DRAFT

Strategic Directions UNESCO-IHE 2015-20251

Excelling in Impact
by developing talent, providing solutions and contributing to global
sustainability in partnership

Executive Summary
Introduction
UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education is the largest international graduate education and
research facility in the field of water in the world. Based in Delft, the Netherlands, it offers MSc
programmes, a PhD programme (in collaboration with partner universities) and various capacity
development activities, mainly geared towards the needs of developing and transitioning countries.
The majority of its activities are carried out in collaboration with partners across the world, including
other academic institutions, government departments, private sector companies and organizations,
water boards and utilities, municipalities, UN organizations and NGOs.
Accomplishments
UNESCO-IHE has trained more than 14,500 water professionals and thousands of short-course
participants from 160 countries. It has also graduated more than 130 PhD fellows and executed
numerous research and capacity building projects throughout the world.
The Institutes activities are in line UNESCO's the International Hydrological Programme (IHP;
2014-2021) Water Security: Responses to Local, Regional and Global Challenges. It is spearheading
research on topics central to the IHP, including water-related disasters in a changing environment,
ecohydrology and water quality, climate change, urban water management, cross-border groundwater,
water education, water governance and pro-poor water supply and sanitation. Many projects and
activities address UNESCOs global priorities Africa and gender equality. Around 90% of the
programme participants are from developing and transitioning countries; some 40% are women and
about 40% are from Africa.

This draft document has been discussed and endorsed by the Governing Board of UNESCO-IHE and the IHE
Delft Foundation Board at their sessions on 20-21 November 2014 and 14 November 2014, respectively.

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UNESCO-IHEs activities are strongly linked to the Dutch water and knowledge sectors. The
education programmes are implemented in accordance with Dutch legislation, many collaborations
with Dutch universities and knowledge institutes exist. The links to the Dutch water sector are mainly
substantiated through joint projects in developing and transitioning countries. The Institute provides
access to specific knowledge and networks, which helps the Dutch water sector achieve its goals in a
wider international context.
Strategic goals for the 2015-2025 period
In its education strategy UNESCO-IHE acknowledges the need for more creative and innovative water
education in order to enable future water professionals to meet the huge water and sustainability
challenges of the 21st century. Complex water problems cannot be solved with traditional disciplinary
approaches and focus will shift even more to an issue-oriented, solution-focused and multidisciplinary approach with the aim of educating a new generation of reflexive engineers and adaptive
water managers trained in trans-disciplinary ways of producing and using knowledge in real world
situations.
The Institute intends to move from the current 18-months MSc programmes to: (i) a science-based
one-year MSc programme Water and Sustainability; and (ii) a two-year Research MSc programme
aimed at those students who aspire a career in academia or R&D. This change will require a
significantly improved quality of student intake through stricter entrance requirements, careful
reconsideration of content to make it more skills, competencies and lifelong learning oriented, as well
as adaptations to existing joint MSc programmes implemented in collaboration with partner
universities. The current joint programmes will be critically assessed, and new programmes will only
be considered if the prospective partners are reputable and complementary. There must also be a clear
external demand and financial commitment.
The Institutes highly specialized e-learning courses with a focus on water and sustainability in a
development context will be enhanced to apply modern didactical approaches, offer more personalized
study tracks and support life-long learning. E-learning will also play a key role in the MSc preparation
phase.
The research and innovation strategy of UNESCO-IHE is geared to five key elements of sustainability
meeting basic needs; protecting the integrity of the resource base; ensuring equity and reducing
conflict; mitigating risks and building resilience; enabling economic development and will retain its
focus on excellence. To that end the UNESCO-IHE PhD Graduate School for Water and Development
will be launched in 2015. It will operate as a one-entry PhD training and research point in water and
development with multiple degree providers (international top level universities).
The Institute will continue to focus on the following research themes which are well connected to
relevant international programmes: (i) Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation, (ii) Water Related Hazards
and Climate Change, (iii) Water and Ecosystems Quality, (iv) Water Management and Governance,
(v) Water, Food, and Energy Security, and (vi) Information and Knowledge Systems. The commitment
to innovation will increase, i.e. the translation of research outputs into products, services, processes
and new activities must be improved. Most innovations of the Institute will continue to be of a
technological nature, but their adoption also has social, economic, environmental, governance,
institutional and political dimensions. Examples include research into low-cost water and wastewater
treatment systems, pro-poor and emergency sanitation, resource recovery from waste, forecasting
systems and nature-based flood defences.
To prevent the failure of innovative ideas in the real world, UNESCO-IHE intends to grow the
absorption and innovation capacity of partners and promote entrepreneurship in the water sector by
increasing the number of public-private partnerships and related training courses. Also, more
demonstration sites and living labs will be set up with local governments, businesses, and other
parties. These sites will become focal areas for stakeholder engagement with a key role to play for
local partners in the co-design of research activities.
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In the area of capacity development for social innovation UNESCO-IHE will concentrate on a number
of strategic objectives. It will (i) take on various roles to sustainably strengthen the capacity of
individuals and organisations through joint learning and change; (ii) shift to higher value development
services (e.g. advisory services, change processes and customized training) to address the complexity
of water issues and the diversity of stakeholders; (iii) target individual water professionals, a wide
variety of water sector organizations, NGOs, and civil society organizations, potential long-term
partners and water sector leaders; and (iv) strive to be the leading global provider of capacity
development services for the water sector by 2025.
Reaching our strategic goals: Strengthening the organization
Ways to simplify and increase the effectiveness of UNESCO-IHEs governance structure will be
investigated with a view to establish a more programme-driven and theme-oriented approach. Staff
efficiency will be increased through professionalization of process management services and IT
systems, efficiency improvements in education and research, and maximum integration of student cost
into externally funded projects.
Conclusion
The strategy for the next ten years will have to be implemented in a dynamic and changing
environment due to economic uncertainties, societal and environmental changes, an SDG agenda
which has not yet been consolidated, changes in donor policies, etc. Despite these uncertainties
UNESCO-IHE is exceptionally well-placed to implement the high-quality and high-impact water
education, research and innovation, and capacity development programmes needed to address the huge
water and sustainability challenges we are faced with. The Institute is confident that its ambitious
strategy will enable it to excel by developing talent, providing solutions and contributing to global
sustainability in partnership.

