Despite its growing economy, the Philippines faces significant challenges in terms of water and sanitation access. According to Water.Org Philippines, nearly 5 million people in the Philippines rely on unsafe and unsustainable water sources, and 9 million lack access to improved sanitation. With the rapid urbanization and the growth of cities, there are looming and growing challenges to provide appropriate water and sanitation facilities to new residents. To address this, the Philippine government developed the Philippine Sustainable Sanitation Roadmap in 2010 which aims to attain universal water and sanitation coverage by 2028.

For the first installment of the Water Challenge Forum Series, the ECCP intends to bring together water sector stakeholders to understand the current state of water in the Philippines and help participants discover opportunities to establish partnerships focused on solving the specific water challenges of the Philippines. Additionally, the session will provide insights on the water supply and trends internationally.

With the theme "Building Partnerships to Achieve Water Security" the ECCP 2021 Water Challenge Forum Series aims to provide an avenue for discussions for collaborative efforts of the water sector stakeholders to support the Philippines with its water challenges and achieve the goal of ensuring and sustaining water resources for future generations.