The Global Water Partnership's vision is for a water secure world. Its mission is to support the sustainable development and management of water resources at all levels.

GWP was founded in 1996 by the World Bank, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) to foster integrated water resource management (IWRM).

IWRM is a process which promotes the coordinated development and management of water, land and related resources in order to maximise economic and social welfare without compromising the sustainability of ecosystems and the environment.

The network is open to all organisations involved in water resources management: developed and developing country government institutions, agencies of the United Nations, bi- and multi-lateral development banks, professional associations, research institutions, non-governmental organisations, and the private sector.

Their Strategy Towards 2020 takes a thematic approach to water security and supports programme implementation in six key areas of development:
 

Climate Resilience and Water Security
Transboundary Water Security
Food and Water Security
Energy and Water Security
Urbanisation and Water Security
Ecosystems and Water Security

 


Country Water Partnerships

The GWP has 85 Country Water Partnerships that provide a neutral and multi-stakeholder platform for dialogue and facilitating change processes.
Regional and Country Water Partnerships manage and govern themselves, and convene stakeholders to address specific issues. They bring about solutions that are both tailored to local conditions and informed by local experiences and good practices from across the network.

Regional Water Partnerships

Since its inception, the GWP has built up a network of Regional Water Partnerships. The Network currently comprises 13 Regional Water Partnerships and 85 Country Water Partnerships, and includes over 3000 Partners located in 173 countries. Regional Water Partnerships provide support to the implementation of activities at regional and country level as set out in work plans and budgets, and prepare progress reports for the entire Network.