Valuing Water Initiative

Curious about the results of VWI’s Gender Journey? You can check the recording of yesterday's public webinar hosted by the Community of Women in Water (link on the post below) We will also upload in the upcoming weeks the final report and summary of the main findings, so #staytuned.

Join us next Wednesday September 11th to hear the results of our #GenderJourney and discuss how gender and values interact in #water decision-making. We are happy to be hosted by Kathryn Pharr from the Community of Women in Water, share these findings and have space for discussion with Dona Geagea, Yara Fernandes and Dennis van Peppen. Registration link: https://lnkd.in/gGVh2TmK

Join us next Wednesday September 11th to hear the results of our #GenderJourney and discuss how gender and values interact in #water decision-making. We are happy to be hosted by Kathryn Pharr from the Community of Women in Water, share these findings and have space for discussion with Dona Geagea, Yara Fernandes and Dennis van Peppen. Registration link: https://lnkd.in/gGVh2TmK

During the workshop held on August 15, 2024, in Santa Marta, Colombia, as part of the pre COP event "Water as a Common Good," organized by Colombia´s Water Regulation Commission (CRA), participants engaged in a co-creation session titled "Dialogue of Ancestral Water and Biodiversity Values." The workshop centered on facilitating an inclusive dialogue between leaders from indigenous, afro descendant and rural communities in Colombia, with a specific focus on learning about and incorporating ancestral water values into water management practices. 💦This learning was deemed crucial for supporting decisions that integrate these ancestral values, ensuring that policies and practices reflect a deep respect for the natural and cultural significance of water. 💧Through a combination of presentations, discussions, and rituals, participants shared experiences on defending water and biodiversity based on these ancestral values. The event concluded with a brainstorming session on how to communicate these values in international forums like COP16. This workshop echoed the final proclamation's call to recognize water as a common good, emphasizing the necessity of integrating ancestral wisdom into broader policy-making processes to ensure the sustainable management of water and biodiversity Cristal Ange

Together with the Municipality of Dordrecht we are contributing to better decisions impacting water by implementing the five Valuing Water Principles in the city of Dordrecht in the Netherlands. The aim is to enhance flood security through a Multi-Level Safety (MLS) Model in the city of Dordrecht. Through co-creation and diplomacy, VWI and the municipality of Dordrecht developed a strategy for the implementation of the MLS model. Its bottom-up approach ensured the participation of various stakeholders active in the region, resulting in a more inclusive and collaborative process of policy development and implementation. These are the main outcomes: 💦 VWI introduced the VWPs, which guided the policy development phase. 💧 The municipality received valuable guidance and methods for transitioning from policy design to policy implementation. 💦 Practically, this involved VWI assisting in mapping the various stakeholders affected by the policy, allowing each stakeholder to be involved in the implementation process. Furthermore, the policy implementation plan was devised with the VWPs as its foundation. 💧 For VWI, the ongoing Dordrecht Journey provided an opportunity to test and apply its core principles and assess the added value of its approach. 💦 Additionally, the Dordrecht Journey allowed the Dutch government to apply VWI’s approach domestically. 💧 The application of VWI’s approach resulted in increased knowledge uptake among its various partners in the journey, and awareness of the VWPs was raised, demonstrating the clear benefits of VWI’s approach. Learn more about our activities in Dordrecht: 

VWI is contributing to better decisions impacting water by recognising and empowering indigenous communities in decision-making processes impacting water, as enshrined in the five Valuing Water Principles. These are the expected outcomes: 💦 Recognising and strengthening water values associated to indigenous communities in decision making processes. 💧 Supporting already existing initiatives and new ones that take action towards indigenous inclusive participation that leads to systemic change in water decision-making. 💦 Include indigenous values and perspectives in already existing decision-making processes impacting water. Practical examples of recognising and empowering indigenous in decision-making impacting water can be found in Colombia. Learn more about the Valuing Water Initiative and indigenous communities:

The Peruvian government has been engaged with VWI since its inception through participation in the High-Level Panel on Water (HLPW), alongside the Netherlands and nine other countries. The objective of the journey in Peru is to implement VWI principles practically within the framework of the Chancay-Lambayeque River basin in Peru. The activities have been effective in raising awareness of how a wide range of stakeholders value water and how these values can sometimes create synergies as well as tensions, including power dynamics. Learn more about our activities in Peru:

We are working with the government of Colombia and other stakeholders towards better decisions impacting water. In Colombia, the Valuing Water Principles are implemented as a basis for building strategies to incorporate the multiple values of water into territorial planning policies, regulation and legislation. For this purpose, the following specific aims are proposed: 💧 Establishing dialogues with different stakeholders and creating a solid base for collaboration based on trust and in-depth listening. 💦 Focus on dialogues with communities historically marganilized from decision-making. 💧 Identify opportunities to strengthen the processes associated with the implementation of the VWP within the framework of the territorial panning policies around the water cycle in the pilot area of the Colombian Massif through the recognition of the different social actors and their values associated with water. 💦 The framework is established in the National Development Plan. 💧 Design and implement a series of methodological tools that allow progress in the resolution of conflicts and reconciliation of the multiple values in decision-making impacting water. 💦 Communicate the progress and results of the collaboration, both in the pilot site of the Colombian Massif and within Colombian institutions. Learn more about our activities in Colombia:

The Eswatini Youth in Water Initiative (EYWI) promoted youth involvement in the water sector by providing safe spaces to share their concerns and recommendations with decision-makers. 💦 The Valuing Water Initiative Programme (VWI) aims to include youth values in water decision-making. Why is this important? Engaging young people prepares water management for the future. Empowering youth leads to better, more sustainable outcomes for everyone in the water sector. ✅ Traditional decision-making and tokenism are barriers to meaningful youth engagement in water management. Gcinile Dlamini highlighted this and shared an inspiring example from Eswatini during the international Valuing Water Initiative event. 🤝 The Valuing Water Initiative youth journey collaborates with IUCN, KWR Water Research Institute, AquaFed and Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre Water Youth Network Joint River Basin Authorities - Project Board Global Water Partnership Southern Africa Iris Bijlsma Sofía de la Rosa Solano Joe Ray Floor Crispijn Svenja Hövelmann Arya Devi V K

Thank you to everyone who was part of the two-day VWI event in Amsterdam! It was heartwarming to see how we all have an enormous drive to include the many values of water in decision-making. The upcoming week we will share the takeaways of the event. For now: thank you for being there, for making your voice heard and for being such a great ambassador of valuing water! Iris Bijlsma Joe Ray Sofía de la Rosa Solano Floor Crispijn Arya Devi V K Svenja Hövelmann #valuingwater #vwi