When water is scarce, who decides on water allocation, and how? New research examines integrity risks in water allocation in the face of climate change, with a focus on water permittings systems. "Transparent rules, public registries of water rights, clear sustainability limits, and accessible grievance mechanisms help ensure that water allocation adapts to scarcity and climate change without systematically disadvantaging certain groups." In brief: The systems built to decide who gets water, and how much, are struggling to keep pace with the new realities of climate change and unpredictable water flows. This research looks at different water allocation system and focuses on water permits, which are particularly vulnerable to corruption and integrity risk. Evidence from Zimbabwe, South Africa, Mexico, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Tanzania and Spain shows that corruption, political interference, and opaque decision-making are undermining who gets access to water, and that climate change is making this worse. The paper proposes a framework for understanding integrity and integrity risks at two levels: the integrity of water allocation systems themselves, and the integrity of the administrative processes used to implement them. There is risk embedded in policy design, legal frameworks, and system structures, and these tend to disadvantage marginalised users. Fair, transparent and accountable allocation systems are essential for protecting human rights, supporting ecosystems, reducing conflict and building climate resilience. DOWNLOAD Strengthening Integrity in Water Allocation Systems in the Face of Climate Change June 2026 This research was supported by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ). Keywords: Water allocation | Water permits | Water governance | Water resource management | Water corruption | Climate adaptation | Water integrity | Regulation Suggested citation: Galvin, M.; Schreiner, B.; van Koppen, B. (2026). Strengthening Integrity in Water Allocation Systems in the Face of Climate Change. Water Integrity Research. Berlin: Water Integrity Network (WIN). As climate change intensifies droughts, floods and uncertainty, difficult decisions about who gets access to water are becoming increasingly common. Drawing on academic literature alongside in-depth practitioner interviews, this research looks at the systems built to manage these tough decisions and exposes their vulnerabilities. The paper looks at transboundary water allocation systems and national allocation systems. It zooms in on water permits, showing significant integrity risks at each stage of the water permitting cycle. These include burdensome application requirements that exclude small-scale and marginalised users; bribery to expedite permits or weaken conditions; manipulation of water availability models to justify allocations; political interference in decision-making; and selective enforcement that protects powerful users while penalising smaller ones. These are integrity risks to how the system is used and implemented in practice. There are also integrity risks in how the systems are conceived and financed. Interviews reveal how deep, systematic failures and exclusions can be built into the system. Climate change amplifies existing integrity risks. Increased scarcity raises the stakes of every allocation decision. Emergency or drought-response powers can be misused to bypass normal protections. Historical hydrological data is becoming less reliable, creating new opportunities for model manipulation. And already-marginalised groups are most exposed when water is scarce. Urgent action is needed to strengthen our systems. There are some good examples to learn from, including Kenya's tiered permit system that deliberately reduces administrative burden on small users, or community-based collective water concessions in Mexico. Based on these examples and more, the paper closes with practical recommendations for integrity, for government officials, civil society, international organisations, and donors working on water governance reform, water tenure, and climate adaptation.

