Stockholm World Water Week 2026

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Stockholm World Water Week 2023 opening ceremony

Water for People and Progress

Each World Water Week revolves around a specific theme, chosen to both shape and reflect the global agenda. The purpose of the Week is to highlight this theme, stimulate meaningful discussion, foster new agreements, and draw insights from a variety of sectors. This year’s event focuses on ‘Water for People and Progress’.

Established in 1991, World Water Week attracts a large and diverse audience of experts and decision-makers. In 2025, around 13,000–15,000 participants from nearly 190 countries and territories joined the conference, including ministers, leading scientists, representatives from NGOs, civil society, and indigenous communities. During the event, H.R.H. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden appeared as a special guest, presenting the Stockholm Junior Water Prize at a ceremony in Stockholm City Hall.

Furthermore, the conference programme features high-level panels, talk shows, exhibitions, workshops, seminars, film screenings, and interactive discussions.

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Netherlands Pavilion at Stockholm World Water Week 2024. Photo: Partners for Water

The Netherlands booth

The Partners for Water programme will organise and host the Netherlands Booth on behalf of the Government of the Netherlands. The booth will provide visitors with the opportunity to connect directly with Dutch water experts and learn about their innovative water solutions and approaches first-hand. In addition, a knowledge programme is being coordinated by Partners for Water to showcase expertise across various water-related topics. 

Serving as a vibrant meeting point, the booth will offer a space to engage with both Dutch and international water experts, exchange knowledge, and participate in presentations and discussions.

Dutch water sector’s contributions to Stockholm World Water Week 2026

The Dutch water sector is also strongly represented at the conference sessions of World Water Week 2026. Throughout the week, a diverse range of Dutch organisations, from research & knowledge institutes, NGO's, and the private sector, will host and participate in high-impact sessions addressing today’s pressing water and climate challenges.

Here's an overview of all Dutch-led sessions:

Sunday, 23 August 2026

SIWI Seminar (1/3): Household Water Security Under Climate Stress: What's Blocking Progress?
Examines why climate change is undermining reliable, affordable, safe household water and wastewater services. Clarifies the dimensions of water security, identifies binding constraints across governance, allocation, equity, and operations, and highlights why data and metrics are essential to turn water-security ambitions into action.
Time: 09:00–10:00
Location: Online
Session ID: 14109
Organised by: Veolia, WaterAid, Amref Health Africa, Orbia
Speakers: Kilaparti Ramakrishna (WHOI), Dominique Gâtel (Veolia), Cristina Arango (Sencia), Patience Mukuyu (WaterAid), Jan Van Rompay (Orbia/Wavin), Indira Ellora Bose (LSHTM)
Moderator: Irina Gribanenkova (Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú); co-host Tara Klijn (Amref Health Africa NL)
 

Catalysing action: Strengthening monitoring of SDG 6 Means of Implementation
Builds on discussions at the 2025 Financing for Development meeting and the 2026 High Level Preparatory Meeting in Dakar to explore how strengthened monitoring of SDG 6 Means of Implementation (MoI) can accelerate progress, highlighting finance tracking alongside governance, institutions and capacity.
Time: 11:00–12:30
Location: C2, Level 2
Session ID: 12578
Organised by: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (UK), Government of the Netherlands, OECD, UNEP, UNICEF, WHO
 

Locally-led adaptation approach pays off
Aims to demonstrate that locally-led adaptation approaches pay off, using examples from Bangladesh and Kenya to show how direct community financing delivers inclusive, accountable, and durable water resilience.
Time: 11:00–12:30
Location: C1, Level 2
Session ID: 12446
Organised by: Friendship Bangladesh, Government of the Netherlands (PfW/RVO), IMPACT-Kenya, MetaMeta, Uttaran
 

Improving data use on water for people
Interactive session on how governments and their partners can improve the use of data on water and sanitation service provision, by monitoring, compiling and using data along the entire results chain, from financial inputs to actual services delivered.
Time: 14:00–15:30
Location: C3, Level 2
Session ID: 12580
Organised by: IRC WASH, Agenda for Change, FCDO (UK), GOAL Global, Self Help Africa, SNV Netherlands Development Organisation, UNICEF, Water For People, WaterAid, WHO
 

Putting People at the Center of Water Infrastructure Sustainability
Follow-up to last year's "Build Neglect Rebuild" session. Partners for Water, WaterWorX and Blue Deal present recommendations on how governments, utilities, programmes and IFIs can better align to enable sustainable water infrastructure, ahead of the UN 2026 Water Conference.
Time: 14:00–15:30
Location: Room 24/25, Level 2
Session ID: 12469
Organised by: Dutch Water Authorities, Government of the Netherlands, Partners for Water, WaterWorX
Speakers: Myrko Webers (VEI B.V.), Asfaw Dingamo Kame (Ministry of Water and Energy), Liliane Geerling (Netherlands Enterprise Agency), Floor Toxopeus (Dutch Water Authorities), Marieke Van Nood (Dutch Water Authorities), Abinet Wassie Tiruneh (Abbay Basin Administration Office)
Moderator: Gijs Van Nes (VEI/WaterWorX)
 

