SIWI history | SIWI - Leading expert in water governance

SIWI’s history began with the Stockholm Water Symposium in 1991. The symposium grew from a scientific meeting into a forum exploring water’s wider role in society. This development led Stockholm’s municipal water and wastewater utility, Stockholm Vatten och Avfall, to establish Stockholm International Water Institute.

In 2001, the symposium became World Water Week, reflecting its growing international reach. SIWI became an independent foundation in 2009 and expanded its work in water governance, connecting scientific knowledge with policy and practice. Alongside convening World Water Week, SIWI developed programmes and advisory work to support cooperation and improve decisions about water.

During the 2020s, SIWI strengthened its contribution to global policy processes. Digital and hybrid formats opened World Water Week to wider participation. More recently, SIWI renewed its strategy and organizational structure to sharpen its thematic priorities and respond to increasingly urgent water challenges.

1990s

2001

2009

Early 2020s

Mid 2020s

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1990s

Established in 1991, the Stockholm Water Symposium evolved from a scientific meeting to address sanitation, governance, climate impacts and social dimensions of water. This led to the establishment of SIWI by Stockholm Vatten och Avfall, the City of Stockholm’s municipal water and wastewater utility.

2001

A major milestone came in 2001, when the Symposium was renamed World Water Week in Stockholm. The new name signalled the event’s global reach and its diverse community of researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and organizations. We strengthened our role as organizer and convenor, shaping World Water Week into a leading international forum for collaboration and knowledge exchange.

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2009

After becoming an independent foundation in 2009, we expanded our role in global water governance, advancing policy advice, multistakeholder processes and science-based programmes. In 2014, UNESCO designated the International Centre for Water Cooperation, hosted by SIWI, as a Category II Centre.

Early 2020s

SIWI strengthened its role in global policy processes and water governance advisory work. At the same time, World Water Week evolved with global agendas such as the SDGs and climate resilience, and between 2020 and 2022 introduced digital and hybrid formats, greatly expanding accessibility.

Mid 2020s

In the mid-2020s, SIWI initiated a major organizational renewal, updating our strategy and structures to strengthen collaboration, sharpen thematic focus, and respond more effectively to increasingly urgent global water challenges.