A new tool for more inclusive water governance

Representatives from more than 100 countries gathered at the Fourth High-Level International Conference on the International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development” in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, from May 25^th–28^th to discuss the growing gap between global promises and real-world delivery in integrated water management implementation.

Uneven progress

The UN Water Action Decade, running from 2018 to 2028, aims to accelerate progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 6, which focuses on clean water and sanitation for all. However, progress remains uneven, with integrated water resources management implementation still facing major challenges world-wide.

As two-thirds of the world’s freshwater flows across borders, the demand for water is rising faster than cooperation can keep up. According to UN Water, the global average implementation of integrated water resources management stands at 57 per cent. Progress is slow, and on current trends, the SDG 6.5.1 target will be missed by decades as water decisions are made in silos. Water governance around the world is therefore facing fragmented implementation, compounded by climate stress.  

Water Governance Accelerator launched

In order to counter this development, The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) took advantage of the Conference to launch the Water Governance Accelerator. This technical advisory service is designed to connect stakeholders active in the water sector and support countries and river basin organisations strengthen how water is managed across borders, regions and local communities. 

“Our water future depends on governance and not just resources. As climate change intensifies pressure on water systems and demand continues to rise, the stakes have never been higher,” said Mark Smith, IWMI’s director general. The Water Governance Accelerator was to help close the gap between international commitments and implementation on the ground.

Unmonitored, outdated, degraded

In most middle and low-income countries, groundwater is largely unmonitored, concession registries are out of date, and the majority of agricultural abstractions fall outside any formal accounting system. Hydrometric networks are degraded, data sits in silos, and only 24 of 153 countries have fully operational arrangements covering all their transboundary basins, IWMI states.

“Water governance is not one static point in space. It is the interaction between municipalities setting tariffs, ministries writing laws, river basin organisations implementing agreements and regional bodies coordinating policy,” said Juan Carlos Sánchez Ramírez, Research Group Leader for Water Governance and Political Economy at IWMI, and Team Leader of the Water Governance Accelerator, presenting the Accelerator. “The Water Governance Accelerator works at every one of these scales and connects them,” Ramírez added.

A four-stage service cycle

The Water Governance Accelerator follows a four-stage service cycle designed to turn governance challenges into sustained solutions. It begins with a diagnostic phase to identify where governance is failing, followed by co-design with governments and partners to shape tailored, multi-year responses and align support from the outset. The delivery phase embeds technical teams within ministries and river basins to implement solutions collaboratively, supported by tools, evidence and legal and digital expertise. Finally, the sustain phase focuses on strengthening institutional capacity and providing ongoing advisory support to ensure lasting impact.

The Accelerator in practice

Onedemonstrable example of how this approach works in practice is the Blue Peace Central Asia (BPCA) project in the Aral Sea System, where IWMI leads a regional initiative across Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. BPCA has moved regional water governance from project design to active hydro-diplomacy – engaging in dialogue facilitated through the International Centre for Water Cooperation, interstate commissions and ministerial dialogue, while translating cooperation into practical basin-level action through pilots like the Isfara River. It is also building the next generation of regional capacity through a Master’s programme in hydro-diplomacy, scientific consultations, and youth and women’s leadership in the Central Asian water sector.

More information:

the global average implementation of integrated water resources management stands at 57 

Water Governance Accelerator.

only 24 of 153 countries have fully operational arrangements covering all their transboundary basins