Designing water-sensitive cities by integrating sponginess, sanitation and climate resilience
Explores how rapid urbanisation and climate variability threaten urban hydrological systems and sanitation, drawing on research from Asian cities on declining "urban sponginess" and how water-sensitive, nature-based urban design can restore resilience.
Time: 16:00–17:30
Location: Room 24/25, Level 2
Session ID: 12522
Organised by: GIZ, SNV Netherlands Development Organisation, Vitens Evides International
 

Just Water Partnerships: Aligning Finance and Advancing Equity
Marks a new phase in the Just Water Partnerships (JWP) journey, the path to operationalisation. Drawing on early country experiences from Brazil and Ghana, examines how countries can develop governance and financing arrangements for integrated, equitable and investable water strategies.
Time: 16:00–17:30
Location: A4, Level 6
Session ID: 12566
Organised by: Global Commission on the Economics of Water (GCEW), International Water Management Institute (IWMI), WaterAid, OECD
Speakers: Henk Ovink (GCEW), Paula Pollini (Instituto Água e Saneamento)
Moderator: Lesley Pories (WaterAid)
 

Monday, 24 August 2026

Advancing Scientific Solutions for Water Scarcity, Ecosystems and Climate Resilience
Highlights cutting-edge scientific research and innovation addressing water scarcity through ecosystem-based and climate-resilient approaches, framed around Water4All priorities and European research agendas.
Time: 09:00–10:30
Location: A4, Level 6
Session ID: 12451
Organised by: Human Right 2 Water, IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, Organization of American States, Water Europe, Water4All
 

Sponge City Nakuru: Building Climate Resilience in Kenya
Nakuru faces aquifer overextraction, rising lake levels, farmland conversion, intense rainfall, and waste-related pollution. This interactive Serious Game lets participants role-play governance conflicts and co-design infrastructure and Nature-Based Solutions to strengthen urban water resilience.
Time: 09:00–10:30
Location: Room 27, Level 2
Session ID: 12487
Organised by: Felixx Landscape Architects & Planners, Government of the Netherlands
Speakers/hosts: Robert Proos (RVO), Deborah Lambert (Felixx), Eduardo Marín Salinas (Felixx); with contributions from the City Manager of Nakuru and the CECM of the Department of Water, Energy, Environment and Natural Resources
Contact: deborah@felixx.nl / eduardo@felixx.nl
 

Water for people, with people
How can local communities, especially women and young people, have a meaningful voice in the governance of water systems?
During World Water Week 2026, Oxfam, Deltares, WaterAid Netherlands, IHE Delft – Institute for Water Education and SEI, will host an interactive session on equitable participation of local rights-holders in water governance for water security and climate resilience.
Through sharing of inspiring tools, practical approaches and stories of change, as well as interactive discussions, we will develop concrete recommendations for the UN Water Conference Interactive Dialogue A.
Join us to:
• Learn from tools, approaches and lessons from others
• Share your own experiences
• Meet professionals working on inclusive water governance
• Explore practical barriers and solutions
• Contribute to recommendations for the UN Water Conference
For more information: petra.Hamers@oxfamnovib.nl
Time: 09:00–10:30
Location: Room 26, Level 2
Session ID: 12442
Organised by: Deltares, IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, Oxfam, SEI Asia (Thailand), WaterAid
 

SIWI Seminar (1/3): Ensuring Water and Sanitation in Crisis and Displacement
Session 1: Understanding the Changing Landscape for Access to Water and Sanitation in Crisis and Displacement. Establishes a shared understanding of WASH service-delivery challenges in humanitarian and displacement contexts, examining how compounding crises (conflict, climate change, forced displacement, infrastructure degradation) amid shrinking aid budgets reshape needs and response capacities.
Time: 10:00–11:00
Location: Online
Session ID: 14106
Organised by: PlanBørnefonden, UNICEF, Netherlands Red Cross
Speakers (including): Lana Al Wriekat (UNICEF), Maram Obeidat (Plan International), Derk Segaar (Netherlands Red Cross), Pierre-Yves Oger (UNICEF), Banak Joshua (MHADM), Brenda Brouwer (VEI), Dorothy Moga (Plan International), Michel Wilfried N'Guessan (African Development Bank)
Moderator: Stefania Giodini (Netherlands Red Cross)
 

