On 2 October 2025, the Global Water Partnership Organisation (GWPO) convened a High-Level Diplomatic Briefing in Geneva, Switzerland, bringing together ambassadors and senior diplomats to advance the Global Transformation Agenda on Water Investments. The event was hosted at the headquarters of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), one of the GWPO founding partners.
Strong International Participation
Diplomatic representatives from 15 countries attended the event in Geneva, including Azerbaijan, Cameroon, China, Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, Italy, Jamaica, Jordan, Mongolia, the Netherlands, Norway, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), alongside the WMO as institutional host.
The Geneva Diplomatic Briefing follows the success of the similar event that was convened in Stockholm on 22 August, with 25 participating countries.
25 countries attended the Stockholm Diplomatic Briefing: Argentina, Canada, China, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, Egypt, France, Finland, Germany, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Pakistan, Spain, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan, Zambia, Netherlands, Indonesia, Turkey, South Korea, and Tanzania.
This broad participation underscored the international recognition of GWPO’s emerging role as a diplomatic platform for mobilising investment and strengthening climate and water security worldwide.
Geneva Diplomatic Briefing follows major milestones in GWP Transformation Agenda
The Geneva Diplomatic Briefing follows major milestones earlier this year. On 14 May 2025, GWPO Sponsoring Partners — including Sweden, the Netherlands, Hungary, Pakistan, and WMO — endorsed the United Call for Global Water Investment Leadership. Later, at the GWPO General Assembly, over 150 GWP Partners from more than 85 countries supported the same resolution.
As a result, GWPO has, for the first time in more than 20 years, officially opened its Intergovernmental Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for signature by new governments and states. Since June 2025, countries have been able to join GWPO as Sponsoring Partners by signing the MoU in Stockholm, Pretoria, or Geneva.
Mobilising Investments for Water Security
The expansion of GWPO membership is anchored in its Global Transformation Agenda, which seeks to mobilise US$ 15 billion in water investments by 2030, with an initial US$ 500 million to accelerate water security in the Global South.
Representing Mr. Alex Simalabwi, CEO and Executive Secretary – GWPO, Per Bertilsson, Senior Advisor – GWP, delivered the keynote remarks. He emphasised the urgency of action:
“This is a decisive moment for global cooperation on water. By joining GWPO, governments can help build a united diplomatic platform capable of mobilising investments at the scale needed to close the water gap and strengthen resilience worldwide.”
The session was opened by Dr. Stefan Uhlenbrook, Director – WMO, who invited other nations to consider joining GWPO on behalf of the organisation’s existing Sponsoring Partners.
Diplomats welcomed the strategy with urgency and optimism, recognising GWPO as a credible and trusted platform to accelerate water investments. Several noted that the strategy comes at a decisive moment, when water challenges demand coordinated global leadership.
Building Momentum Towards 2026
The Geneva event builds on momentum from the launch of the GWP Strategy 2026–2030 in Stockholm on 26 August, where the strategy was welcomed by global leaders including H.E. Retno Marsudi, UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Water, and Eva Schreiner, Head of Water at the Netherlands MFA.
As part of its new strategy for 2026–2030, and as preparations intensify towards the 2026 UN Water Conference, hosted by the UAE and Senegal, GWP and its global network is positioning itself at the heart of the global water investment architecture – bringing together governments, development banks, the private sector, and civil society to accelerate progress toward a water-secure world.
Page last edited: 10/02/2025