GWPO to Advance Water Investment, Inclusion and Climate Resilience at World Water Week 2026

The Global Water Partnership Organisation (GWPO) will convene an event at Stockholm for World Water Week 2026 with a programme spanning political leadership, water investment, inclusive governance, basin cooperation, drought resilience and strategic partnership-building. Taking place from 23 to 27 August under the theme “Water for People and Progress”, the week will bring together the global water community to consider how water can drive human development, resilience and shared prosperity.

At the centre of GWPO’s participation will be a high-level event on 25 August, convened by Global Water Partnership Organisation (GWPO), in collaboration with the Government of Namibia, the Government of South Africa, the African Union, WMO, UNCDF, UN Agencies, and other GWPO Partners. Held under the theme “Mobilising Investment Commitments for a New Era of Water & Economic Diplomacy towards the 2026 UN Water Conference”, the event will mobilise political leadership, strategic partnerships and investment commitments for global water security.

GWPO will also contribute to sessions across the official World Water Week programme on inclusion, water commons, basin partnerships, climate-resilient water finance and drought resilience. A GWPO booth in the exhibition area will provide a meeting point throughout the week for partners and participants to exchange knowledge, learn more about the GWP Strategy 2026–2030 and explore opportunities for collaboration.

From It’s new Global HQ in Namibia to World Water Week Stockholm: GWPO to usher new era of water diplomacy and investment

World Water Week 2026 carries particular significance for GWP. Stockholm was home to the organisation’s global Secretariat for three decades. This year, following the transition of its global headquarters to Windhoek, Namibia, and the establishment of its investment hub in Cape Town, South Africa, GWPO will usher in a new era of water diplomacy and investment.

The transition reflects GWP’s renewed global positioning and the ambitions of the GWP Strategy 2026–2030, which places climate-resilient water investments, stronger partnerships and country-led implementation at the centre of the organisation’s mission. During World Water Week, GWP will showcase how this strategic direction is being translated into action through investment facilitation, inclusive water governance, climate resilience, capacity development and implementation at scale.

Mobilising investment for a new era of water and economic diplomacy

Achieving water security for all requires urgent and audacious action to close an annual investment gap estimated at around USD 140 billion for water supply and sanitation alone. Increasing investment will require strong business cases, investment-ready projects, enabling legal and regulatory environments, and governance systems capable of attracting and effectively deploying public and private finance.

The 25 August high-level event will advance the Global Water Investment Platform (GIP) as a shared mechanism for mobilising political leadership and investment towards the 2026 UN Water Conference. Established as a flagship G20 Presidential Legacy Initiative under South Africa’s 2025 G20 Presidency, the GIP brings together governments, multilateral development banks, climate finance institutions, development partners, philanthropic organisations and private investors to prepare investment-ready water programmes, strengthen enabling environments and mobilise blended finance.

The Platform builds on the first African Union-AIP Water Investment Summit, held in August 2025, which mobilised USD 10–12 billion in potential water investments and positioned water more firmly within the global economic and investment agenda. Through the GIP, GWP is supporting efforts to align the work of the G20, the United Nations, multilateral development banks and the private sector around water as a global investment priority.

A central moment in Stockholm will be the political launch of the GIP Upstream Blended Finance Derisking Facility. Designed to help prepare and de-risk water projects, the Facility will serve as a catalytic mechanism for mobilising investment and accelerating implementation at scale. The political launch will complement a technical launch during the official World Water Week session, “Catalysing Financing for Climate-Resilient Water Investments for People and Progress”, on 26 August.

The high-level programme will be followed by an invitation-only Diplomatic Roundtable on “Partnering for Global Water Leadership”, co-hosted by the Government of Namibia, the Government of South Africa, the African Union, UNCDF and GWPO. The Roundtable will convene government representatives and strategic partners to strengthen international cooperation, advance water and economic diplomacy, and explore deeper governmental partnership through the GWP Sponsoring Partners framework.

Together, the high-level event and Diplomatic Roundtable will connect strategic leadership, political engagement and investment partnerships. They will also provide a platform to showcase country experience and results, identify joint initiatives, and build a broader coalition committed to climate-resilient water investment and meaningful outcomes at the 2026 UN Water Conference.

GWP across the World Water Week programme

Across three days of sessions, GWP’s participation will bring together the interconnected priorities of investment, governance, inclusion and resilience:

Tuesday, 25 August

High-Level Event: Global Water Investment Platform – Mobilising Investment Commitments for a New Era of Water & Economic Diplomacy towards the 2026 UN Water Conference

Radisson Blu Royal Viking Hotel, Stockholm. The high-level event will be followed by an invitation-only Diplomatic Roundtable.

Asian Development Bank Roundtable: Accelerating Inclusion in Water

12:20–14:00. The discussion will advance GWP’s inclusion agenda and draw on the results of the Water, Climate, Development and Gender programme. It will also explore opportunities to scale inclusive water and climate-resilience investments in the lead-up to the 2026 UN Water Conference.

Wednesday, 26 August

Sustainable Conservation of Water Commons through Inclusive Water Governance

09:00–10:30 | C4, Level 2 and online. The session will consider how inclusive governance can support the sustainable conservation and management of shared water resources.

Inclusive Basin Partnerships: Transforming Water Security Across Regions

09:00–10:30 | A2, Level 6 and online. The session will highlight integrated water resources management, basin governance and partnership approaches that strengthen climate resilience and support implementation at scale.

Catalysing Financing for Climate-Resilient Water Investments for People and Progress

16:00–17:30 | A4, Level 6 and online. The session will mark the technical launch of the GIP Upstream Blended Finance Derisking Facility and engage investors and development partners on accelerating finance for climate-resilient water solutions.

Thursday, 27 August

From Policy to People: Advancing Inclusive Drought Resilience

09:00–10:30 | Room 24/25, Level 2. Drawing on GWP’s work on drought resilience and capacity development, the session will explore how policy, institutional capacity and community-level action can be connected to strengthen resilience in practice.

A meeting place for partnership and exchange

Throughout the week, the GWP booth will serve as a space for dialogue with governments, development partners, financial institutions, academia, civil society and the private sector. GWP will also hold strategic and bilateral meetings focused on basin management, climate resilience, knowledge exchange, research collaboration, capacity development, investment mobilisation and blended finance.

Through these engagements, GWP aims to strengthen its visibility and global influence, deepen strategic partnerships, and advance practical collaboration around the GWP Strategy 2026–2030. Participants attending World Water Week in Stockholm are invited to visit the booth, share their work and explore how partnership can help deliver a more water-secure, climate-resilient and equitable future.