SIWI Seminar (1/3): Aligning Actors and Capital to Structure Investable Water
Interactive workshop exploring how cross-sector partnerships and innovative finance instruments can support investable, climate-resilient water systems, examining how public, private, concessional and humanitarian actors can align incentives and financing to transform strategic plans into scalable, investment-ready portfolios.
Time: 11:00–12:30
Location: Room 27, Level 2
Session ID: 14118
Organised by: ALTAMIRA Regenerative Finance, WASTE, Humanitarian Innovative Finance Hub (HIFHUB)
Featuring perspectives from: WASTE Foundation, International Rescue Committee, HIFHUB, Heineken, AFD, AfDB, Veolia, WaterNet, Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs / DGIS
Contact: Carolina Latorre Aravena, WASTE
 

From Data to Fragmentation to Decision Support: The Wetland Atlas
Short teaser introduction for the full workshop session the following day; participants can share ideas on improving the platform and make useful connections during the Tuesday 25 August session.
Time: 11:00–11:15
Location: Netherlands Booth
Session ID: 12484
Organised by: Wetlands International
Contact: Michael Nelemans
 

Strengthening Data and Governance for Just and Equitable Water Allocation
Session on fair, transparent water allocation. After a kickoff, five pitches - including cases from Ethiopia, Kenya and Eswatini - invite real-time audience input, followed by roundtable discussions on governance, inclusiveness and data for smarter, more equitable water allocation and pricing.
Time: 11:00–12:30
Location: Room 24/25, Level 2
Session ID: 12546
Organised by: Dutch Water Authorities - Blue Deal programme, Government of the Netherlands, Netherlands Food Partnership
Speakers: Abinet Wassie Tiruneh (Abbay Basin Administration Office), Michelle Van Raalte (VNG International), Babette Bodlaender (Netherlands Food Partnership); opening by Eva Schreuder (Govt. NL); contribution by Wageningen University (WUR)
Moderator: Floor Toxopeus (Dutch Water Authorities)
 

Catalyzing Capital, Transforming Lives
Explores how strategic partnerships and catalytic finance can unlock investment for climate-resilient water infrastructure and advance SDG6, using the KIFFWA–Amref Health Africa partnership in Makueni County, Kenya as a case study — blended finance mobilised over $600,000, serving 30,000+ people, with potential to scale to $1.6 million and 92,000 people.
Time: 11:30–12:00
Location: Netherlands Booth
Organised by: Kenya Innovative Finance Facility for Water and Amref Health Africa (KIFFWA)
Speaker: Grace Ndegwa
 

Valuing Water, Valuing Everyone
Explores how to make water-related decisions that include diverse, different or even competing values around water, and what inclusive decision-making processes require.
Time: 12:30–13:00
Location: Netherlands Booth
Organised by: CWiW
Speaker: Kathryn Pharr
 

Putting People at the Center of Water Infrastructure Sustainability (booth session)
Follow-up to last year's Build-Neglect-Rebuild session; shares recommendations from Partners for Water, WaterWorX and Blue Deal on aligning governments, utilities, programmes and IFIs, shaping input toward the UN 2026 Water Conference.
Time: 13:30–14:00
Location: Netherlands Booth
Organised by: RVO / Partners for Water
Speaker: Liliane Geerling
Note: shorter booth-format version of the same session, different time slot from the main 14:00–15:30 session on 23 August.
 

Water as Leverage: Natural Intelligence for Urban Resilience
Explores how water can drive systemic urban transformation amid climate change and rapid urbanisation, drawing on Felixx's Water as Leverage projects in Cartagena (Colombia) and Nakuru (Kenya), highlighting Nature-Based Solutions and cross-sector collaboration models.
Time: 14:00–14:30
Location: Netherlands Booth
Organised by: Felixx Landscape Architects & Planners
Speaker: Deborah Lambert

Future Flows: Co-Creating the Green Water Knowledge Agenda
Connects science, governance, finance and practice to explore the current knowledge base, gaps and needs on green water and the wider hydrological cycle, ahead of the 2026 UN Water Conference's Green Water Flagship Initiative.
Time: 14:30–16:00
Location: C3, Level 2
Session ID: 12565
Organised by: Wageningen University & Research, International Water Management Institute, FAO, IHE Delft
Speakers: Åse Johannessen (Deltares), Angel De Miguel (Wageningen Environmental Research)
Hosts: Barteld Vervelde, Arjan Budding (WUR)
Moderator: Henk Ovink (GCEW / WUR / TU Delft)
 