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Short Version of Strategic Direction 2015-2025

Introduction
Society has to undergo a global transition to more sustainable patterns of consumption and production
in order to better manage our natural resource base; sustainable and equitable water management plays
a key role in that respect. Progress in the transition to sustainable patterns is variable and the pace of
change is influenced by a number of grand challenges, which include poverty, hunger, poor hygiene,
inequity, biodiversity loss, and exploitative resource use.
The role of water for sustainable development is critical, all relevant global drivers that influence the
education, research and innovation, and capacity development agenda of UNESCO-IHE are high on
the political agenda, such as, climate change, demographic development, poverty and (gender-) equity,
inclusive green growth, food security, energy security and the need for integrated approaches (cf.
nexus approach), and taking account of the transboundary context of water resources. Furthermore,
new drivers emerged, such as the post-2015 development agenda with the (to be consolidated)
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Developing solutions for water problems and the associated
pressing societal and environmental needs is therefore more important than ever. UNESCO-IHE is
uniquely positioned to play a significant role in the water-related transition to sustainability.

Objectives of this Document

Significant progress has been achieved in last 5 years, during which the Institute followed the
'Strategic Directions - UNESCO-IHE in 2020'; this includes a significant increase of research
productivity and quality, the establishment of several joint education programmes, stronger academic
leadership, increasing e-learning offerings, updated HR policy, and a more effective functioning of
process management units. External reviews of the education and research programmes resulted in
favourable assessments, and the Institute is recognised as a leading international water education and
research institute that is well connected through strong partnerships. The global position of the
Institute has been further strengthened, as evidenced for instance by the global/regional visibility and
involvement in key policy processes (e.g. the post-2015 development agenda). However, two key
elements of the 2020 strategy, namely the establishment of regional UNESCO-IHE institutes (part of
the Global Campus) and obtaining own PhD granting rights, could not be implemented and will not be
pursued.
This document introduces strategic directions for UNESCO-IHE for the time horizon of 2015-2025.
They are the result of a participatory process with many internal and external consultations and mainly
prepared by several task forces. The Position Paper of the IHE Delft Foundation Board has also been
considered. This draft strategy is entitled Excelling in impact by developing talents, providing
solutions and contributing to global sustainability in partnership and consequently puts excelling in
impact as the main objective of the Institute for the coming decade. After the Institute has evolved
from a higher education institute to an institute where education and research are equally important, it
will focus in the future on maximizing achieving impact in contributing to sustainability and
development for the benefit of the society and the environment.

