Everything about AquaFed's 4Ps Initiative

During the High Level Event on Water Sector Public-Private Partnerships, on 8th July in New York, AquaFed launched the Public-Private-Partnership Process, also called the 4Ps Initiative. 

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This event took place one day before the UN PGA Preparatory Meeting for the 2026 UN Water Conference. The Conference is a huge opportunity to show how PPPs and private sector participation contribute to achieving SDG6 and related Goals, and to be a catalyst for accelerating project and programme pipelines. 

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AquaFed proposes to add value to the agenda mandated for the UN 2026 Water Conference (via UN resolution (A/78/L.110)) with additional support for governments to develop more public-private-partnership projects and programmes – the 4Ps Initiative. 

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What is the 4Ps Initiative? 

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The 4Ps refers to the Public-Private-Partnership Process. The 4Ps Initiative’ aims to help governments and public authorities, and those that work with them, to grow the pipeline of bankable and well-designed PPP projects.  

 

To fulfil this mission, the 4Ps Initiative’s ambition is to: 

• Gather practitioners from bodies involved in PPPs development 

• Communicate and support the embedding of best practice 

• Connect governments and authorities with experts for general or tailored support. 

 

AquaFed is the international not-for-profit organisation gathering private operators of public water and wastewater services - UN EcoSoc accredited and a member of UN Water. All information and support used through the 4Ps Initiative will be either from public or validated sources.  

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Why is the 4Ps Initiative important? 

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PPPs are a solution for governments and public authorities wanting to reach their national and SDG6 targets. However, there is not enough information and analysis about water-related PPPs, and the existing information is spread across many different websites and publications. Likewise, the political, legal and organisational differences between countries make it difficult for governments to identify what is relevant, suitable and replicable for their local situations .  

 

The 4Ps Initiative will make sure governments and authorities can easily access all the best information and support available, to help them fully understand the full range of PPP solutions and whether they might be the best option.  

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How will the 4Ps Initiative work? 

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There are two key pillars: 

• Global Water PPP Hub 

• The 4Ps Network 

 

Global Water PPP Hub

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The objective is for the Hub to be the first place anyone would go to find information on water PPPs. It will be an online portal, available from the AquaFed site. 

 

The Hub will provide the following information: 

• Case studies on water PPP projects (including water, wastewater, reuse, desalination) 

• Best practise guides on various aspects of the PPP process – from the essential governance (policy, legal and regulatory frameworks), project inception and initial feasibility, right through to contract monitoring and re-tendering. 

• Information about PPP models and how they are structured and financed. 

 

The 4Ps Network 

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Accessible via the Hub, the 4Ps Network will enable governments and public authorities, particularly in countries that are seriously considering PPPs as an option, to get access to trusted experts. The Network will help governments get tailored support on specific issues to increase understanding and capacities for implementing public-private-partnership contracts and private sector participation.  

 

Through the 4Ps Network, governments and public authorities will be able to: 

• Get access to AquaFed’s regional PPP meetings and webinars, with detailed summaries/discussion and briefing notes. 

• Arrange advice and support on specific PPP process-related issues, from either AquaFed’s members or roster of third-party experts. 

• Share experiences and knowledge with other public entities working on PPPs worldwide. 
   

 

How to join the 4Ps Initiative? 

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The 4Ps Initiative is open to all stakeholders, State and non-State, interested in deepening their understanding on PPP processes and sharing experiences and best practices. 

 

• The Global Water PPP Hub is open to all interested stakeholders, organization or individual. Users will need to register (for free). 

 

• The 4Ps Network is freely accessible, on request, to representatives from Governments and public authorities. For Non-State organizations and experts, who want to use the Network and/or be referenced in the roster of AquaFed’s experts, two options are available: 

• Join AquaFed and be subject to the usual due diligence before they are accepted into the Federation. 

• Pay an annual subscription (with tariffs decided according to the organisation’s revenue and type). 

 

 

Who will deliver the Initiative? 

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AquaFed will create and maintain the Global Water PPP Hub and the 4Ps Network.  

However, it is essential that key partners, such as consultants, MDBs and the full range of donors, and private investors, that have interest and expertise in PPPs, work with us. 

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What value is the 4Ps Initiative adding? 

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Public-private partnerships and private sector participation are acknowledged as key elements in the range of solutions for Member States to address current water and wastewater issues. Providing support to governments and public authorities with capacity-building, know-how, experience sharing and technical assistance, the 4Ps Initiative intends to speed up progress on PPPs, at all stage of the process, and deliver results on the ground to achieve SDG6 and related Goals.  

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Specifically the 4Ps initiative offers: 

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• Trust: AquaFed is the reference for water PPPs and a trusted organisation and well-known in international development. The information and data we provide will, where possible, have been independently audited. 
   

• Speed: The 4Ps Initiative is an aggregator of information, focused on users’ needs and getting them information, contact and arrangements as easily as possible. 
   

• Non-commercial: in its capacity as a professional association representing private operators of public water and wastewater services, AquaFED affirms its strict compliance with European Union competition law. The Federation explicitly prohibits and actively prevents any activities, discussions, or exchanges of information among its members that could be construed as anti-competitive practices, including but not limited to price-fixing, market allocation, bid-rigging, or the sharing of commercially sensitive information. The Federation maintains appropriate safeguards and compliance protocols to ensure that all meetings, working groups, and other collaborative activities serve legitimate purposes while preserving free and fair competition in the water services market. Any suspected violations of these principles are subject to immediate investigation and appropriate corrective action. 
   

• Accountability: The 4Ps Initiative will have an independent oversight group that AquaFed will regularly discuss its processes for ensuring accuracy and credibility of the information on the Hub. 

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What is the timeline? 

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Phase 1 will be to create the first version of the Hub. This work will include a collection of all existing PPP materials, with user-friendly analysis and categorisation. The work to build the Hub will run from July 2025. 

 

Phase 2, from January-April 2026, will be where we work with partners and governments, to decide what new information is needed and how it should be presented. New information will start to appear on the Hub during this time. 

 

Phase 3, commencing April 2026, will see the start of the 4Ps Network, although some of the webinars and regional meetings will have already started. 

 

A key milestone will be in December 2026, when we demonstrate progress on the 4Ps Initiative at the UN 2026 Conference. There will be another High Level Meeting on PPPs, plus other events to promote the Hub. This will be repeated at the World Water Forum in March 2027. 

 

After March 2027, we expect the 4Ps initiative to be in ‘steady state’ with both the 4Ps Hub and 4Ps Network fully operational.