The Missing Link: Turning Water Data into Action for Peace
Interactive session exploring what it takes to turn water-risk analysis into timely, locally grounded and conflict-sensitive action in fragile and conflict-affected settings, drawing on lessons from Water, Peace and Security (WPS) Phase 2.
Time: 14:30–15:00
Location: Netherlands Booth
Organised by: Wetlands International, Deltares (Water, Peace and Security partnership: Deltares, IHE Delft, International Alert, The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies, Wetlands International, World Resources Institute)
Contact person: Michael Nelemans
 

Getting to know the Water Resilience Tracker
Presents recent knowledge products from the Water Resilience Tracker, including a technical note on Water Resilience Indicators for National Implementation, tools to link national strategies to local realities, and a paper on operationalising equitable water and climate governance.
Time: 16:00–16:30
Location: Netherlands Booth
Organised by: Water Resilience Tracker
Speaker: Dani Gaillard-Picher
 

SIWI Seminar (2/3): From Evidence to Action: Case Studies for Climate-Resilient Household Water Security
Second session in the series "Achieving household water security for all amid climate challenges"; puts domestic water safety into practice through case studies on community programs, utilities, and health-linked delivery models – highlighting what works, barriers, transferable learnings, and preconditions for scale-up.
Time: 16:30–18:00
Location: C2, Level 2
Session ID: 14110
Organised by: Veolia, WaterAid, Amref Health Africa, Orbia
Speakers: Kennedy Omwaka (Amref Health Africa), David Maisonneuve (Veolia), Jan Van Rompay (Orbia/Wavin), Chouhaid Nasr (Veolia Morocco)
Session host: Kilaparti Ramakrishna (WHOI), Dominique Gâtel (Veolia), Cristina Arango (Sencia), Irina Gribanenkova (Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú), Tara Klijn (Amref Health Africa NL)
Moderator: Patience Mukuyu (WaterAid)
 

Tuesday, 25 August 2026

Progress Scaling Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for Water Security (side event)
Time: 09:00–10:00
Location: Haymarket Scandic Hotel, Hötorget 13–15, Stockholm
Organised by: Blue Deal, WaterWorX, The Nature Conservancy
Contact: Floor Toxopeus (ftoxopeus@uvw.nl), Blue Deal
 

SIWI Seminar (2/3): Ensuring Water and Sanitation in Crisis and Displacement
Session 2: Short-Term Adaptation and Prioritization: Doing Better with What We Have. Focuses on prioritization when doing "less with less" amid rising need, examining how humanitarian and development organizations assess needs, determine priorities, and allocate resources in crisis settings.
Time: 09:00–10:30
Location: C2, Level 2
Session ID: 14107
Organised by: PlanBørnefonden, UNICEF, Netherlands Red Cross
Speakers (including): Sirak Temesgen (Netherlands Red Cross), Kevin Wyjad & Ruben Dario Vargas Franco (UNICEF), Beza Tadele Zerga (Plan International Ethiopia), Pedro Arrojo-Agudo (UN Special Rapporteur), Omar El Hattab (UNICEF)
Moderator: Lesley Pories (WaterAid)
 

High Level Panel: Financing Water Resilience and Prosperity
Convenes high-level voices from governments, multilateral development banks, climate finance institutions and programme countries to translate global commitments into concrete actions and investments ahead of the UN 2026 Water Conference, focusing on closing the water finance gap and mobilising blended finance.
Time: 09:00–10:30
Location: A1 – Centre stage, Level 4
Session ID: 17003
Organised by: Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), Government of the Netherlands
 

Solar Irrigation Agencies for last-mile service delivery
Explores how sustainable, farmer-led irrigation can strengthen food security and climate resilience, using the Solar Irrigation Agency (SIA) model in Mozambique to expand irrigation access via local entrepreneurship and nature-based solutions.
Time: 09:30–10:00
Location: Netherlands Booth
Organised by: Practica
Speaker: Berry van den Pol
 

SIWI Seminar (3/3): Barrier-Busting Lab: Financing and Policy Choices for Household Water Security
An onsite, solutions-focused workshop where participants tackle real barriers to household water security using scenario-based problem-solving across rotating stations on climate-resilient WASH interventions, finance and affordability, governance and regulation, and cross-sector resilience.
Time: 11:00–12:30
Location: Room 27, Level 2
Session ID: 14111
Organised by: Veolia, WaterAid, Amref Health Africa, Orbia
Speakers: Dominique Gâtel (Veolia), Cristina Arango (Sencia), Tara Klijn (Amref Health Africa NL), Jan Van Rompay (Orbia/Wavin), Patience Mukuyu (WaterAid)
Moderator: Irina Gribanenkova
 

From data fragmentation to decision support: the Wetland Atlas
While the lightning session described above will give a rapid tour through the Wetland Atlas, this session will be interactive to fully appreciate the power of the Wetland Atlas and simulate its use.
Time: 11:00–12:30
Location: Room 24/25, Level 2  
Session ID: 12484
Organised by: Wetlands International
Contact: Michael Nelemans
 