How do residents of informal settlements decide where to get water in informal settlements of Khulna and what are the challenges they face in doing so? Is there transparent information available to them? Is there accountability for the systems that are built in the neighbourhood? A working paper by WIN partner, the Bangladesh Water Partnership Download the full working paper: Key topics covered: Integrity assessment; water integrity risk mapping, service delivery in informal settlements and the roles of NGOs, utilities, and communities in setting them up and managing them over time; water quality and maintenance challenges; corruption challenges. Key findings: Residents want more transparency on their water systems, water quality, and maintenance. There are also significant accountability concerns in how water systems are set up and maintained in informal settlements, including illegal abstraction linked to ineffective regulation enforcement, unclear mandates for service provision, and absence of mechanisms to share concerns or get responses. Geographies: Khulna, Bangladesh Who should read this: Researchers and practitioners focusing on service delivery in informal settlements, to understand root causes of service challenges. Abstract Access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services in low-income and informal settlements in Bangladesh is constrained by governance weaknesses, lack of accountability, fragmented mandates, and uneven institutional responsiveness. This paper examines integrity-related barriers to WASH service delivery in Montu Kaloni and Nurani Mahalla in Khulna, both in the service jurisdiction of the Khulna Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (KWASA). Applying the Transparency, Accountability, Participation, and Anti-Corruption (TAPA) framework developed by the Water Integrity Network (WIN), the study adopts a mixed-methods design combining field observations, focus group discussions, key informant interviews, and structured household surveys (n = 40 per settlement). Integrity issues were assessed using a five-point Likert scale (Very low–Very high), standardized to a 1–10 scale, and subsequently aggregated through the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to derive weighted integrity deficiency scores and rankings. AHP prioritization assigns the highest normative weight to transparency (46.6%), followed by accountability (27.7%), participation (16.1%), and anti-corruption (9.6%), reflecting stakeholders’ perception of governance importance. Transparency is seen by communities as being critical for integrity in service provision, while anti-corruption actions are given the lowest rating largely because they are seen as intransigent issues that are hard to address. Aggregated deficiency results reveal a contrasting empirical pattern in informal settlements. Across the study area, accountability-related deficiencies account for 69% of total integrity deficiency, compared to 22% under transparency, 7% under participation, and 2% under anti-corruption. Overall integrity deficiency is 2.32 times higher in Montu Kaloni than in Nurani Mahalla; specifically, Montu Kaloni records 1.99, 2.44 and 1.80 times higher deficiencies under transparency, accountability, and participation respectively, while anti-corruption-related deficiency (2%) is observed only in Montu Kaloni and is absent in Nurani Mahalla. Transparency deficiencies constitute 21% of total integrity gaps in Montu Kaloni and 24% in Nurani Mahalla, while participation deficiencies represent 7% and 9% respectively. Resident fetching water from community tube well in Nurani Mahalla - photo courtesy of the author (Banlgadesh Water Partnership) Issue-level AHP and Likert-based ranking clarifies the drivers of integrity deficiency. The highest-ranked issue—indiscriminate use of submersible groundwater systems—reflects weak regulatory enforcement, inadequate service coverage, and ineffective oversight of groundwater abstraction and water quality management. Political mediation required for new connections in disputed settlements ranks second, revealing dependence on informal power structures and the absence of clearly operationalized legal mandates for service provision in contested land areas. Lack of knowledge regarding grievance submission procedures and limited awareness of formal application processes indicate failures in public communication on services and institutional responsibility for ensuring that communities understand their rights and entitlements. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that while transparency carries the highest theoretical weight, structural accountability failures—stemming from unclear mandates, land tenure constraints, weak enforcement, limited grievance redress, and fragmented institutional coordination—dominate in practice. Participation gaps reflect restricted community engagement, donor-driven planning processes, and limited awareness of civic rights, while anti-corruption concerns remain comparatively limited but embedded within broader governance weaknesses. By presenting TAPA weightage alongside aggregated integrity deficiency and ranked issue-level evidence, the study demonstrates a clear divergence between normative governance prioritization and empirical integrity breakdown in informal settlements. Strengthening WASH governance therefore requires integrated improvements across all TAPA dimensions, with particular emphasis on institutionalized accountability, improved transparency of service standards and tariffs, inclusive participation mechanisms, and enforceable anti-corruption safeguards to achieve equitable urban service delivery. Shallow tube well (Lobon Panir Kall) - photo courtesy of the author (Banlgadesh Water Partnership)

