Reviewing achievements and global impact | Exploring AI’s role in water management | Strategy development | Partner update and piloting new voting mechanism | Breakout discussions: voluntary donations, mission, and new ideas | A call for greater collaboration
Map showing where particpants at the Network Meeting were joining from.
Attending his first Network Meeting, GWP’s Executive Secretary & CEO, Alan AtKisson, opened the meeting by stressing the urgent need for GWP to evolve. “This meeting reflects an important moment in our annual cycle,” AtKisson said. “We have to do things a bit differently if we are going to rise to the challenge of what we are seeing in our world.” Citing sobering statistics from the WMO’s State of Global Water Resources 2023, he underscored escalating threats: drier rivers, melting glaciers, erratic precipitation patterns, and increased flooding and droughts.
The Network Meeting was hosted by Executive Secretary & CEO Alan AtKisson and Senior Communications Specialist Monika Ericson live from GWP’s office in Stockholm
Reviewing achievements and global impact
In his address, and fulfilling GWP’s statutory obligations, GWP Chair Pablo Bereciartua summarised the organisation’s recent achievements. “Over the past two years, we’ve advanced solutions for the SDGs, built climate resilience for water security, and facilitated transboundary water cooperation,” Bereciartua highlighted. He also pointed to progress in integrating gender equality, mobilising youth, and engaging the private sector. GWP’s comprehensive outcomes are detailed in the 2022 and 2023 Annual & Financial Reports.
GWP Chair Pablo Bereciartua sharing GWP’s Annual and Financial reports 2022-2023
Exploring AI’s role in water management
A major highlight of the meeting was the Roundtable discussion titled Beyond Limits: AI’s Role in Solving the World’s Water Crisis, led by Jaehyang So, Chair of GWP’s Technical Committee. The panel featured experts from diverse fields: Nakul Prasad (WMO), Neelima Kadirisani (Amazon Web Services), Åse Johannessen (Deltares), and Kerron Martinez (GWP Caribbean).
Prasad emphasized the importance of human oversight in AI applications, noting, “WMO is piloting a project to understand when AI works well for flood forecasting and where models need better training. Integrating a human aspect helps manage inherent risks.” Kadirisani highlighted AI's corporate water-use implications: “Water plays a crucial role in cooling data centers. Managing water well is central to business resilience.” Martinez shared practical applications, like the AI system Irrigoptimal in Grenada, which optimises water use in agriculture. Johannessen pointed out that while AI can accelerate data analysis, “the input must always be combined with human thinking.”
Strategy development
Ahead of the meeting, GWP Partners contributed valuable insights through several surveys designed to guide the development of GWP's upcoming strategy. In August, launched at World Water Week 2024, a ‘consultation on the consultation’ focused on identifying key questions and stakeholders to engage, followed by a September survey that delved into which elements of the current GWP strategy should continue, evolve, or be revised.
During the Network Meeting, Fabiola Tabora, Regional Coordinator for GWP Central America, shared findings from the 126 analysed survey responses. The results highlighted strong support for retaining GWP’s anchor areas while recommending some adjustments. Suggestions included emphasising approaches that complement Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), such as Nature-Based Solutions, the Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems Nexus, and local water cycle restoration. There was also a call for stronger piloting efforts and openness to emerging areas. Respondents urged GWP to deepen partnerships, especially with indigenous groups, rural communities, academia, local governments, and other stakeholders.
GWP Central America Regional Coordinator Fabiola Tabora sharing the survey results
Sara Oppenheimer, GWP’s Programme Specialist, described the strategy’s year-long, consultative development process, culminating in a Final Draft to be approved by GWP’s Steering Committee in June 2025. “This is a highly participatory endeavor,” Oppenheimer stated, emphasising continuous Partner involvement.
Sara Oppenheimer, GWP’s Programme Specialist presenting the new GWP Strategy process
Partner update and piloting new voting mechanism
In line with GWP’s commitment to maintaining an accurate and engaged network, GWP has recently initiated its regular “cleaning” process to review and update our database of registered partners. This effort accounts for changes such as organisations ceasing operations, changing contact details, or choosing to leave the network. As a result of this process, the preliminarily number of registered partners has been adjusted from over 3,500 to approximately 2,800.
A significant change discussed during the Network Meeting was the introduction of a new voting mechanism for registered GWP Partners, which will be piloted following the 2024 Network Meeting. “This tool will give our network a stronger voice in decision-making,” explained AtKisson, underscoring its potential to enhance partner participation.
Breakout discussions: voluntary donations, mission, and new ideas
To test this shift towards incorporating Partner voting and to gather input for GWP’s 2026-2030 Strategy, the second half of the meeting featured breakout sessions in multiple languages.
Introducing the two questions up for a vote following the Network Meeting
1. Voluntary financial donations
Should GWP open the possibility of receiving voluntary financial donations from Partners while keeping the statutory policy that financial contributions are not a requirement for registration?
Participants discussed this proposal, acknowledging that while it is promising, implementing it could be challenging for an organisation like GWP, which has not previously engaged in this type of fundraising. Such an approach—similar to crowdfunding—would require building capacity at all levels (national, regional, and global) to successfully process and raise contributions.
2. Adding "resilient" to GWP’s mission statement
Should the word “resilient” be added to GWP’s mission statement, so it reads: “to advance governance and management of water resources for sustainable, resilient and equitable development”?
The breakout groups expressed strong support for this addition, with some even suggesting it also be included in GWP’s vision statement. Participants emphasised that climate resilience is central to GWP’s work and that including the term would highlight the cross-sectoral nature of its efforts. Adding this term, however, would require analytical groundwork to measure how GWP’s activities concretely enhance resilience.
3. Brainstorming ideas for GWP’s new strategy and areas of work
Breakout group discussions focused on topics highlighted as priorities for the next GWP strategy, including the implementation of nature-based solutions and the inclusion of indigenous communities in water management. Discussions generated diverse and thought-provoking insights and questions such as: How can we effectively integrate nature-based solutions with built infrastructure? How can indigenous peoples’ rights be aligned with innovative technologies? What strategies can better ensure the rights of rivers?
A call for greater collaboration
The meeting concluded with a collective call for deeper collaboration across the network. One participant noted, “We need greater incentives to share experiences,” suggesting that ideas implemented in places like Jamaica could have a ripple effect as far as Greece.
The final session was joined by Abdoulaye Sene, Chair of Regional Chairs, who echoed this sentiment and stressed the importance of cross-regional learning and support.
The 2024 GWP Network Meeting left a lasting impression, combining innovative discussions on AI, strategic planning insights, and a forward-looking vision for a more resilient and collaborative approach to global water security. As AtKisson put it, “The challenges are immense, but our community’s dedication gives me hope.”
GWP extends sincere thanks to all who participated, both online and in spirit. Your insights and engagement are invaluable as we work towards a water secure world.