Community Centered Early Warning Systems for Climate Resilient Cities
Climate impacts are intensifying and urban Early Warning Systems (EWS) often fail to reach the most vulnerable. Showcases how cities can co-design inclusive, community-centred EWS, drawing on work in Peru, global EWS work by Deltares, and community-focused work by C40 Cities in Lagos and Rio.
Time: 11:00–12:30
Location: A4, Level 6
Session ID: 12577
Organised by: ANIN, Arup, C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, Deltares, Lagos State, Resilient Cities Network, State of Rio de Janeiro
 

Closing the Last-Mile Gap: In-Situ Chlorination for Schools at a Fraction of the Cost
Presents Sensiblue's in-situ chlorination device, installed in 23 schools in Uganda and one Tata Trusts school in India, providing safe drinking water to 10,000+ students; shares water quality test results, cost data and scaling lessons.
Time: 11:00–11:30
Location: Netherlands Booth
Organised by: Sensiblue
Speaker: Sensiblue's founder
 

SIWI Seminar (2/3): Unlocking Private Investment for Climate-Resilient Water Systems
Online session exploring how blended finance, climate finance and innovative risk-sharing mechanisms can unlock greater private sector investment for climate-resilient water systems amid growing climate, policy and market uncertainty.
Time: 11:00–12:00
Location: Online
Session ID: 14119
Organised by: ALTAMIRA Regenerative Finance, WASTE, Humanitarian Innovative Finance Hub (HIFHUB)
Featuring perspectives from: WASTE Foundation, Grundfos Foundation, Meridiam, MIGA/World Bank Group, Mauritius Bankers Association
Contact: Carolina Latorre Aravena, WASTE
 

WaterLogues: Beyond Funding – What Sustains Collective Action?
Through a series of interactive dialogues, we’ll explore what enables collective action to endure beyond individual projects, funding cycles and leadership changes, and how we can design partnerships that deliver lasting impact.
Time: 11:30–15:30
Location: Haymarket by Scandic Hotel, Hötorget 13-15
Organised by: This year's content has been curated in collaboration with: WWF, Blue Deal, Conservation International, Earth Finance, Forest Trends, GlobeScan, Global Water Partnership (GWP), IUCN, LimnoTech, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), UNEP, WaterWorx, and Wetlands International.
 

Women 4 Water Scholarship fund
Marks the launch of the IHE Delft Women 4 Water initiative, supporting female professionals pursuing an MSc in Water and Sustainable Development while strengthening capacity for locally driven water solutions.
Time: 12:30–13:00
Location: Netherlands Booth
Organised by: IHE Delft
Speaker: Cristina Anacabe
 

Beyond Projects: Is Your Water System Built to Last?
Interactive booth session testing participants' own context against three building blocks for sustainable water services — governance, financing, water quality monitoring — using a real municipal case from Nepal.
Time: 13:30–14:00
Location: Netherlands Booth
Organised by: WaterAid Nepal, WaterAid Netherlands (formerly Simavi), ENPHO, Dopper
Speakers: Katinka Lansink, Chrissie van Heijningen, Sanne Pel
 

Water in Business I
Explores why water is no longer a niche sustainability concern but increasingly a strategic issue linked to economic security, agriculture, trade, and long-term stability, in an unstable and resource-constrained world.
Time: 14:00–14:30
Location: A1 – Centre stage, Level 4
Session ID: 17004
Organised by: Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), Government of the Netherlands
 

Monitoring Water Productivity through Remote Sensing – sustainability and scalability
Reflects on results from the WaPOR Phase 2 project, developed in 13 countries for decision-makers, irrigation managers and farmers. Explores sustainability and scalability of remote-sensing tools to accelerate progress.
Time: 14:00–15:30
Location: C4, Level 2
Session ID: 12575
Organised by: Copernicus, FAO, Government of the Netherlands, IHE Delft, IWMI, Wageningen University & Research
 

Transformative changes: water security in a resilient society
Brings together experts, practitioners, and policymakers to explore real cases and co-create actionable, inclusive nature-based solutions for climate-resilient water security, in light of a projected 40% gap between global freshwater demand and supply by 2030.
Time: 14:00–15:30
Location: Room 24/25, Level 2
Session ID: 12562
Organised by: Arup, Deltares, International Water Management Institute
Moderator: Harm Duel (Deltares)
 

Wetlands for people & progress
Explores how large-scale wetland restoration can strengthen water security, climate resilience, biodiversity and local livelihoods; introduces the Wetlands for Resilience (W4R) Toolkit, using the Ziway–Shalla sub-basin in Ethiopia as a case study.
Time: 14:30–15:00
Location: Netherlands Booth
Organised by: Wetlands International
Contact person: Jeroen Jurriens
 

