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Blog & Publications (230)
- Integrity Foundations
ONLINE COURSE Introductory level. Self paced (3 modules, 12 hours) Coming soon More details coming soon Who is this course for? Political decision-makers, professionals, civil society advocates, regulatory entities, and water and sanitation utility staff. Students and researchers in social and technical disciplines. Urban planners, engineers, and architects. Language English and Spanish Free Access Access to the course content and activities is completely free. Optional paid certification Participants who successfully complete and pass the course can obtain a certificate of completion upon payment of a fee.
- Integrity Indicators for Monitoring of Service Providers (ES)
Integrity indicators and reporting frameworks for regulators to supervise service providers. WHEN TO USE IT To raise awareness on integrity risks and their negative impact on the performance of service providers and show paths for building integrity To incentivise water and sanitation service providers for integrity To benchmark and set standards for crucial integrity measures that can benefit service providers HOW IT WORKS The indicator framework can be used by regulators with input from water service providers under their purview. HOW IT WAS DEVELOPED The indicator framework has been developed by the Consortium for Integrity in Latin America (WIN, IVL, and cewas) with support from the Inter-American Development Bank.
- Unequal Waters: Eight principles for a Just Water Transformation
by Savithri Sellapperumage; Barbara Schreiner, Executive Director, Water Integrity Network; Aaron Salzburg, CEO, The American Water Resources Association; Nick Hepworth, Strategic Advisor, Water Witness International; Nchedi Moripe Photo credit: David Yarasca / Salud con lupa. Aerial view of the Ica region of Peru shows agro-export agricultural fields irrigated through extensive groundwater pumping, juxtaposed with neighbourhood communities facing scarce and contaminated water supplies. In a previous blog titled Unequal Waters: Why water poverty is a problem of power, not governance failure, it was emphasised that the water crisis goes beyond a crisis of political will, technical and fiscal capacity, or governance. It is rather the result of structural and systemically reinforced inequalities, driven by unequal access to power and a failure of accountability. Six mechanisms, namely; political exclusion, resource capture, rights denial, knowledge suppression, process capture and social reproduction, form a self-reinforcing loop that traps communities in water insecurity across generations. While these mechanisms help diagnose the underlying conditions, what could be the treatment? The three-part seminar series at Stockholm Water Week 2026 attempted to address these reinforcing mechanisms by setting out principles for just water transformations. These principles moving beyond proposing improved efficiency in the continuation of current systems, urging us to rather address the existing power structures. The principles address the need to change who holds power, where resources flow, whose knowledge counts, and who is accountable to whom. These ideas are capture in eight principles; six directly address the mechanisms of the Inequality Trap, while the remaining two look beyond the water sector and push us to reflect on our own roles, assumptions, and responsibilities in shaping just water futures. The eight principles: Shift power. Put people experiencing water insecurity at the centre of decisions that affect them. Move beyond consultation towards meaningful representation, shared power, community leadership and accountability. Allocate fairly. Direct water, finance and infrastructure toward people and places with the greatest need, not those with the greatest influence. Today, unconnected households often pay multiple folds more for water than wealthier, networked communities. Make rights real. Indigenous communities, and those in informal housing are rendered invisible and often have no legal standing to challenge utilisation and allocation of their own water. We need to strengthen equitable enforcement, and accountability is what turns a right on paper into a right in practice. Democratise knowledge. Hydrological monitoring gaps leave the most vulnerable communities invisible in the data that shapes investment decisions. In order to close that gap, we must validate lived experiences and Indigenous knowledge alongside technical expertise, and enable these invisible data to be accessible. Make participation count. Multi-stakeholder platforms often legitimise decisions that have already been made, while barriers of class and language exclude the communities most affected. Participation has to be judged by ability to influence, not attendance. Break the cycle. Water insecurity follows gender, class and caste systems, and geography affecting marginalised communities through generations. As a result, women in marginalised communities are mainly responsible for collecting water and may even be denied access to public water systems such as the Dalit communities in India. Breaking that cycle means connecting water policies and action, to health, social protection, land rights and historical legacies. Turn the lens on ourselves. Inequalities are embedded and maintained in institutions and systems. This does not exempt us from reflecting on our own ways of working. Who gets funded? Who leads? Whose expertise counts, and in which language? The water sector’s funding strcutures, conferences, research and networks can reproduce the very inequalities we are trying to solve. Align with other struggles. Water insecurity is shaped by forces outside the water sector. Historical dispossession, concentration of power, lack of accountablity, and an unequal global political economy in which trade, tax, and debt regulations favour profits over water rights. These issues cannot be fixed with tools within the water sector alone. Solving them requires us to build alliances and cross-sectoral commitments on, for example, tax justice, trade rules, land, and labour rights. How does this look like in practice? Applying these principles looks different depending on different actors. For governments, it means reforming trax, trade regulations and subsidies that produce water insecurities, while protecting and expanding civic space and platforms that allow communities to hold those in power accountable. For donors and finance institutions, it means supporting governments' ability to realise the human rights to water and sanitation, recognising that these burdens are often linked to past development financing models. For business and corporations, it means adopting water justice not as an act of philanthropy or corporate social responsibility but a condition of legitimate business, and paying the full social and ecological costs