The international hub houses the Global Water Partnership, the Stockholm International Water Institute, the Food and Agriculture Organization, the United Nations Environment Programme, and the United Nations Development Programme. The shared office space is made possible by the support of the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the City of Stockholm.
Holmgren noted that the idea for such a hub was based on three development principles: commitment, conditionality and coherence. “Development happens when you have committed counterparts. The cooperation of these committed organisations will ensure a broad view on water and facilitate coherence in policies for sustainability, an important goal to the Swedish government,” Holmgren said.
Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist from the City of Stockholm concluded that “the City of Stockholm is proud to host these organisations in Stockholm, where water is a strong theme. The importance of synergies between different disciplines can never be underestimated.”
Representatives from international organisations, government ministries, the Parliament, NGOs, and the diplomatic community attended the launch. The hub is located on the third floor at Drottninggatan 33 in Stockholm.
(Photo: SIWI Chair Mr Peter Forssman, GWP Chair Dr Letitia A Obeng, Ms Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist from the City of Stockholm, Mr Torgny Holmgren from the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, GWP Executive Secretary Dr Ania Grobicki and SIWI Executive Director Mr Anders Berntell)