines aid to water
supply and sanitation as in