of water use, rather than externalising the costs onto communities, the environment or future generations. For civil society and NGO’s it means, building collective power and investing in community agency to claim rights that exist on paper. For researchers, it means protecting scientific independence, academic freedom and recognising lived knowledge as evidence in its own. And for those working in the water sector, it means accepting where own instituions concentrate power rather than sharing it. However, the challenge of application comes at a precarious moment. Cuts to development assistance and geopolitical turmoil across the globe have exposed communities to further vulnerabilities and climate change is deepening insecurities for those least responsible for it. Water inequalities, if built by systems and institutions around us, should strive to dismantle them too, but only if we are willing to look beyond the water sector at the same time turn the lens on ourselves first. These ideas are brought together in the background paper Forging a Fair Water Future produced as part of the seminar series held at Stockholm. We invite you to engage with the paper by sending your comments to: nickhepworth@waterwitness.org
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- Water Integrity Academy| Water Integrity Network
Training and open, online courses on water integrity, integrity for water and sanitation in informal settlements, utilities, regulators, government, and more Learn, connect and strengthen water integrity. Explore online courses, hybrid learning and tailored training opportunities. Online courses What we do? Online Courses Hybrid Courses Tailored Training Online Courses Development +600 PARTICIPANTS ENROLLED +20 COUNTRIES INVOLVED +100 LEARNING HOURS Open courses Online courses Learn. Explore. Strengthen Integrity. Develop practical knowledge and skills to promote integrity, transparency, and better services in the water and sanitation sector. Explore self-paced courses featuring expert knowledge, real-world cases and practical tools you can apply in your own work. Explore our courses below and start learning at your own pace. DISCOVER MORE Open Courses "I thought it was excellent because it was very engaging and, together with the videos and case studies, made the topics easier to understand" — Participant From Argentina "A great way to take courses and broaden your knowledge beyond your region, while learning from real-life examples from around the world." — Participant From Bolivia "A very valuable learning experience, and a great way to realise that we are not alone in the challenges we face in water and sanitation." — Participant From South Africa “I appreciated the variety of methods and interactive features used throughout the course.” — Participant From Germany What our participants say Hybrid Courses Combine online learning and face to face sessions. Our hybrid courses combine online learning with optional live sessions, either in-person or virtual. Engage with instructors and peers to deepen your understanding and skills. Each course concludes with a certificate of completion. Join Us Today Certificate Contact Us These exclusive courses are designed for dedicated learners. Contact us to arrange your participation and take a step towards making a difference in your community. Upon successful completion of the course, participants will receive a certificate, recognizing their commitment and knowledge gained through our programs. Reach out to us to learn more about our hybrid courses and how you can enroll. We are here to support your journey in making a positive impact. Tailored Training Customized training for your organization's challenges. We create customized training programs to address your organization's unique integrity challenges. Choose from in-person, hybrid, or online formats to suit your needs. CONTACT US LEARN MORE Online Courses Development We help you to translate your knowledge into an online course. We create customized training programs to address your organization's unique integrity challenges. Choose from in-person, hybrid, or online formats to suit your needs. CONTACT US LEARN MORE Resources Discover publications, manuals, posters, case studies and other resources to deepen your knowledge of water integrity and put it into practice. EXPLORE RESOURCES FAQ Why take a course on water integrity? Integrity plays a crucial and overlooked role in improving water and sanitation financing and programme development. WIN training will help water and sanitation professionals better understand the risks that can undermine their work and their institution’s reputation. Participants will also learn to identify the root causes of corruption and poor integrity, develop innovative approaches, and deliver projects that are more transparent, accountable, and participatory. How do I enroll? To register for online courses, click on the descriptions of the course(s) you wish to enroll in and follow the registration links. Most courses are held on the Moodle educational platform for which you will need to register using your email address. What are the requirements to join a course? WIN’s online courses are for anyone who would like to learn more about integrity and corruption in the water and sanitation sectors, and no prior knowledge or experience is required. An internet connection and device to access the courses are the only technical requirements. How can I get a certificate? All of our online courses offer the option to obtain a certificate of completion. Once you have successfully completed all the course requirements and met the passing criteria, you will be eligible to request your certificate. Certificates are issued upon payment of a fee, which can be made after you have completed the course. Does WIN offer any in-person courses? Yes. WIN offers in-person learning opportunities through selected hybrid courses and tailored training programmes for organisations.Hybrid courses combine online learning with in-person sessions, while tailored trainings are designed to meet the specific needs of an organisation or group.To learn more about upcoming hybrid courses or explore a tailored training opportunity, please contact us at info@win-s.org. Contact us Full name Email Organization What are you interested in? * Required Hybrid courses Tailored trainings Development of online courses Other Describe what you would like to develop with us SEND IntAc Contact Anchor
- Publications | Water Integrity Network
View our Publications to learn about global water integrity, discover integrity assesment best practices and case studies from around the world. 1 2 3 4 5 Publications
- WIA Resources | Water Integrity Network
View our Publications to learn about global water integrity, discover integrity assesment best practices and case studies from around the world. Resources Explore practical resources to put integrity into practice




