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The document examines the global water and sanitation crisis, noting that 673 million people lack toilets and 2.1 billion lack safe drinking water. It critiques previous international efforts, such as the Millennium Development Goals, for using low-ambition indicators, and advocates for the more holistic Sustainable Development Goal 6. The brief emphasizes the intersection of water security with climate change, environmental degradation, and social inequality, calling for increased financing, better governance, and a human rights-based approach to ensure no one is left behind by 2030.

The report identifies significant gaps in the governance of the Table Mountain Strategic Water Source Area (TMSWSA), noting that groundwater management is currently a national mandate that lacks local enforcement and clear delegation to Catchment Management Agencies (CMAs). It highlights the vulnerability of the Table Mountain Group and Cape Flats aquifers to over-extraction and pollution, exacerbated by unregulated borehole drilling during Cape Town's 2016-2018 drought. To address these failures, the document proposes a flexible, multi-stakeholder Partnership Framework based on adaptive management, recommending WWF South Africa as the host institution and secretariat to coordinate between the City of Cape Town, the Department of Water and Sanitation, and local communities.

The briefing examines the limitations of current water management frameworks, such as Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) and the water-energy-food nexus, in addressing water teleconnections. Using case studies from Colombia and Southeast Asia, it demonstrates how agricultural exports (coffee and rice) transfer 'virtual water' across borders, creating dependencies that are not captured by traditional basin-level planning. The author contends that a multi-scale approach is necessary to integrate local challenges with regional and global economic connections.

The Sector Adaptation Strategy and Adaptation Plan (SASAP) for Water Resources in Suriname outlines a framework to build resilience against climate-driven threats such as sea level rise, erratic precipitation, and saltwater intrusion. It identifies the water sector as a high-priority 'now' sector and proposes seven project concepts—ranging from vulnerability assessments and data system establishment to infrastructure rehabilitation—with an estimated total budget of USD 18.25 million. A central pillar of the plan is a gender-responsive approach, addressing the disproportionate burden on women in water collection and their underrepresentation in governance, while integrating local and Indigenous knowledge into adaptation actions.

The Cuando River Basin is a largely pristine transboundary system traversing Angola, Zambia, Namibia, and Botswana. It is characterized by a unique hydrological system where water from the Angolan highlands flows through extensive floodplains, occasionally connecting with the Okavango and Zambezi basins. The region is a critical wildlife corridor within the KAZA TFCA, supporting significant populations of elephants and lions, though it faces threats from poaching, uncontrolled fires, and climate change. Human populations are sparse and primarily rely on subsistence agriculture and the harvesting of natural products, with a growing trend toward urban migration due to the basin's exceptionally poor soil fertility.

The Table Mountain Water Source Partnership project implemented a multi-layered approach to groundwater management in Cape Town, combining public awareness campaigns, citizen-science monitoring, and policy analysis. Key achievements include the launch of a public groundwater dashboard on 24 March 2022, the installation of dataloggers in four new residential areas, and the integration of groundwater data into the City of Cape Town's Bulk Water Decision Support System. The project culminated in the formal launch of the Table Mountain Water Source Partnership on 15 November 2021, consisting of nine founding members from government, academia, and the private sector to ensure sustainable groundwater governance.

The document outlines a 24-month, USD 813,548 project implemented by the Global Water Partnership Organisation (GWPO) to address gaps in Sri Lanka's climate finance readiness. Key objectives include establishing a Direct Access Accreditation Support Helpdesk to assist national banks in becoming GCF-accredited, creating a Climate-Smart Green Growth Strategy for lower watersheds and coastal regions, and developing three new GCF project concept notes. The project emphasizes Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) as a primary entry point for building resilience against floods, droughts, and sea-level rise, while operationalizing a national climate risk data portal to improve stakeholder coordination.

The proposal outlines a 30-month project to address critical data gaps and institutional weaknesses in Belize's water sector. It focuses on developing a climate-responsive National Adaptation Plan, assessing groundwater resources in Northern Belize, strengthening hydrological monitoring and forecasting systems, and creating a financial sustainability plan to mobilize adaptation finance.

The document introduces a new integrated approach for water resource planning in Bolivia that merges the national Plan Nacional de Cuenca (PNC) with Robust Decision Support (ADR). This methodology was applied to the Río Rocha basin to incorporate long-term uncertainties, such as climate change and demographic shifts, into the planning process. A key innovation is the use of the Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) system within a Participatory Decision-Making Model (MTDP), allowing stakeholders to interactively evaluate the impacts of different management interventions through quantitative indicators. The authors argue that this integrated approach legitimizes planning instruments through effective participation and provides a replicable model for other strategic basins in Bolivia.

