EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Water is critical to the world’s prosperity and environmental sustainability and is expected to grow in importance over the coming decades. Safe drinking water and appropriate sanitation are vital factors in human health and quality of life. Rapid social and environmental changes are taking place; more than half the world’s population now lives in cities, and that percentage is only expected to grow. Changing consumption patterns, pollution of aquatic and land ecosystems, and increased competition among water users for limited water resources present global challenges that must be addressed. CURRENT POSITIONING UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education is well-placed to address these immense challenges; its expertise and track record in academic education, scientific research and capacity development speak for themselves. The Institute has the mandate and opportunity to play a global role in training a new generation of water leaders, facilitating the development of capable organizations and providing an enabling environment for well-informed decision-making that will improve water management practices. Appropriate response strategies are needed to further increase the impact of UNESCO-IHE in meeting the challenges and opportunities of the rapidly expanding global, regional and national needs of the water sector. This document presents a response strategy that will lead the Institute to the 2020s, i.e. a decade ahead. Currently based in Delft, UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education is the largest international post-graduate water education facility in the world. Its highly motivated staff, good facilities and wide range of courses have trained and educated people from all over the world. The Institute offers a unique combination of applied, scientific and participatory research in water engineering combined with natural sciences and management sciences. The research conducted here feeds a constant flow of cutting-edge information into the education programmes, which in turn produce highly trained researchers who are poised to become world experts in water management. Since its establishment the Institute has also played an instrumental role in building the capacities of water sector organizations in the South, not least by strengthening the efforts of other universities and research centres to increase the knowledge and skills of professionals working in the water sector. It has developed extensive networks and key partnerships worldwide, with a specific focus on developing countries and countries in transition. In the course of its work, UNESCO-IHE has identified a definite and strong need to develop, strengthen and maintain local and regional capacities to conduct professional training, academic education and research in water-related subjects. These local knowledge institutions are instrumental in sustaining sector organizations and developing the social and legal frameworks that are needed for effective water management. 3