Water for People and Progress: Turning Compliance Challenges into Community Resilience
Shares the turnaround story of a small, community-owned water system that moved from regulatory noncompliance and declining public confidence toward stability, accountability and resilience.
Time: 15:00–15:30
Location: Netherlands Booth
Organised by: Lioness Resource Optimization
Speaker: Kristina Gillespie-Jaques
 

From fragmented systems to a full water cycle approach
Explores how cities and basins can transition from fragmented water management to a holistic water cycle approach, combining global cases (Amsterdam, Amman, Ethiopia's BRIGHT programme) with a participatory exercise mapping participants' own watersheds.
Time: 16:00–17:30
Location: Room 24/25, Level 2
Session ID: 12532
Organised by: Basin Development Authority (Ethiopia), Water Authority of Jordan, World Waternet
 

Water for Tomorrow: Shaping Future Agricultural Food and Trade Systems
Explores strategies to tackle unsustainable water use in globally traded fresh fruit and vegetable sourcing regions, examining trade-offs in agriculture, water and nature and progress on the Water For Tomorrow initiative.
Time: 16:00–17:30
Location: C3, Level 2
Session ID: 12717
Organised by: Government of the Netherlands, FAO, WASAG
Contact: Floor Toxopeus (ftoxopeus@uvw.nl), Blue Deal
 

Wednesday, 26 August 2026

Failing forward
Time: 09:00–09:30
Location: Netherlands Booth
Organised by: Deltares / RVO / Partners for Water
Speakers: Liliane Geerling, Shahnoor Hasan
 

Leaders' Table: Resilient RBOs for People and Progress
Brings together high-level basin managers and policymakers (executive secretaries, CEOs) from basins around the world to exchange on challenges and opportunities related to change and reform processes in basin organizations.
Time: 09:00–10:30
Location: C3, Level 2
Session ID: 12485
Organised by: GIZ, IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, Mekong River Commission, Niger Basin Authority, Nile Basin Initiative, Permanent Okavango River Basin Water Commission, Lake Chad Basin Commission
Speakers: Busadee Santipitaks (Mekong River Commission), Susanne Schmeier (IHE Delft), Houanye Kocou Armand (NBA), Hycinth Sunjo Tah Banseka (Lake Chad Basin Commission)
Moderator: Benjamin Hodick, Melissa Cruz (GIZ)
 

SIWI Seminar (3/3): Ensuring Water and Sanitation in Crisis and Displacement
Session 3: Meeting Long-Term Needs: From Fragmentation to Collective Impact. Through the Humanitarian–Development–Peace (HDP) Nexus lens, outlines how humanitarian WASH delivery can move from recurrent emergency responses toward sustained reduction of vulnerability and need.
Time: 09:00–10:30
Location: Room 27, Level 2
Session ID: 14108
Organised by: PlanBørnefonden, UNICEF, Netherlands Red Cross
Speakers: Anne Smith Petersen (PlanBørnefonden/Capital for Impact), Evariste Kouassi Komlan (UNICEF)
 

Inclusive Basin Partnerships: Transforming Water Security Across Regions
Explores how multi-stakeholder partnerships can advance integrated river basin management to improve water security, climate resilience, and ecosystem health, through case studies from Africa, Asia and Europe.
Time: 09:00–10:30
Location: A2, Level 6
Session ID: 12545
Organised by: Japan Water Forum / NoWNET Secretariat, DHI, Netherlands Water Partnership, SEI Asia, Suntory, Water Risk Lab / Yachiyo Engineering, French Water Partnership / French Youth Parliament for Water
Host/Moderator: Yumiko Asayama (Japan Water Forum, APWF & NoWNET Secretariat)
 

Laundry transformation: co-creating solutions with riverine communities
Explores how rethinking laundry can improve health, gender equality, water quality and economic opportunities, drawing on research and human-centred design in India, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Mozambique.
Time: 09:30–10:00
Location: Netherlands Booth
Organised by: GOPA MetaMeta / Practica
Speaker: Meghna Mukherjee
 

From Water to Health: Integrated Solutions for Resilient Community Care in Narok, Kenya
Showcases how integrated investments in water, energy and healthcare strengthen health systems and community well being, using a case study from Narok, Kenya covering hygiene, sanitation, vaccine storage, diagnostics and maternal care.
Time: 11:00–11:30
Location: Netherlands Booth
Organised by: Amref
Speaker: Tara Klijn
 

WADI – watershed development investment
Time: 11:30–12:00
Location: Netherlands Booth
Speakers: Antoon Blokland, Hein Gietema
 

