World Water Week 2025 highlights water’s central role in climate action

Editorial Team SDG6
Sep 9
2 min read

Each August, the international water community gathers to address the most urgent challenges of our time. This year marked the 35th edition of World Water Week, held from 24 to 28 August 2025 at the Stockholm Waterfront Congress Centre and streamed worldwide. Convened by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), the forum once again demonstrated its influence as the leading stage where research, policy and practice converge to shape sustainable water strategies.

Water as a lever for climate solutions

The theme “Water for Climate Action” highlighted water’s dual role as both casualty and instrument in the climate crisis. Intensifying droughts, devastating floods and receding glaciers are disrupting livelihoods, ecosystems and economies. The UN World Water Development Report 2025, Mountains and Glaciers: Water Towers, issued earlier this year, warned of accelerating risks to global water supplies as the cryosphere melts.

In Stockholm, experts emphasised how robust water management can transform risks into opportunities. Sessions showcased resilient infrastructure, climate-smart irrigation and nature-based solutions. Wetlands were described as “climate heroes”, capable of storing carbon, regulating water cycles and protecting communities from extremes.

Integrated responses to interconnected crises

World Water Week underscored the importance of integrated solutions to address interlinked global challenges, climate change, biodiversity loss and resource degradation. UN-Water organised high-level dialogues on accelerating SDG 6 in landlocked developing countries and on innovative financing for water and sanitation, reinforcing that equity, governance and solidarity are essential for success.

Discussions ranged from cutting methane emissions in wastewater systems to expanding solar-powered agriculture and embedding Fair Water Footprints in global food supply chains. WaterAid addressed gender equality in sanitation, hygiene in healthcare settings and financing resilient WASH services, while Water Witness International explored water justice and the role of inclusive governance in delivering just climate transitions.

Regional focus and technological innovation

The programme also gave space to regional experiences and emerging technologies. The World Bank presented AI-driven modelling for water risk management in Central Asia; the Inter-American Development Bank hosted sessions on climate adaptation in the Americas; and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) showcased solutions from ecosystem resilience to water security assessments across Asia-Pacific.

These examples illustrated how innovation and traditional stewardship can complement one another to deliver equitable outcomes.

A platform shaping global commitments

World Water Week continues to influence global dialogues well beyond Stockholm. Its conclusions will inform the 2026 international water conference and contribute to the UN’s upcoming review of SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation. By bringing together policymakers, researchers, civil society and the private sector, the Week reinforced the case for placing water at the centre of climate action and sustainable development.

For more than three decades, this annual forum has offered continuity and credibility in a rapidly changing world. The 2025 edition carried that tradition forward, showing how water is not only a defining challenge of our era but also a decisive force in building a resilient and equitable future.