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Point of Departure and Institutional Embedding

UNESCOIHE is the largest international graduate education institute in the field of water. The
Institute offers MSc programmes and a PhD programme (in collaboration with partner universities)
and various capacity development activities (specialized courses, tailor made trainings, advisory
services etc.) mainly geared towards the needs of developing and transition countries. 'Working in
partnership' is the general approach of the Institute; the majority of the activities are done in
cooperation with partners world-wide. Partners are other academic institutions but also sector
ministries and departments, companies and private sector organizations, water boards and water
utilities, municipalities, UNESCO institutes and other UN/international organizations, NGOs and
other civil society organizations.
UNESCO-IHE, being integral part of UNESCO as a so-called category 1 institute, contributes towards
UNESCO's strategy in all its fields of competence. As a member of the UNESCO Water Family the
Institute's activities are largely aligned to the International Hydrological Programme (IHP-VIII, 20142021) 'Water Security: Responses to Local Regional and Global Challenges'. The Institute is
spearheading research on topics central to the IHP, including water-related disasters in a changing
environment, ecohydrology and water quality, climate change/climate change adaptation, urban water
management, transboundary groundwater, water education, water governance and pro-poor sanitation.
Therefore, it collaborates with several UNESCO category 2 water centres and UNESCO chairs.
Furthermore, the UNESCO global priorities areas Africa and gender equality are addressed in many
projects and activities. The Institute supports (water) organizations that provide an enabling
environment for both women and men to contribute to and enjoy the benefits of sustainable
development of water resources. Many activities of the Institute benefit Africa. Notably, around 90%
of the programme participants are from developing countries and countries in transition; about 40%
are female and about 40% are from Africa - these are only two indicators to demonstrate the Institute's
impact. Finally, the education programme builds on the outcomes of the UN Decade of Education for
Sustainable Development (2005-2014; lead by UNESCO) by addressing the identified capacity gap
particularly in the developing world.
UNESCO-IHE's activities are strongly linked to the Dutch water and academic/knowledge sectors. Its
agenda is well connected to the international education, knowledge and science agenda of the Dutch
Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and the Institute contributes directly to various other
objectives and programmes of the Government of the Netherlands. The education programmes are
implemented in accordance with Dutch legislation and the MSc programmes are accredited by NVAO.
Several programmes are implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (DGIS) in
addressing the Trade and Development Cooperation agenda related to water. The Institute contributes
to related agendas of the Ministry of Environment and Infrastructure ('being connected' agenda) and
the Ministry of Economic Affairs (e.g. Topsectors).
The very good cooperation with Dutch universities is based on many joint research, education and
capacity building projects implemented in the developing world. The cooperation is facilitated through
joint appointments of staff and guest lecturers; particularly each professor of UNESCOIHE has an
appointment (often on 0.0 FTE basis) with one of the Dutch universities. This ensures linkages with
the relevant chair groups at these universities and enables that PhD promotions are done jointly (based
on their PhD granting right as stipulated by the Law of Higher Education in the Netherlands). The
closest ties are with Delft University of Technology (water management, hydraulic engineering and
water supply and sanitation) and Wageningen University (environmental sciences and technology),
ISS/Erasmus University of Rotterdam (public administration and economics) and more recently with
the University of Amsterdam (social science faculty) and Twente University (water management). The
PhD programme and particularly the doctoral education is supported through the membership in the
Dutch Research School SENSE.
The strong links to the Dutch water sector are mainly substantiated through joint projects in
developing countries and countries in transition with, for instance, Deltares, Wetsus, KWR, the water
boards and water utilities, including Vitens Evides International, and Dutch companies, such as Royal
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Haskoning-DHV, Arcadis, and HKV. The Institute provides access to specific knowledge and
networks, which helps the Dutch water sector achieving its goals in a wider international and socioeconomic context. Match-making events are organized regularly to facilitate contacts between
UNESCO-IHEs students and the large alumni network and the Dutch water sector. Professionals from
the Dutch water sector often provide guest lecturers in UNESCO-IHE programmes; several joint staff
appointments exist as well.

