World Water Forum 2027: How to Prepare a City Case and Partnership Proposal

What Riyadh 2027 actually is and how participation works

The World Water Forum meets every three years around World Water Day and brings together governments, international organizations, local authorities, academia, civil society and the private sector. The eleventh edition will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in March 2027; the Kingdom’s water ministry confirms it is organized in partnership with the World Water Council under the theme “Action for a Better Tomorrow.”

The event is designed as a multi-year process with preparation, delivery and synthesis, so a city “case” is built months ahead rather than on arrival. Understanding the structure matters more than memorizing a schedule: the thematic process organizes knowledge across six themes and roughly thirty topics, the regional process gathers inputs by geographic region, and the political process feeds ministerial, parliamentary and local decision-making.

• Sub-themes for 2027: water security, water finance, water diplomacy, water for humans and nature, value of water, and innovation for water.
• Organizers have opened international registration for roles within thematic sessions — coordinator, speaker or expert.
• The World Water Council is advancing city-relevant initiatives including a coalition for water in megacities, a “New Deal for Sanitation” and a “One Water, One Health” alliance.

Three entry points: thematic, regional, political

Before drafting anything, decide through which track the city can genuinely enter. The thematic process gives a case expert visibility: you can appear as a speaker presenting a tested solution, act as an expert contributing written recommendations, or coordinate a session alongside the topic group. This is the shortest route when the city has a proven practice with measurable results.

The regional process suits a case that mirrors a macro-regional problem — arid climates, shared aquifers, transboundary basins — where the city joins a collective position; regional secretariats typically collect comments on concept notes. The political process is the strongest channel for partnerships, because it contains a dedicated Local and Regional Authorities segment preparing the Riyadh Declaration on water.

Each entry has trade-offs. The thematic route delivers quick expert output but rarely ends in finance; the political route raises status and links the city to the Declaration but demands long coordination and mayoral or regional sign-off. A practical rule: choose one primary track and keep one backup, rather than spreading thin across all three.

• The Local and Regional Authorities segment was launched by ICLEI with MEWA and the World Water Council.
• Draft priorities of the Riyadh Declaration include integrated urban water management, direct local access to climate and water finance, and nature-based solutions with watershed protection.

Building a convincing city case

A case is not a report or a “we are great” deck. It is a short account of a specific problem, the decision taken, the measured outcome and the conditions under which another city could replicate it. The forum’s expert community rewards action and auditable results over declarations.

Gather sparse facts: the volume of non-revenue water, the share of unaccounted consumption, savings after intervention, cost per cubic metre, payback period and the legal frame in which the solution works. State the jurisdiction and regulatory context — this immediately raises credibility and lets another city judge whether the solution transfers.

Articulate the transferable lesson: what others can repeat without your team, and what depends on local tariffs, subsidies or climate. That boundary of transferability is the most valuable part of the case, because it turns a story into a method.

• Describe problem, intervention, measured result and payback period. Prepare a three-minute spoken version and a one-page figures sheet.

The partnership proposal: to whom and what you offer

Partnership at the forum rarely starts from a general plea to “help us build treatment plants.” It is more productive to define a concrete deal: the city contributes a pilot site, part of the co-financing and data, while a partner contributes technology, capital or an expert network. Consider which partner matches your scale: an international water operator, a multilateral bank, a city network such as ICLEI, or World Water Council initiatives on megacities and sanitation.

Align the proposal with the forum’s agenda. For cities, the liveliest themes are direct access to climate and water finance and integrated urban water management; if the proposal answers those, it finds more resonance.

State each partner’s role, the amount and source of funds, control points for 2027–2028 and a measurable target. Remember this is not a legal contract but a negotiation brief, so separate firm commitments from items still open for discussion.

• Specify what you bring: pilot site, data, co-financing, local permitting access. Show how the project answers Declaration priorities and forum sub-themes. Give a budget range and timeline; do not promise what the city budget cannot confirm.

Timing, budget and verifying current status

With roughly six months until the forum, rhythm matters more than ambition. First confirm whether application windows are open: organizers ran an international call for thematic session participation in 2026, and conditions change from stage to stage, so verify on the official forum portal rather than secondary coverage.

Budget not only for travel but for preparation: translation, legal review, data assembly, and any exhibition fee if the city wants a booth — the forum typically hosts an expo, and regional partners survey interest in national pavilions.

Build in a buffer for uncertainty: exact dates, venue and agenda can be adjusted, and final confirmation must come from the official organizer. Never plan travel or contracts solely on third-party announcements.

• Keep an internal calendar at three months, one month and two weeks before the forum. Assign separate owners for the case and the partnership track. Reserve time for internal administrative approval well in advance.

Where to get confirmations, not just announcements

Fact discipline matters doubly in an international submission. Theme, date and mandate should be confirmed through official channels: the Saudi water ministry (MEWA), the World Water Council and the forum website. National and sector news help you read context but do not replace official calls for applications.

If you cannot find an official notice for a specific application window, say so honestly in your internal plan and write to the organizers directly — this is more reliable than guessing from indirect mentions in foreign press.

• Check the “About”, “Processes” and “Resources” sections of the official forum portal. Re-confirm forum dates (around 21–25 March 2027) on the official site before booking.

Limits and realistic expectations

The first limit is the nature of the event: it is a diplomatic and expert platform, not a grant competition. Appearing in a session or in the Declaration raises visibility and eases negotiations, but it does not fund a project and does not replace a proper proposal to a fund or a bank.

The second limit is language and format: documents sit in an English-language forum frame, translations must be aligned, and speaking slots are short. Finally, jurisdictional differences mean a “ready solution” from one city usually needs adaptation to another city’s regulation, tariffs and climate.

• Treat the forum as a springboard for negotiations, not a funding source. Develop Russian- and English-language versions of materials at the same time. Never cite figures that are not in the city’s official reporting.