Inception: the creation of an international water management institute, 1969-1984

Lenton, Roberto. 2024. Inception: the creation of an international water management institute, 1969-1984. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 28p. [doi: https://doi.org/10.5337/2024.237]

This report describes the creation of the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) from early 1969 to late 1984. The report tells the story of how an ever-expanding circle of scientists, practitioners and funders joined forces over a 15-year period to co-create the institute that over time became the IWMI of today. It has been prepared as a supplement to the 40th anniversary publication titled Celebrating IWMI at 40: Learning from our History, Turning to the Future.

In providing an in-depth account of IWMI’s creation, this report aims to enhance the understanding of how the debates during those early years shaped the Institute’s contemporary character and culture. It has been written for a target audience of IWMI supporters and alumni, current and future IWMI leadership and staff, and current and future Board members interested in learning more about the “what and why” of the Institute’s origins. This report could also be of relevance to a broader audience interested in learning more about how innovative international institutions tackling emerging global challenges are conceived and brought into being, as well as to scholars of international development.

This report has been prepared by Roberto Lenton, a former Director General of IWMI and, more recently, Chair of the Institute’s Board of Governors.