Sustainable Water Future Programme

The Sustainable Water Future Programme (Water Future) is a not-for-profit central activity under Future Earth, a global platform facilitating international scientific collaboration to help direct and drive solutions to the world’s water problems. Consistent with the broad objectives of the SDG6 for Water, research conducted through Water Future seeks to ensure a balance between the needs of humankind and nature, offering solutions which are underpinned by interdisciplinary science. Water Future champions the application of integrated research to generate solutions that can be used to support policies for sustainable development. The programme serves as an ideas incubator, network hub and translator of scientific findings to address science, engineering, governance and management issues and drive policy change. The programme brings a unique, systems-level perspective to develop integrated approaches for both diagnosing water-related challenges and crafting innovative solutions. The history of Water Future is strong, building on a more than a decade of coordinated international research under the Global Water System Project (GWSP), Water Future has 4 key objectives-1.Conduct innovative research and knowledge synthesis 2. Find solutions to complex water problems through stakeholder collaboration 3. Future-proof our water system through a comprehensive assessment of our global water system 4. Influence policy-making through capacity building and outreach.

Organisational Capability

The Sustainable Water Future Programme (Water Future) is a not-for-profit central activity under Future Earth, a global platform facilitating international scientific collaboration to help direct and drive solutions to the world’s water problems. Consistent with the broad objectives of the SDG6 for Water, research conducted through Water Future seeks to ensure a balance between the needs of humankind and nature, offering solutions which are underpinned by interdisciplinary science. Water Future champions the application of integrated research to generate solutions that can be used to support policies for sustainable development. The programme serves as an ideas incubator, network hub and translator of scientific findings to address science, engineering, governance and management issues and drive policy change. The programme brings a unique, systems-level perspective to develop integrated approaches for both diagnosing water-related challenges and crafting innovative solutions. The history of Water Future is strong, building on a more than a decade of coordinated international research under the Global Water System Project (GWSP), Water Future has 4 key objectives-1.Conduct innovative research and knowledge synthesis 2. Find solutions to complex water problems through stakeholder collaboration 3. Future-proof our water system through a comprehensive assessment of our global water system 4. Influence policy-making through capacity building and outreach.

Projects

COMPASS
COMPASS is a comprehensive assessment system for global water resources that can be used for infrastructure planning for domestic, industrial, and agricultural water use; for monitoring progress on UN Sustainable Development. Goal implementation; and for identifying business opportunities and risks in water-related sectors. It will enable policy and decision makers to understand water-related risk (at a global, and sub-global level) from hydrological variability, biophysical threats/constraints and governance issues and how can we minimise such water-related risks without compromising human water security and environment.
Capacity Development
Water Future and United National University are currently developing a knowledge based, online training courses on Global Water Security. This will support individuals and institutions with demand driven capacity development to reduce Water Security Risk through co-learning of science and practice. The capacity development component provides a general and international approach to the ongoing issue of water security. The overarching goal of the course is to educate professionals on the processes and conditions needed for safe, secure, sustainable and sufficient water for community development.
Water Governance
Water Governance Initiative of Water Future is dedicated to the development of water governance indicators in selected region that allow assessing the effectiveness and degree of achievement of integrated and adaptive water management in the context of SDG implementation. It is in the process of developing a comprehensive diagnostic toolbox for the region that will analyse the influence of factors (governance system, context) supporting or hindering cooperation and coordination on the effectiveness of integrated and adaptive water management for SDG implementation.