by Barbara Schreiner, Executive Director, Water Integrity Network In 2006, a small group of people came together to do something that had never been done before: to name corruption as a water and sanitation crisis, and to do something about it. Founded by IRC, SIWI, Swedish Water House, Transparency International, and the World Bank Water and Sanitation Programme, the Water Integrity Network was born out of growing concerns among water and anti-corruption stakeholders that integrity failures were undermining the sector's ability to serve people, especially the poorest. “Globally, the water sector is riddled with corruption that often negates the impact of development and hits the poor most severely. Corruption reduces water supply, quantitatively and qualitatively, and increases scarcity and pollution. It distorts decision-making for new projects and misallocation of existing schemes. Corruption also skews democratic principles, reduces the domain of public action and ultimately undermines the rule of civil society. Corruption stunts water development and makes it harder and costlier to reach the Millennium Development Goals on poverty, water supply and sanitation services and environmental sustainability.” (WIN 2007) Twenty years on, the mission is the same, but the world around us has changed and demands an innovative response. --- What two decades of work has built For a long time corruption in the sector was widely acknowledged in hushed tones and rarely addressed head-on. WIN helped change that. Today, WIN works with over 65 network partners and allies, running country programmes in Bangladesh, Kenya and Uganda as well as projects across Southern and Eastern Africa and Latin America. WIN develops practical integrity risk mitigation strategies with civil society, utilities, small service providers, regulators, and local governments. We train more than 200 water professionals on integrity topics every year and contribute extensively to global and national research and integrity advocacy. Together with partners, we have made it clear that the sector benefits from integrity: not just accepting the status quo and the losses from corruption. We have also shown there are many ways sector stakeholders can promote change, starting from within the sector.Utilities serving over 13 million users in Bangladesh, Kenya, Bolivia, Peru, Mexico and Uganda have used integrity tools to diagnoses internal risks and work on procedural changes for field operations, improved accounting systems, as well as stronger grievance mechanisms, public hearings and user communications. This means they lose less and account for more, and in the process, they reduced non-revenue water levels, improved reputation and position in regulatory rankings, improved response time for connections and repairs, and closed off easy opportunities for fraud. In Kenya, Mexico, Bangladesh, and Nepal, integrity management improvements among community groups—often starting small, with posting tariffs publicly or setting up user communication channels, recording expenses, or building links to local officials—rebuilt trust between users and providers and improved their financial position enough to pay off bills and expand their systems. We expanded accountability mechanisms in multiple programmes: with regulatory reforms towards formalisation in Honduras and Kenya and especially with support to social accountability campaigns and groups. In Kenya, youth parliaments developed tools to monitor whether politicians delivered on their campaign promises for water and sanitation. In Nepal, WIN facilitated the creation of a WASH Media Forum. In Mexico, civil society partners co-created the Chiapas Water Agenda, securing written commitments from 14 deputies and 9 electoral candidates on water governance reform. Integrity-informed advocacy has also reshaped how budgets are allocated, how contracts are set up, and how bills are paid: schools increased budgets for school WASH in Bangladesh based on results of integrity assessments. Local municipalities did the same in Guatemala for local WASH services. In Mozambique, integrity-focused advocacy protected the sector from major budget cuts. In Zambia, government responded to integrity advocacy by making sure overdue utility bills of public institutions were paid. Perhaps the least visible but most foundational part of WIN's contribution has been to break the silence. We do this with research and networking, for example around the publications of the Water Integrity Global Outlook and with more specific groundbreaking research on sexual corruption or water services in informal settlements. We make problems likes corruption something we can do something about, rather than just suffer through. --- Why this work cannot stop None of this means the work is done. Far from it. Ensuring universal access to clean water and sanitation requires a three-fold increase in investments. Without integrity at the heart of that investment surge and the systems that manage it, more money will simply mean more waste, more capture by vested interests, and more broken promises to the communities waiting for safe water. With climate change, and as floods and droughts compound existing fragilities, the risk of rushed spending and misallocation, bypassed procurement rules, and emergency funds diverted from those most in need will only grow. WIN's work on water integrity and climate adaptation may be its most consequential yet. --- The crisis we cannot ignore Yet today, the space for integrity work is shrinking in ways we could not have imagined a few