Swimmable Cities
Presents a global initiative mainstreaming "swimmability" in urban planning and integrated water management; the ALLIANCE has grown to 255 organisations across 121 cities and towns in 38 countries since its Charter launch before the Paris Olympics.
Time: 12:30–13:00
Location: Netherlands Booth
Organised by: Swimmable Cities
Speakers: Henk Ovink, Adriaan van der Linden
 

Local Action into Global Change
Wavemakers United session on the importance of youth in the multilateral process, exploring water security, climate action and the SDGs, and how youth-led movements can drive change — building on the UNESCO Water Youth Strategy and #Youth4Water movement.
Time: 13:30–14:00
Location: Netherlands Booth
Organised by: Wavemakers United and Unesco
Speakers: Santiago Gomez Molino, IHE Delft/Latin America Caribbean Youth Parliament for Water
Moderators: Gijs van Nes, Tilly Stroo
 

Sharing best practices on catchment and water source protection for drinking water security
Case studies from Kenya, Ethiopia and Malawi showing how climate adaptation can ensure water security.
Time: 14:00–14:30
Location: Netherlands Booth
Organised by: VEI
Speaker: Myrko Webers
 

Water utility efficiency
Efficiency in water and sanitation utilities in Kenya and Rwanda, focused on energy and non-revenue water.
Time: 14:30–15:00
Location: Netherlands Booth
Organised by: VEI
Speaker: Myrko Webers
 

Water in Business II
Explores why water resilience has become fundamental to trade, food systems, and supply chain stability, and how collective action and partnerships can translate water stewardship commitments into real impact.
Time: 14:00–14:30
Location: A1 – Centre stage, Level 4
Session ID: 17005
Organised by: Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), Government of the Netherlands
 

SIWI Seminar (3/3): Rethinking Investment Origination: A Mission-Driven Approach to Investment Planning
Concludes the three-part seminar series "Mobilising Finance for Water Security." Explores how investment origination can move beyond isolated small-scale interventions toward mission-driven, system-level planning approaches for water security and climate resilience.
Time: 14:00–15:30
Location: C2, Level 2 (Hybrid)
Session ID: 14120
Organised by: Altamira-Regenerative Finance, WASTE NL, Humanitarian Innovative Finance Hub (HIFHUB)
Featuring perspectives from: ALTAMIRA Regenerative Finance, ICRC, World Bank Group, Water Fund of Bogotá and LAC Water Funds Coalition, KfW, ILX Fund, AFD, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
Contact: Carolina Latorre Aravena, WASTE
 

WASAG – farmers centered response to water scarcity in Agriculture
The Global Framework on Water Scarcity in Agriculture (WASAG) presents its 2026–2031 strategy, with four pillars on policy, research & innovation, capacity building and financing, putting farmers at the centre of building resilient agrifood systems.
Time: 14:00–15:30
Location: C4, Level 2
Session ID: 12613
Organised by: FAO, WASAG, Government of Cabo Verde, Government of the Netherlands, ICARDA, ICBA, ICID, Netherlands Food Partnership, Netherlands Water Partnership, Swiss Federal Office for Agriculture, UNCCD, Zimbabwe Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement
 

Advancing Water–Climate Action Through Technical Assistance and Partnerships
Panel discussion and fireside chat on how the Netherlands Water Technical Assistance Facility, delivered through the NDC Partnership, helps countries turn water-climate ambitions into action - including water resource mapping, regulatory frameworks and investment pipelines.
Time: 16:00–17:30
Location: C3, Level 2
Session ID: 12652
Organised by: Government of the Netherlands, NDC Partnership
 

Cooperation Currents – Advancing Resilience and Development through Water Cooperation
Addresses the challenge of communicating the benefits of transboundary water cooperation to audiences beyond the water sector, combining a keynote, basin pitches and roundtable discussions.
Time: 16:00–17:30
Location: C2, Level 2
Session ID: 12510
Organised by: GIZ, Global Environment Facility, IHE Delft, International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River, IUCN, IW:LEARN, Permanent Okavango River Basin Water Commission, World Bank Group
Speakers: Isaac Andanje Alukwe (NBI/NELSAP-CU), Nike Hestermann (GIZ), Tatjana Miskova (Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs), Susanne Schmeier (IHE Delft), Anders Jägerskog (World Bank), James Dalton (IUCN), Hycinth Sunjo Tah Banseka (Lake Chad Basin Commission)
 

Laundry Transformation: Unlocking Laundry as a System
Explores laundry as an overlooked WASH theme, presenting early insights from pilot studies in India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and Mozambique, and framing laundry as a water, gender, and climate issue.
Time: 16:00–17:30
Location: Room 26, Level 2
Session ID: 12488
Organised by: Asian Development Bank, Gopa MetaMeta, Government of the Netherlands, Practica, UNICEF Sustainable WASH Innovation Hub
 