The project aims to mitigate the impacts of increasing temperatures and decreasing rainfall in Southern Madagascar, which have led to frequent droughts and food insecurity. It proposes a paradigm shift from focusing solely on water supply infrastructure to adapting the underlying water resources system. Key strategies include managed aquifer recharge (MAR) to store wet season surpluses, expanding hydro-meteorological monitoring networks, and developing community-based drought adaptation plans. The project targets 24 communes with approximately 553,240 direct beneficiaries, utilizing a combination of GCF grants and co-financing from the World Bank and UNICEF.

The interim evaluation of the Climate Resilient Integrated Water Management Project (CRIWMP) in Sri Lanka indicates that while progress is satisfactory for irrigation and forecasting outputs, drinking water solutions have faced significant setbacks. The project employs an innovative river-basin approach to integrate village irrigation system (VIS) rehabilitation, climate-smart agriculture (CSA), and early warning systems. Key achievements include the rehabilitation of 131 VISs and the installation of 3,112 rainwater harvesting systems. However, the project has struggled with low mobilization of government co-financing, infrequent Project Board meetings, and a critical baseline shift in water source availability for drinking water, which has led to a proposed restructuring to reduce the number of beneficiaries. The evaluation highlights a strong commitment to gender equality, with women making up over 50% of beneficiaries, though gender balance remains poor within project governance and staff.

The document serves as a comprehensive resource for governments to balance resource extraction with environmental protection. It focuses on four critical areas: water management, biodiversity conservation, mining waste stability, and emergency preparedness. For each area, the guide outlines major challenges, international standards (such as IFC Performance Standards and the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management), and specific governmental roles. It emphasizes a risk-based approach, the use of Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIAs), and the importance of inclusive consultation, particularly with women and indigenous groups. The guide concludes with a five-step gap analysis process—examine, assess, prioritize, implement, and monitor—to help states align their national legal frameworks with international best practices.

The document examines the intersection of unconventional hydrocarbon extraction and water security in the Vaca Muerta region, highlighting risks from wastewater management and climate-driven water scarcity.

The paper examines the water-energy nexus in Argentina's Vaca Muerta region, highlighting that while shale production uses a small percentage of total water, its wastewater management poses significant pollution risks. These risks are compounded by climate change projections of decreased precipitation and increasing competition for water from agriculture and urban growth. The authors argue for an Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) approach to replace the current fragmented provincial regulatory system.

The document examines the limitations of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) when applied strictly to watershed boundaries, using the Campoalegre river basin in Colombia as a case study. It highlights how coffee production and hydroelectric power create impacts and dependencies that transcend local boundaries, such as global export markets and downstream ecosystem effects. The text introduces the SEI 'Water without Borders' initiative, which aims to integrate water teleconnections, early ecosystem consideration, and multi-stakeholder participation into water governance.

The report highlights that the water and sanitation sector contributes up to 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions and is highly vulnerable to climate impacts. It advocates for a shift from single-issue, siloed approaches toward integrated, local, and cross-sectoral collaborations to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 6 and 13. Through case studies in Peru, Uganda, Germany, and Bolivia, the document demonstrates how regulatory frameworks, peer-to-peer partnerships (WOPs), and systems-thinking can reduce carbon footprints and build resilience. It concludes that while collaboration is essential, it must be implemented proportionately to avoid operational inefficiency.

The 'Agua Sin Límites' initiative seeks to evolve water management beyond traditional Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), which the authors argue has failed to produce sustainable results. The initiative focuses on three pillars: analyzing water connections beyond the immediate basin, implementing multi-scale participatory approaches to address inequalities (including gender and poverty), and integrating ecosystem needs early in the planning process. These frameworks are being tested through pilot studies in the Mekong and Magdalena river basins, as well as reflecting on work in California.

The Stockholm Environment Institute's Water Beyond Boundaries (WBB) initiative aims to evolve water planning beyond the traditional Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) framework, which the authors argue has not yet yielded sustainable outcomes. WBB focuses on three pillars: analyzing water connections beyond the immediate watershed, integrating ecosystem needs throughout the planning process, and employing multi-scale participatory approaches to address inequalities related to gender, poverty, and marginalized groups. The initiative is being piloted in the Magdalena River Basin in Colombia and the Mekong region in South East Asia, while drawing on previous work in California, USA.

The document outlines a project preparation request to address severe climate threats to The Bahamas' water sector, which relies on fragile groundwater lenses. It proposes a three-component strategy: establishing a national water Decision Support System (DSS) for evidence-based planning, strengthening governance through a new national water resources agency and independent regulator, and scaling up infrastructure investments on highly vulnerable islands. The project seeks to mitigate risks from sea-level rise, decreasing rainfall, and intense storms while overcoming public fiscal constraints and data gaps.

The report identifies critical vulnerabilities in Ghana's infrastructure due to rising temperatures, variable rainfall, and sea-level rise. It proposes a comprehensive set of technical and policy adaptations across the water, energy, and transport sectors, emphasizing inter-ministerial collaboration, gender-responsive planning, and the need for sustainable domestic and international financing.