years ago. Across the world, civic space is closing: civil society organisations face increasing restrictions, watchdog groups are silenced, and environmental defenders — including those fighting for water justice — are imprisoned or killed. The rise of autocratic and populist movements has brought with it a systematic dismantling of transparency mechanisms, independent media, and accountability institutions. For the poorest and most marginalised communities, who depend on these safeguards to have any voice at all, this is a direct assault on their ability to claim their right to safe water and decent sanitation. And precisely at the moment of greatest need, the funding environment for this work has turned hostile. For the WIN network, which has relied on the support of governments committed to development, this is not an abstract trend. It is an existential pressure. The work that has taken twenty years to build — the country coalitions, the training programmes, the research, the tools — is now at risk of being dismantled not because it has failed, but because the political will to fund it is faltering. --- Twenty years and still needed The case for integrity work is stronger now than it has ever been. When budgets are squeezed and every aid dollar must stretch further, the last thing the sector can afford is to lose a portion of every dollar to corruption and mismanagement. Integrity work is not a luxury for good times — it is precisely what is needed when resources are scarce. Integrity is the mechanism by which every available dollar reaches the people it was meant for. It is how the poor secure a voice, a seat at the table, and a claim to the water that keeps them alive. WIN's twentieth anniversary is not a moment to rest. It is a moment to think creatively about what comes next and how to overcome the constraints we are operating within. Success will require new kinds of funding, courage, and a new level of collaboration. Relationships, not capital alone, will define who can sustain this work. Networks like WIN exist precisely for this moment: to connect the people and organisations who share this mission and help them achieve more together than any could alone. Twenty years ago, a small group of organisations came together because they believed that corruption in water and sanitation was both a cause and a consequence of poverty, and that naming it honestly was the first step to changing it. That belief is as true today as it was in 2006. The work continues: mark this moment and help us carry it forward, with transparency, accountability, participation, and anti-corruption. If this work matters to you — if you believe that every dollar invested in water should reach the people it was meant for and who need it most — then make that visible. Share this piece. Bring up transparency, accountability, participation, and anti-corruption at your next meeting. Connect us with others who share this mission. (You can also donate here)

Join us to achieve SDGs through transparency and collective action. 65+ global partners committed to a just world with decent water access. Become a WIN partner Application form A global network for integrity action WIN is a global, open network of individuals and organisations. We bring people together with integrity as a guiding principle, to improve water management and service delivery. We work with more than 65 partners from all over the world, including civil society organisations, international development organisations, sector funders, water and sanitation service providers, regulators, and associations. Formal WIN partners publicly commit to launching integrity initiatives and are supported by the WIN team. Partnership is a voluntary process to strengthen collaboration and exchange. Funding is not guaranteed. READ WIN PARTNERSHIP POLICY READ CODE OF CONDUCT FOR WIN PARTNERS Please tell us about your organisation and how we can contact you Organisation* First name of contact person Last name of contact person Email* Address of organisation Organisation website Where do you work? (Geographical scope) What do you do? Please tell us more about why you want to join WIN and about your work on integrity Why does your organisation wish to join the Water Integrity Network?* How does your organisation wish to engage with the network? Joint advocacy Joint research Knowledge sharing, discussions, working groups Using or promoting integrity tools Other Which areas of work are you most keen to explore? Climate adaptation Urban water Sanitation and CWIS Rural WASH and community-based water and sanitation Water and sanitation finance Water allocation and resource management Other Does your organisation already promote integrity in the water and sanitation sectors, and if so, how (specific examples are appreciated)?* I have read and agree to the WIN partnership policy I have read and will respect the WIN partner code of conduct I affirm that my organisation does not discriminate or exclude groups or individuals and is not convicted for human rights violations or corruption. Yes, please subscribe me to the WIN mailing list to receive newsletters and event invitations Submit

