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Global webinar:

Shaping the principles of

JUST WATER

PARTNERSHIPS

25 September 2025

Webinar 1: 11:00 CET (English & French)

Webinar 2: 16:00 CET (English & Spanish)

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AGENDA

🔴 This session is being recorded

🎧 French interpretation:�Click the globe icon at the bottom of your screen to select the language

💬 Questions or comments?�Please use the chat for general interaction and the Q&A box for questions to the speakers

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🔴 Cette session est enregistrée

🎧 Interprétation en français :�Cliquez sur l’icône en forme de globe en bas de votre écran pour sélectionner Français.

💬 Questions ou commentaires ?�Veuillez utiliser le chat pour les échanges généraux et la boîte de questions/réponses (Q&R) pour poser vos questions aux intervenants.

Photo: IWMI

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AGENDA

1. Introduction: Why Just Water Partnerships – 5 min

Alan Nicol, International Water Management Institute

2. Principles co-development – 10 min

Mariana Dias Simpson, WaterAid

3. Panel discussion: From principles to practice – 35 min

Lesley Pories, WaterAid

4. Closing – 5 min

Alan Nicol, IWMI

Photo: WaterAid

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WHY JUST WATER PARTNERSHIPS�Alan Nicol�Principal Researcher – Water Policy and Politics, IWMI�

Photo: WaterAid

Photo: IWMI

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TIMELINE FOR JUST WATER PARTNERSHIPS

Consultation kick-off

SWWW draft review

Consultation round 2

Principles launch at COP30

Principles launch at UNWC mtg

Country engagement

Design engagement

JWP Announcement at COP31

JWP Announcement at UNWC

July

Aug

Sept-Oct

Nov

January

November

December

2025

2026

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FIXING THE FLOW

Ambitious goals, slow and uneven progress

Chronic underinvestment
Fragmented delivery & entrenched inequalities
Rising water insecurity

Financing failures and systemic inefficiencies

Stagnating or declining ODA
Restrictive conditionalities
Operational and financial inefficiencies
Poorly-targeted subsidies
Lack of transparency and corruption

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A NEW PLATFORM FOR WATER INVESTMENTS:�JUST WATER PARTNERSHIPS

GCEW (2023)

A call for Just Water Partnerships – coordination platform for water investment that has justice and equity as a core decision-driver

How are they different from the status quo?
Country-specific governance

Increasing bankability
Reducing fragmentation
Supporting regulatory environments

Building on new science and policy insights

Blue and green water flows
Supporting policy coherence
From over-exploitation to sustainability

Underpinned by justice-based guiding principles

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STRATEGIC VALUE �FOR STAKEHOLDERS

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WHY START WITH �PRINCIPLES

Without justice-based principles, country platforms risk reinforcing fragmentation and exclusion

Lessons learned from other sectors and early dialogues have confirmed the need for shared principles to build trust and deliver lasting change

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�PRINCIPLES CO-DEVELOPMENT Mariana Dias Simpson Consultant, WaterAid�

Photo: WaterAid

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OPPORTUNITIES TO INFLUENCE

Global consultation

Outreach: 470+ institutions
2/3 from the “Global South”
Diverse participation to support reflection and learning

🔍 Focus

Develop a definition of ‘just’
Co-create principles for Just Water Partnerships

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CONSULTATION�PHASE 1 HIGHLIGHTS�

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DRAFT FOR DISCUSSION

Rooted in the UN human rights framework – particularly the rights to water and sanitation – and in the concept of Water System Justice

Desk review:

Principles for Locally-led Adaptation
Water Integrity Network’s Guide for Managing Integrity
JETP Processes
OECD Water Governance Principles
ONE WASH Ethiopia Principles
Valuing Water Initiative Principles
The Nature Conservancy (TNC)’s Partnership Principles

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CONSULTATION: PHASE 1

QUESTIONS

Is this principle helpful in guiding the implementation of JWPs in your context?

What, if anything, is missing or unclear in this principle?

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ONLINE SURVEY

Level of Intervention

Region

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ONLINE SURVEY

Stakeholder group

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ONLINE FEEDBACK

Recurring recommendations

Explicit sanitation integration across all principles
Clear incentives for governments to adopt JWPs
Clarity on governance
Community monitoring → institutionalised, not tokenistic
Measurable targets
More accountability

Photo: IWMI

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WORLD WATER WEEK FEEDBACK

Recommendations

Keep principles direct
Push for equity
Recognise and address power asymmetries
Surface governance questions
Keep strong local lenses

Photo: IWMI

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PHASE 2:�NEXT STEPS

Photo: IWMI

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RE-DRAFTING PROCESS

Version 1	Version 2	Version 3
Principle 2 – Country ownership Just Water Partnerships are government-led and aligned with national priorities, systems, and strategies. High-level political leadership is key to addressing power imbalances. Rather than creating parallel structures, JWPs build on and strengthen existing processes, institutions and capacities.	Principle 2 – National leadership with shared ownership Just Water Partnerships are government-led and grounded in both national and local ownership. They bring together central and local governments, civil society, utilities, and other partners to co-create and deliver solutions with clear roles and accountability. They align with justice-oriented national priorities and strengthen existing justice-oriented systems. Ownership is demonstrated through leadership, domestic resource commitments, the alignment of external finance and accountability.	Principle 2 – National leadership with shared ownership Just Water Partnerships are government-led, with national and local governments setting equity-oriented investment priorities and leading efforts to align partners behind them. They strengthen systems and foster coordination to ensure resources are used responsibly and fairly.
Feedback - Pushback on central government leadership - Avoid splitting “local action” from “government leadership” (combine principles 6 and 2) - Risk that “national priorities” may not always prioritise justice and inclusivity - Civil society and communities should be co-owners, not just stakeholders (fear of exclusion in case of dissensus) - Domestic resources should demonstrate ownership, not just external finance

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ONLINE SURVEY 2

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ONLINE SURVEY 2

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�DIALOGUE: �FROM PRINCIPLES TO PRACTICE��

Photo: WaterAid

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DIALOGUE: �FROM PRINCIPLES TO PRACTICE

Kwabena Gyasi-Duku, Director of Water Directorate

Ministry of Works, Housing and Water Resources, Republic of Ghana

Heriniaina Romuald Mara, Director General of Water

Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, Government of Madagascar

Nancy Ngao, Government Affairs, Policy & Advocacy

Sanergy / Fresh Life, Kenya

Edith Guiochon, Coordinator

Coalition Eau, France

Lionel Goujon, Head of the Water and Sanitation Division

Agence Française de Développement, France

Facilitation: Lesley Pories, Head of Policy – WASH Finance

WaterAid

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CLOSING REMARKS

Alan Nicol, PhD

Principal Researcher

IWMI

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�THANK YOU!

Photo: IWMI