SIWI’s mission is to generate and promote knowledge, solutions and tools leading to water-wise decisions for sustainable development.
Five thematic areas strategically guide our work:
Water governance determines how we as individuals and as a society manage, use and allocate resources and distribute services. SIWI enables more efficient, equitable and environmentally sustainable governance of water resources, and water supply and sanitation in low- and middle income countries.
Transboundary Water Management
Regional cooperation on transboundary waters is a public good that benefits all parties and can open new opportunities for riparian states to sustainably develop water resources. SIWI promotes equitable and cooperative development in Transboundary Water Management, both in individual basins and globally.
Climate Change and Water
The impacts of climate change are felt through water. Climate-driven changes to the hydrological cycle will increase the force of rainfall, reduce the reliability of monsoons, prolong droughts in semi-arid regions and reduce water storage in snow and ice. SIWI works with actors to integrate water and climate policies as a way to support community resilience and sustainable growth.
Water, Food and Energy
SIWI works with partners from governments, the private sector, and other key actors to ensure that the policies and practices adapted to provide water, energy and food can power a transition towards a green economy. We explore the links between water, energy and food demand, and search for integrated approaches to policy, planning, management and development of water resources.
SIWI develops and applies economic principles to support water management and policy-making. The economics of water involves understanding its scarcity and its value; ensuring that the costs and benefits of choices are clear, incentives revealed and that the impacts and trade-offs of the alternatives are laid out.