See latest research on risks and find Integrity Assessment tools for water sector programmes and water and sanitation utilities and organisations. Strengthen governance, prevent corruption risks, and improve water and sanitation services. Understanding water integrity risk Integrity is an essential protection and resilience mechanism for the water and sanitation sectors, but there is no one-size-fits-all path to building it. To effectively improve governance and prevent corruption, water sector stakeholders need to understand the integrity risks they face, as well as relevant levers for action. We are here to help. Make your water work integrity ready We research pressing integrity issues as well as strategies to strengthen integrity. We also support water institutions, NGOs, and service providers with integrity risk assessments. Our open-source integrity assessment tools highlight key areas of risk and action for water sector reform, programme design, and institutional development. Assess integrity priorities at regional, sector, or programme level SEE TOOLS Evaluate water infrastructure planning with integrity data standards LEARN MORE Benchmark the integrity practices of water and sanitation service providers LEARN MORE Develop integrity monitoring frameworks for sector oversight CONTACT US Learn from latest research Integrity in water allocation systems in the face of climate change The systems built to decide who gets water, and how much, are struggling to keep pace with the new realities of climate change and unpredictable water flows. This research looks at different water allocation system and focuses on water permits, which are particularly vulnerable to corruption and integrity risk. Regulation Strengthening Integrity in Water and Sanitation: Evidence from Two Informal Settlements in Khulna City, Bangladesh How do residents of informal settlements decide where to get water in informal settlements of Khulna and what are the challenges they face in doing so? Is there transparent information available to them? Is there accountability for the systems that are built in the neighbourhood? Urban water Who gets what water? Water allocation, water permitting and corruption in a changing climate Water allocation systems were designed, often decades ago, to share water between people, agriculture, cities, industry. This discussion is on latest research on water allocation systems and the risks they face including corruption. Water allocation MORE RESEARCH Identify red flags in planning of infrastructure for water and sanitation Identify red flags in planning of infrastructure for water and sanitation Delayed dam repairs, unfinished pipelines, unused wastewater plants, and major cost overruns are the common results of poor integrity and corruption in early phases of infrastructure planning. The consequences are lasting economic, social, and environmental harm. Focusing primarily on controls in procurement instead of planning is too little, too late. Integrity indicators can help examine early-phase infrastructure planning issues, like conflicts of interest or skewed decision-making to manipulation of budgets. Support us in piloting tools and improving this area of work. CONTACT US Framework for Integrity in Infrastructure Planning (FIIP) Identifying red flags in planning processes for water infrastructure, from undue influence, inadequate consultation or feasibility... Integrity Assessment Tool Indicators and data standards Developed with CoST, with support from the Inter-American Development Bank Piloted in Latin America Case study: Initial pilots Initial pilots of the FIIP reveal that new infrastructure plans are often in favour of wealthier communities even if needs are not as pressing. Feasibility studies and impact assessments are also not always carried out fully. In further pilots, we hope to gain a better picture of whether these findings are consistent in different contexts. MORE ON THIS CASE STUDY Assess water integrity priorities to improve programme planning Assess water integrity hot spots To ensure corruption and integrity failures do not undermine water programmes and sector reforms, we need to understand the roots causes of common management issues, as well as most effective paths for integrity action. Integrity assessment tools help: Bring stakeholders to the same table to raise awareness and develop a common understanding of underlying issues of water governance and mismanagement. Prioritise areas of improvement for integrity action. Get support for a water integrity assessment: CONTACT US Water Integrity Risk Index (WIRI) Objective measure of corruption risks in the urban water and sanitation sectors, based on big-data analytics of procurement data. Integrity Assessment Tool Data analysis tool Developed with the Government Transparency Institute Piloted in Bangladesh, Kenya, and Peru Annotated Water Integrity Scan (AWIS) A method to quickly assess the integrity situation through a participatory workshop. Integrity Assessment Tool Facilitation resources for 1-day workshop Used for input to programme planning in over 11 countries since 2011 Case study: Bangladesh WIN and DORP used AWIS to raise awareness on how integrity issues contribute to poor WASH in schools. In over 30 schools in southern Bangladesh, parents, teachers, and student representatives discussed legal obligations, responsibilities, and funding. The resulting campaign focused on protection and higher allocation of funds for school sanitation and hygiene. MORE ON THIS CAMPAIGN Assess integrity practices of water utilities By understanding internal integrity practices and how to improve them, utilities can launch more effective integrity risk management strategies or Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) programmes. Regulators and decision-makers can benchmark utilities and strengthen sector oversight. They can incentivise integrity practices that contribute to better, more equitable service provision. Get support for integrity assessments for utilities: CONTACT US Go a step further with InWASH, a complete toolbox to develop an integrity management action plan for utilities. WHAT IS INWASH Integrity Assessment for