GWP and China’s Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute Sign MoU on Climate-Resilient Water Security

NANJING, China, 19 October 2026 – The Global Water Partnership Organisation (GWPO) and the Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute (NHRI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to advance climate-resilient water security. GWPO CEO Alex Simalabwi and NHRI President Professor Dai Jiqun signed the agreement in Nanjing this week. It links China’s oldest hydraulic research institute with a global network that helps countries finance and manage their water resources.

What the two sides agreed

The MoU sets out five areas of joint work:

• connecting NHRI’s scientific and engineering expertise with investment preparation in GWP countries
• bringing public institutions, investors and technology partners together to finance climate-resilient water projects
• scaling up innovation in flood and drought forecasting, early warning and AI-enabled decision support
• co-creating training to strengthen risk assessment and the resilience of water infrastructure
• advancing Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) and dialogue on climate-related water risks

Atem Ramsundersingh, Chair of GWP’s Programme Sub-Committee, and Eng. Sun Feng, Director of International Cooperation at NHRI, witnessed the signing.

Closing the investment gap

The agreement rests on an argument central to GWP’s strategy: closing the $140 billion annual water investment gap takes more than capital. Money alone does not produce results if there are too few well-prepared projects for investors to back. The partnership aims to build a pipeline of bankable projects, meaning projects with sound technical design, clear risk assessment and a realistic financing plan, grounded in good science and in what countries say they need.

In practice, that means pairing engineers and hydrologists with people who prepare investments. A flood-protection scheme or irrigation upgrade is far more likely to attract financing if its design is backed by reliable modelling, its climate risks are assessed, and its benefits are clearly documented. NHRI brings the technical side of that equation, while GWP’s country networks bring local knowledge and access to governments.

Background: two organisations with long reach

Alex Simalabwi, a Zambian national, became GWP Executive Secretary and CEO on 1 February 2025, and was tasked with leading GWPO’s transition toward a more decentralised organisation that empowers its regional hubs.

GWP brings a broad network to the partnership: 13 Regional Water Partnerships, more than 75 Country Water Partnerships and over 2,800 partner institutions. These bodies support countries in the financing, governance and management of water resources.

NHRI was founded in 1935 and is China’s oldest hydraulic research institute. It has delivered more than 300 overseas research and consultancy projects across Asia, Africa, Europe, Oceania and South America. That international record is an asset for GWP, whose work spans many regions and income levels.

Technology and training

The focus on forecasting and early warning reflects the growing need to anticipate extreme events. Floods and droughts are among the costliest climate-related hazards, and better forecasts give communities and authorities time to act. AI-enabled decision support is also becoming more common in water management, helping operators weigh competing demands for water, energy and agriculture. The partnership aims to scale up such innovation and make it usable in countries with limited technical capacity.

Co-created training is the other pillar. Strengthening the ability of engineers and planners to assess risk in dams, canals, drainage systems and urban water networks can reduce failures and extend the life of infrastructure, particularly as rainfall patterns change.

The road to Abu Dhabi

The signing comes as preparations intensify for the 2026 UN Water Conference. The conference takes place from 8 to 10 December 2026 in Abu Dhabi, co-hosted by Senegal and the United Arab Emirates, and aims to accelerate Sustainable Development Goal 6. GWP presents the MoU as an example of how it turns knowledge into investment, and investment into water security, in the run-up to the event. Investment for water is one of the themes expected to feature on the Abu Dhabi agenda.

Acknowledgements

GWP thanked Professor Lee Hong Yuan of National Taiwan University, Eng. Sun Feng and colleagues at NHRI, and the GWPO team for their roles in bringing the agreement together.

Why it matters

Many countries struggle to move water projects from concept to construction. Gaps in planning, data and risk assessment can leave viable projects unfunded, while a lack of coordination among public institutions, investors and technology providers slows progress further. An agreement that links research, project preparation and finance targets that bottleneck directly.

It also reflects growing South-South and cross-regional cooperation in the water sector, with institutions in different regions combining science, engineering and network reach rather than working separately.

Conclusion

The GWP–NHRI Memorandum of Understanding brings together a century-old engineering tradition and a global water network around one practical goal: more bankable, science-based projects that strengthen climate-resilient water security. Its value will be judged by outcomes: forecasting tools in use, staff trained, and projects reaching investors in GWP countries. With the UN Water Conference less than two months away, the partnership offers an early example of how institutions can turn commitments on water into projects on the ground.

Sources: Global Water Partnership (partnership statement); Smart Water Magazine; UN-Water.