Partners for Water presents innovative approaches at IHE Delft symposium

Partners for Water will share its knowledge and experiences in sustainable water management at the 7th International Symposium on Knowledge and Capacity for the Water Sector, taking place from 2 to 4 July 2025 at IHE Delft Institute for Water Education. Our team will contribute to two key sessions, focusing on breaking the build–neglect–repair (BNR) cycle and implementing landscape-based solutions for long-term water security. 

The water sector is undergoing rapid and complex changes, driven by climate change, digitalisation, and socio-political dynamics. Addressing these developments requires interdisciplinary collaboration, innovative thinking, and new skillsets. Strengthening the capacities of current and future professionals is essential in order to ensure sustainable and resilient water systems worldwide.

The symposium explores how such changes influence the way we build and share knowledge, and how knowledge and capacity strengthening efforts can be better aligned with these emerging developments. It brings together an international community of practitioners, researchers and policymakers to foster collaboration and exchange. Core themes include identifying knowledge gaps, analysing capacity development trends, exploring sustainable water solutions, and shaping a forward-looking agenda for the sector.

Partners for Water’s Programme Coordinator, Liliane Geerling, will moderate Session 1, together with Ilyas Masih, Associate Professor of Water Resources Planning at IHE: ‘Assessing and bridging the knowledge and capacity gap’, held on 2 July. In addition to this session, Partners for Water will present two thematic contributions that reflect our integrated approach to sustainable watermanagement, namely a session on breaking the BNR cycle and adopting landscape-based solutions.

Breaking the build-neglect-repair cycle

The persistent BNR cycle affects water security globally. This cycle emerges when water infrastructure such as embankments, drainage canals, sluice gates, or water treatment facilities are developed without sustainable asset management in place. Ensuring long-term operation and maintenance requires not only adequate budgets, but also strong organisational capacity.

Root causes of the BNR cycle include gaps in institutional capacity, lack of clear procedures, insufficient technical expertise, inadequate tools, poor urban planning, and unaligned community behaviour. During this session, we will highlight practical strategies and encourage participants to discuss how to break the cycle effectively.

Landscape-based solutions for water security

Integrating Indigenous and local knowledge into landscape-based conservation strategies offers a powerful opportunity to reshape water governance. This session highlights how Indigenous-led approaches can inform water and land management policies. Traditional knowledge – refined over generations – can be combined with modern practices to develop solutions that are both culturally meaningful and ecologically sound, particularly at river basin scale. Participants of this session will gain insights into aligning landscape-based solutions with long-term water security goals and be encouraged to explore inclusive, place-based governance strategies.

Stockholm World Water Week 2025

These themes also serve as preparation for Partners for Water’s upcoming workshops during Stockholm World Water Week (SWWW), where they will be explored in greater depth with international water professionals.

Symposium details

The 7th International Symposium on Knowledge and Capacity for the Water Sector takes place from 2–4 July 2025 at IHE Delft, in a hybrid format allowing both in-person and online participation. Together with an international community of practitioners, academics and policymakers, we’ll explore how changes in the water sector impact knowledge and capacity strengthening and reconsider capacity strengthening approaches.