Utilities A simple set of indicators providing input on the status of procedures, practices, and structures for integrity within a utility. Integrity Assessment Tool Indicator framework Developed with support from the IDB Piloted in Latin America and openly accessibly online in English, French and Spanish Integrity Indicators for Monitoring of Service Providers Monitoring utility integration for regulation Integrity Assessment Tool Indicator framework Developed by the Consortium for Water Integrity in Latin America (WIN, SIWI, cewas) with support from the IDB Piloted in Ecuador What the research says: “[…] high levels of perceived integrity are positively correlated with good outcomes in terms of higher productivity, profitability, better industrial relations, and higher level of attractiveness to prospective job applicants […]” Guiso, et al. (2015) "The Value of Corporate Culture". Journal of Financial Economics. 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Water Integrity Network (WIN) - Championing integrity for effective water and sanitation management. Join us and 65+ global partners committed to a just world with decent water access. Who we are By promoting integrity and addressing corruption in water and sanitation, together we can transform water and sanitation management and service delivery to reach everyone, including the most marginalised. We work as a global research and advocacy partnership, focusing on: awareness raising for integrity, training and knowledge sharing on clean water governance, technical assistance to water and sanitation organisations, to assess integrity risks and prevent corruption. Join and support us to ensure transparency, accountability, participation, and anti-corruption shake up the water and sanitation sectors for good. Global Network Over 65 partner organisations sharing knowledge and tools JOIN NEXT EVENTS Research and Advocacy Partnerships On WASH finance, rural and urban service delivery, regulation, water stewardship, sexual corruption... BROWSE PUBLICATIONS Country Programmes Local integrity networks for action in Bangladesh, Kenya, Mexico, and Uganda FIND OUT MORE Technical Advisory Working with water and sanitation utilities, water management committees, regulators, policy-makers, WASH and climate organisations GET IN TOUCH "The challenges facing the water sector are immense and no single actor can solve them alone. Only through concerted efforts by all stakeholders—including governments, public institutions, businesses, private organisations, and civil society—can these challenges be confronted. WIN invites you to join this journey, and to promote a culture of integrity in pursuit of a socially just world in which everyone has access to decent water and sanitation services." Barbara Schreiner, WIN Executive Director Strategy 2023-2033 READ OUR STRATEGY Water integrity partners We work with more than 65 partners from all over the world, including civil society organisations, international development organisations, sector funders, water and sanitation service providers, regulators, and associations. Becoming a partner is free and open to any organisation aligned with WIN’s values. Formal WIN partners publicly commit to launching integrity initiatives and are supported by the WIN team. WIN teamWIN team.WIN Put integrity at the heart of the water and sanitation sector, become a partner! JOIN US WIN team We are small, dedicated, international team based in Berlin, Germany and Nairobi, Kenya. Barbara Schreiner Executive Director Barbara has over 30 years’ experience in water management in developing countries with a focus on good governance and addressing poverty and inequality, including in relation to gender and other forms of social and economic marginalisation. Before joining WIN, she was Executive Director of the Pegasys Institute, and a Director at Pegasys Consulting. She worked for over a decade in senior management in the public sector, has been advisor to three Ministers, and is a member of the National Anti-Corruption Council of South Africa. Kelly Acuña Programme Lead Latin America, Regulation Kelly is responsible for the implementation of water integrity management programmes in Mexico and across Latin America. She is an economist with post-graduate degrees in Public Policy and Economics from Hertie School of Governance. Kelly is an expert on water and sanitation regulation with several years of professional experience in the regulation of water and sanitation services in Colombia focusing on fostering efficiency, innovation, sustainability, and good governance. Mary Galvin Programme Lead Bangladesh, Research Mary has worked on water, sanitation and climate issues as a researcher, development practitioner, consultant, and water justice activist in South Africa and globally since 1992. She has directed three non-profit organisations engaging in community organising, action research, and advocacy in these areas. From 2014 to 2023 she was Associate Professor in development studies at the University of Johannesburg. She obtained a MA from Yale University in 1992 and a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley in 2006. Eliška Godiveau Finance and Administration Manager Eliška is responsible for financial management, human resources and administration at WIN. She is a certified accountant and holds a degree in Middle Eastern studies and Translation and Interpretation studies. Marcela López Programme Lead Capacity Development Marcela is in charge of Capacity Building and Knowledge Management programmes at WIN. She is geographer with an interdisciplinary background in urban and environmental studies. She has been working at the interface