The IWRA is launching a new webinar series focused on one of the most pressing challenges in global water governance: water cooperation.
Part 1 of 4 – Water Cooperation: Why Does it Matter?
📅 21 January 2026
⏰ 14:00–15:30 CET
💻 Online
This first webinar introduced the concept of water cooperation— why it matters and how it underpins sustainable, equitable resource management and peace. It explored the key dimensions of water cooperation, highlighted longstanding international initiatives and frameworks, and set the scene for the critical themes and discussions that will be taken forward in the following three webinars of the series.
Panellists included:
- Abou Amani, UNESCO-IHP
- Sonja Koeppel, UNECE
- Tanja Miškova, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Slovenia
- Raya Stephan, IWRA
- Kevin Pietersen, SADC Groundwater Management Institute
- Jennifer Sara, Global Water Leader (Climate & Finance), former World Bank Director
- Aaron Wolf, Oregon State University
Moderators:
- Alice Aureli, IWRA
- Mariana Nogales Paez, AIDA
A wordcloud based on participants’ responses to the question: “In one or two words, what does ‘water cooperation’ mean to you?”
Context
As underscored in the United Nations World Water Development Report 2023, “nearly every water-related intervention involves some kind of cooperation.” From local water supply systems to transboundary river basins, collaboration underpins sustainable, equitable, and peaceful water management.
Water cooperation has gained growing international attention in recent years. It was a central theme at the UN 2023 Water Conference and will feature prominently on the global stage at the UN Water Conference in December 2026.
Against this backdrop, the IWRA’s webinar series will provide a timely platform for dialogue, knowledge exchange, and practical insights on advancing cooperation across scales, sectors, and borders.
About the webinar series
The IWRA quarterly webinar series “Water Cooperation: Overcoming Challenges, Showcasing Achievements, Shaping the Future” comprises four interconnected sessions, each addressing a different dimension of water cooperation:
- Introduction to Water Cooperation (21 January 2026)
- Water Cooperation: Preventing and Reconciling Conflicts Between Competing Water Users
- The Role of Science in Fostering Water Cooperation
- From Dialogue to Action: Enabling Transboundary Water Cooperation for Peace and Prosperity
Together, the webinars trace a clear journey from foundational concepts to action-oriented discussions, drawing on real experiences and innovative insights to show how cooperation can be applied in practice across different contexts and scales.
The series is organised in collaboration with key partners, including UNESCO, UNECE, AIDA, IAH, UN-Water, SIWI, the Geneva Water Hub, and others.
