Integrated approaches

The Partners for Water 2022 – 2027 Programme seeks to understand the root causes of the dominant Build-Neglect-Repair (BNR) cycle in the global water sector and to collectively explore ways to break this cycle and improve the longevity of water infrastructure.

This article outlines our approach to the BNR cycle. Discover our strategy and current activities, access various resources on the BNR cycle and find out how to get involved.

In the Partners for Water 2022 – 2027 Programme, we concentrate on several themes within the thematic approach. This page details our Nature-based Solutions (NBS) approach.

By actively promoting the widespread adoption of NBS, we aim to enhance water security for people, plants and animals worldwide. Discover how to get involved through our tenders, subsidy scheme, events, and more.

Within the Partners for Water 2022 – 2027 Programme, we focus on addressing the growing issue of salinisation in delta regions by supporting the development and scaling of innovative approaches.

By actively supporting efforts to combat salinisation, we aim to contribute to systemic changes that enhance global water security. This page details our approach. Discover what we do and how to get involved below.

In the Partners for Water 2022 – 2027 Programme, we concentrate on several themes within the thematic approach, Social Inclusion is one of them.

This page details our approach towards social inclusion and how we actively take steps toward a more inclusive water world. Discover how to get involved through our tenders, subsidy scheme, the events we organise, and more.

In the Partners for Water 2022 – 2027 Programme, we concentrate on several themes within the thematic approach. This page details our approach on Water-Biodiversity-Food (WBF).

By actively promoting the conservation and restoration of nature within food production systems, we aim to enhance water security for people, plants and animals worldwide. Discover how to get involved through our tenders, the events we organise, and more.

From flooding and drought to pollution and water scarcity, cities around the world face growing water-related risks. More than two billion people live in water-stressed countries, whilst hundreds of millions reside in flood-prone or informal settlements where these risks directly affect housing, safety, and access to basic services. The Water as Leverage City Champion Challenge promotes and showcases innovative solutions that address these challenges worldwide.

Cities are on the frontlines of the climate crisis. Worldwide, they face growing water-related challenges such as flooding, drought and pollution. Yet responses remain fragmented. Too often, projects operate in silos or never move beyond the planning stage. Water as Leverage (WaL) aims to change that.

Water as Leverage is a design-driven approach that supports cities in developing bankable, integrated solutions for urban water resilience. By bringing together local governments, designers, engineers, financiers, and communities, it connects spatial planning, design, and investment to move projects from concept to implementation.

Failing Forward? is an initiative that provides an open space for constructive, critical reflections and learnings about challenges, setbacks, and failures in water and climate adaptation interventions.

Global development narratives often foreground Eurocentric or Western technological solutions as best practices in water management and climate adaptation projects and programmes. These projects, which pledge sustainability, inclusivity, and peace, are frequently presented as win-win models for project partners and communities they work with. Yet, these narratives are often depoliticised and largely disconnected from lived realities. This leaves limited room to acknowledge the complexities, dilemmas, trade-offs, unintended consequences, and failures that shape project outcomes.