between corporatisation, water governance and infrastructures. She also works as a Senior Lecturer at the international Urban Management master's course at the Technische Universität Berlin and New York University, Berlin. George Osoro Programme Lead East Africa George is responsible for water integrity management programmes and advocates for integrity with partners across East Africa. He has a post-graduate degree in Water Engineering. George has several years of professional experience in the water and sanitation service sector, working on enhancing efficiency, innovation, sustainability, coordination and good governance amongst water service providers, state and non-state actors. George is specialised in water and climate governance, WASH, IWRM, and urban and rural water management, system strengthening. Rebecca Sands Programme Lead Tools, Climate, GESI Rebecca manages WIN's tools portfolio and leads the climate work stream. She also ensures that gender and social inclusion are integrated across WIN's areas of work. She has a Master's degree in Environmental Policy from Sciences Po Paris and has over 5 years' experience working in research and analysis, project management, and stakeholder engagement across INGOs, NGOs, and the private sector. Josefa Vergara Programme Officer Josefa supports the development of educational and training material at WIN. She is an Engineer in Natural Resources, with a Master's degree in Global Change Geography from the Humboldt Univeristät zu Berlin. With over five years of experience in Chile and Germany, her work has focused on ecosystem services, urban ecology research, and water governance. Ivan Zupan Programme Manager Ivan is heading WIN country programmes in Kenya, Mexico, Bangladesh, and Uganda. He also assists the Executive Director with management, planning and fundraising. Ivan has more than 10 years of working experience in the anti-corruption section with previous engagements with Transparency International and the International Anti-Corruption Academy Talented interns and work students regularly enrich the team and we are grateful for their contribution. Interested in joining us as well? Check our opportunities or get in touch directly. Contact us First name Last name Email Write a message SEND Thank you! Your message has been sent. Main Contact Us Anchor Governance The General Assembly of Members is the primary governance body of the WIN association. It decides on long-term strategy as well as annual planning, and is composed of up to 15 members, including organisations and individuals. Three to five WIN members are elected to form the Supervisory Board and provide oversight of the WIN Executive Director. The Board is currently composed of: Ede Ijjasz (Chair of the Board), Mai Flor, Juan Miranda, Alana Potter, and Jane Nabunnya, IRC Uganda Country Director as representative of IRC. The Supervisory Board appointed Barbara Schreiner as the Association’s Executive Director (Vorstand) in 2018. Current General Assembly Members Organisations Current General Assembly Members Individuals Aquafed AquaFed is the International Federation of Private Water Operators. End Water Poverty End Water Poverty is a global civil society coalition campaigning for governments to respect, protect and fulfil people’s human rights to safe water and sanitation. Global Water Operators' Partnerships Alliance (GWOPA) The Global Water Operators’ Partnerships Alliance (GWOPA) is an international network created to support water operators through Water Operator’s Partnerships (WOPs), peer support exchanges between two or more water operators, on a not-for-profit basis. IRC IRC is an international think tank actively building strong water, sanitation and hygiene systems – from the bottom up and the top down. International Water Management Institute (IWMI) The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) is a non-profit international water management research organisation under the CGIAR IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute is an independent research institute that conducts research and consultancy assignments on environmental and sustainability issues. World Youth Parliament for Water The World Youth Parliament for Water is a network of passionate young people making waves of change in the water sector in over 80 countries. Ede Ijjasz Ede Ijjász-Vásquez retired from the World Bank after a 23-year career. He is a nonresident senior fellow in the Africa Growth Initiative at Brooking and an advisor for sustainable development organisations. He led work in a wide range of development topics including global environmental issues, sustainable development, green infrastructure, smart cities, water resources, climate change, agriculture, blue economy, resilience and disaster risk management, fragility and conflict, resettlement, PPPs, ESG, and urban development. He worked in more than 90 developing and emerging countries in all regions of the world – from fragile and conflict-affected countries to high middle-income countries. He also has over 20 years of teaching experience at the graduate level in the US and China. Mai Flor Mai Flor is a Filipino water and sanitation sector leader with 30 years of experience spanning government, private enterprise, and international development. Mai is currently Executive Director of WaterLinks, a regional network promoting peer-to-peer learning among water and wastewater providers across Asia. She also serves on the Board of Directors of Waterwise, a Norwegian desalination technology company. Mai has held senior roles across the sector, including: Head of Business Development for the Suez Group in the Philippines and for Miya in