What is the Community about?
This Community is centered around individuals who are interested in implementing the Valuing Water Principles (VWPs). Guided by these principles, the community aims to ensure that the diverse values of water are recognized in decision-making processes, promoting a deeper understanding and revaluation of water and the benefits it brings to people and the planet. Below are the five VWPs:
- Recognize and embrace water’s multiple values – to different groups and interests in all decisions affecting water;
- Reconcile values and build trust – conduct all processes to reconcile values in ways that are equitable, transparent and inclusive;
- Protect the sources – including watersheds, rivers, aquifers, associated ecosystems, and used water flows for current and future generations;
- Educate to empower – promote education and awareness among all stakeholders about the intrinsic value of water and its essential role in all aspects of life;
- Invest and innovate – ensure adequate investment in institutions, infrastructure, information and innovation to realize the many benefits derived from water and reduce risks.
Objectives of our Valuing Water Community
From 2019 to 2025, the Valuing Water Initiative (VWI), hosted by the Government of the Netherlands, has guided the implementation of the VWPs. Through its focus on finance, policy, gender advocacy, and youth leadership, the VWI has championed the integration of water’s diverse values into decision-making and its application across various fields. By convening stakeholders from different sectors and areas of expertise, the VWI has fostered a global movement to elevate the importance of the VWPs.
Building on this foundation, the Valuing Water Community was established in 2025 aiming to continue and expand this multi-stakeholder dialogue on applying the VWPs. It serves as a collaborative platform to enhance understanding, build connections, and strengthen water management across disciplines. Central to our approach is cross-sector collaboration—engaging policymakers, financial institutions, corporate leaders, civil society, and indigenous communities.
We place a strong emphasis on empowering underrepresented voices, including youth, women, and local communities, to ensure inclusive representation. This fosters collaborative governance models that recognize water’s critical role across ecosystems, economies, and societies. By working across systems and organizational levels, we drive collective action that acknowledges and protects water's essential contributions to community well-being, economic resilience, and ecological health.
What we do together?
- Encourage networking among diverse stakeholders to exchange knowledge and experiences related to inclusive water governance. This includes gender-focused water management, youth leadership, and regional initiatives like those in Latin America.
- Promote dialogue and partnerships to support the development and use of effective water management tools, with a focus on empowering youth and integrating gender perspectives.
- Showcase successful projects and initiatives that emphasize water governance and sustainability across sectors, particularly in the areas of gender equality, youth engagement, and Latin American water initiatives.
- Share news, events, and case studies from different regions and sectors to build a comprehensive understanding of water’s value and encourage cross-sectoral cooperation.
- Facilitate new research and project development by connecting experts, practitioners, and community members who share common interests in water governance and sustainability.
- Raise awareness of water-related challenges, such as scarcity, governance gaps, and access issues, especially for marginalized groups like women and youth.
- Foster the exchange of best practices for effective, inclusive, and sustainable water governance that supports long-term systemic change.
We look forward to your contributions to this vibrant community and to the continued collaboration towards valuing water worldwide!