Thursday, 27 August 2026

Pay Now or Pay More: The Sanitation Investment Challenge
Examines the growing economic and operational pressures climate change places on sanitation systems, using a "Shark Tank"-style format where participants decide where limited resources should go in the face of climate stress.
Time: 11:00–12:30
Location: Room 27, Level 2
Session ID: 12541
Organised by: Leeds University, UNICEF, Institute for Sustainable Futures (UTS/ISF), SNV Netherlands Development Organisation
 

From Innovation to Impact: Corporates Scaling Water Solutions
Explores how corporates can scale water solutions through innovative financing and strategic partnerships, showcasing how corporate action and consumer engagement can close funding gaps and generate shared value.
Time: 11:00–12:30
Location: A4, Level 6
Session ID: 12586
Organised by: Water Unite, Accor, Kantar, Aqua for All, Flocean
Speakers: Tim Evers (Aqua for All), Jonathan Hall (Kantar), Birgitte Lind-Hjertum (Flocean), Louis Goring-Morris (Water Unite), Marjorie Pittet (Accor)
Moderator: Ryan Finnerty (Water Unite)
 

Strengthening Communities Through Water Access for Food Security
Interactive workshop exploring two impacts of WaterStarters (Amref + Grundfos): household water connections that strengthen Water Service Providers' financial sustainability, and food security initiatives promoting local agriculture, income, and community resilience.
Time: 11:00–12:30
Location: Room 24/25, Level 2
Session ID: 12477
Organised by: Amref Health Africa, Grundfos Holding A/S
Speakers: Kennedy Omwaka (Amref Health Africa), Anise Sacranie (Grundfos A/S)
Moderator: Tara Klijn (Amref Health Africa NL)
 

The Freshwater Challenge:  Restoring freshwater ecosystems underpins societies, economies and sustainable development 
Discover how restoring degraded rivers, lakes and other freshwater ecosystems are not only vital for people, nature and climate but also achievable. Experts will showcase novel evidence on the benefits, financing solutions, global alignment, and monitoring tools that make freshwater restoration a powerful, scalable opportunity for nature and people. Wetlands International will showcase the Wetlands Atlas, an interactive global platform integrating ecological, social, and policy data to guide conservation and investment.
Time: 11:00–12:30
Location: C2, level 2
Session ID: 12502
Organised by: Freshwater Challenge core partners – Conservation International (CI), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Secretariat of the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Wetlands International and WWF.
Contact person: Francesca Antonelli
 

Water in Business III
Explores how finance, governance, and international cooperation can help scale coordinated action for water security, resilient economies, and inclusive prosperity, positioned ahead of the 2026 UN Water Conference.
Time: 14:00–14:30
Location: A1 – Centre stage, Level 4
Session ID: 17006
Organised by: Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), Government of the Netherlands
Speaker: Bapon Fakhruddin (Green Climate Fund – Korea South)
 

Failing forward? Uncomfortable lessons for water, people and progress
Now in its third edition, this workshop reframes failure as a catalyst for accountability, equity, and progress in the water and climate sector, combining storytelling from "failing heroes" with group reflection on systemic barriers.
Time: 14:00–15:30
Location: Room 27, Level 2
Session ID: 12498
Organised by: Deltares, Government of the Netherlands, UNICEF Sustainable WASH Innovation Hub
 

From Projects to Public Systems: Local Reform for Water Services / How Municipal Reform Delivers Climate-Resilient Water Services
Shares how a municipality in Nepal moved from short-term WASH projects to a stronger public water system, through clear local regulation, predictable public financing, and routine water quality monitoring, improving service reliability, equity and climate resilience.
Time: 14:00–15:30
Location: C2, Level 2
Session ID: 12507
Organised by: Dopper, ENPHO, WaterAid Nepal, WaterAid Netherlands
Speakers: Virginia Yanquilevich (Dopper, host), Chrissie van Heijningen (Dopper), Veerle Ver Loren van Themaat (WaterAid Netherlands), Binesh Roy (WaterAid Nepal), Merina Maharjan (ENPHO)
Contact: Karin Bojorge-Alvarez – WaterAid
 

Account, compensate and report your water story with the Water Footprint Assessment Method
Location: Netherlands Booth
Organised by: Water Footprint Implementation
Speaker: Jaap Feil, Managing Partner
 

Combining chemical-free technologies and AI-based monitoring to manage surface water
Location: Netherlands Booth
Organised by: LG Sonic
Speaker: Lisa Brand, CTO at LG Sonic

Be part of the Week

You can join the conference both online and in Stockholm, Sweden. The vast majority of sessions will be accessible online. To make World Water Week more inclusive, online participation is free of charge. Registration is required.