Asia, where she led performance-based contracts in non-revenue water management; and Executive Director of the Presidential Task Force on Water Resources Development and Management. She has worked as a senior consultant for ADB, UNDP, UN-Habitat, USAID, and the Gates Foundation, supporting regulatory reform for water and sanitation services in Bangladesh, Nepal, and India. Mai has been recognized globally as a sector leader, having served on the Nominating Committee of the Stockholm Water Prize and the Steering Committee of the Global Water Partnership. She holds degrees in Law and Economics from the University of the Philippines. Dick van Ginhoven Dick van Ginhoven is a consultant for the Water Finance Facility (WFF) and UNICEF in the East Asia Regional WASH Programme. He previously was a diplomat of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands. From 2004 to 2017, he was responsible for the formulation and implementation of the DGIS development policy for drinking water and sanitation. In this period, Dick was member of the Governing Council of the WSP/World Bank, the WSSCC and SWA. He held several positions at the Ministry, in southern Africa, in the Gulf region and in North Africa. He joined the WIN Supervisory Board in 2017. Vasudha Pangare Vasudha Pangare has been working as a gender equality and social inclusion specialist in the areas of land and water management, environment conservation, climate change, water for agriculture, water supply, rural livelihoods, policy and governance for almost four decades. She has extensive field experience across Asia and Africa. She has contributed to global, thematic, national and programme evaluations of FAO's work in gender, water, and agriculture. She is a Gender Advisor to UNESCO's World Water Assessment Programme, and is an author of the UNESCO WWAP toolkit on sex-disaggregated water data, assessment and monitoring. Juan Miranda Juan is as a Senior Advisor to the CEO of the Multilateral Cooperation Center for Development Finance. With over 36 years of experience in the infrastructure sector in emerging markets, he has held senior posts in leading commercial, investment and multilateral banks. Prior to MCDF, Juan was the Managing Director General at the Asian Development Bank where he led work on strategy, operations, reforms, fundraising and results, a founding partner of Nmas1/Alantra, a senior executive at Morgan Stanley, and a Managing Director at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Juan has a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Economics from University of Reading, and a Diploma in Business Studies from West London University. Alana Potter Alana Potter is the Head of Research and Advocacy at the Equality Collective, a community-based law clinic in the Eastern Cape. Alana has extensive water sector experience, starting at the Mvula Trust in South Africa, and continuing as lead of IRC’s Africa Regional programme, working with public, private, and civil society actors in Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda. Alana was Director of Research and Advocacy at the Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa (SERI), and then coordinator of End Water Poverty (hosted by WaterAid), a global civil society coalition of more than 150 civil society organisations in 80 countries focusing on the realisation of their rights to safe water and sanitation and a safe environment. She has and is advising Human Rights Watch; the AMCOW International Task Force; the UN Water Expert Group; the Africa Water Justice Network’s interim steering committee; the Water Integrity Network’s Supervisory Board; Accountability for Water’s global advisory group; Sanitation and Water for All’s grants committee; the steering committee for the Public Interest Law Gathering (2017-2020), and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) CSO Coalition, among others. Fermin Reygadas Fermin Reygadas has 20 years of experience working towards the fulfillment of the human rights to water and sanitation and the equitable management of water resources. He is co-founder and Executive Director of Cantaro Azul and a board member of the first public-community municipal water institution in Mexico. Fermin has served as an advisor to the Water Resources Committees in the Congress of Chiapas and the Chamber of Deputies of Mexico. For his track record of innovation and systemic change, Fermín has been elected as an Ashoka Fellow. Oriana Romano Oriana Romano heads the OECD Water Governance Initiative and coordinates the programme on the Economics and Governance of Circular economy In Cities at the Cities, Urban Policies, and Sustainable Development Division of the OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities. Before joining OECD in 2013, she was research assistant and university lecturer in Environmental Economics at the Centre for International Business and Sustainability in London Metropolitan University and at the Department of Social Science of the University "L'Orientale" in Naples. (Naples, Italy). Funders and supporters WIN’s work is possible thanks to the contributions and ideas of our partners and members who implement programmes with us on water integrity worldwide and thanks to the funding of GIZ, the Hewlett Foundation, the Inter-American Development Bank, NVF, and the governments of the Netherlands (via DGIS), Sweden (via Sida) and Switzerland (via SDC). Thank you! Opportunities Announcements of vacancies, internships, volunteer opportunities, and calls for proposals for services, for WIN and our close partners are posted here. Office space for rent at Water Integrity Network main office in Berlin Jul 14, 2025