Strategy Education
An analysis of current international programmes and future trends confirmed the need of creative and
innovative water education to educate water professionals who can meet the grand water and
sustainability challenges of tomorrow. Solving complex water problems cannot be done with
traditional disciplinary approaches, thus institutes that are issue-oriented, solution-focused and multidisciplinary in nature have an important role to play. UNESCO-IHE brings together a range of waterrelated disciplines and has a strong focus on applicability and societal impact, thus UNESCO-IHE is
well placed and equipped to create a new generation of reflexive engineers and adaptive water
managers trained in inter- and transdisciplinary ways of producing and using knowledge in real world
situations.
Research will continue to be central for UNESCO-IHE science-based education programmes; students
are confronted with state-of-the-art knowledge, ideas, approaches and technologies both in the taught
part and during the research projects in which they partake. The education is internationally and interculturally oriented (characterized by pluralism and diversity) and primarily for mid-career
professionals from developing countries and countries in transition to become creative problem
solving professionals in the field of water and environment. However, the programmes are also
attractive for students from all over the world with interest in water and sustainability particularly in a
development context.
Future MSc Programmes
The Institute will continue to implement its MSc programmes with an appropriate didactic mix
(blended learning) in a modular set-up that facilitates the development of a T-shape competency
profile of its participants. For the future, it is proposed to move from the current 18-months MSc
programmes to: (i) A science-based one-year MSc programme called Water and Sustainability,
which focuses on the development of professional skills - teaching mid-career professionals from a
variety of backgrounds (for instance, engineers, natural scientists, economists, lawyers, journalists
etc.). The programme continues to include a (short) research element and would be accredited as a
single programme possibly with fewer specializations. (ii) A two-year Research MSc programme
aimed at those students who aspire a career in academia or R&D. This programme with its one-year
research phase will be thematically aligned with the doctoral programme to possibly shorten the PhD
track. Many of the specialization modules will be the same as for the one-year programme; however,
relatively more emphasis will be given on research methodological aspects. The feasibility and further
implications of this proposal will be carefully studied, including the supporting business model and
marketing strategy.
Making the in the MSc programmes (in 2017 the earliest) will entail significantly improving the
quality of student intake through stricter entrance requirements (incl. online MSc preparation phase,
use of available courses/MOOCs, possible entrance exams), careful re-consideration of the contents of
the taught part to become more skills, competencies and lifelong learning oriented, and adaptations of
existing joint MSc programmes that are implemented in collaboration with partner universities.

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Figure 1. Illustration of the future 2-tier MSc programmes at UNESCO-IHE

E-learning
UNESCO-IHE has been offering e-learning courses since more than 10 years and will further increase
its e-learning offerings as this allows for flexibility in learning in time, space, pace, subject, number of
students, mode of delivery, level and offers new ways for teaching, tutoring and guidance. The
Institute's comparative strength is in offering highly specialized e-learning courses with a focus on
water and sustainability particularly in a development context. The education will remain learnercentred, interactive, suited for focused audiences and will apply a blended learning approach. The
online products will be part of the MSc programme and the life-long-learning programme (largely
supervised, non-gratis courses), and will also be the building blocks of (new) graduate professional
diploma programmes (GPDPs). Selected courses will be offered as Open Course Ware (freely
accessible, non-supervised). The envisaged e-learning developments enable to offer more personalized
study tracks for participants.
E-learning partners will be selected on the basis of complementarities in content development and
delivery, and/or in the sharing of didactical/technical expertise and infrastructure. A structural
cooperation with Delft University of Technology, a world leader in offering cutting edge on-line
courses in a number of technical fields, is envisaged based on a joint strategy.

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Pre MSc phase

e-learning

One year MSc

Two year
Research MSc

Post MSc
e-learning

PhD

Specialists and
aspiring experts that
want to enter our
MSc programmes,
but need get well
prepared

Specialists and
experts from
developing
countries and
countries in
transition that want
to become water
professionals and
innovators for the
public and private
sector

Specialists/experts/
university staff from
developing
countries and
countries in
transition that want
to become R&D
professionals for the
public and private
sector

Life-Long Learning
Community in the
Water Sector
Specialists/experts
that want to update
their knowledge in
certain fields

MSc graduates and

specialists from
developing
countries and
countries in
transition that aim
for a career in
academia, R&D, or
science-based
policy making in the
private or public
sector

Professionals world-wide with a particular interest in water and sustainability in a development context

Figure 2. Envisaged education target groups

Joint MSc Programmes

UNESCO-IHE became a frontrunner in developing and implementing joint MSc programmes and
remains firmly committed to offering MSc education together with international partners. The main
drivers for offering joint programmes/specialisations still apply: (i) offering of additional,
complementary content and increase the choice and enrich the learning experience of students; (ii)
reducing of fellowship costs and new funding sources; and (iii) increase the Institute's impact in
developing countries. The total number of joint programmes will stabilize; however, critical attitude
will be applied towards current joint programmes/specialisations (size, quality, costs, overall set-up).
New programmes will be considered if the prospective partner(s) is/are reputable and complementary.
They will have to be of high quality, innovative and content driven, and fit the development agendas
of UNESCO-IHE and the partner(s) concerned. There must be a clear external demand and financial
commitment. Quality assurance arrangements are essential in all on-going and possible future
collaborations.

Strategy Research and Innovation

Being part of UNESCO/UN system while having its base in The Netherlands (highly regarded for its
research and innovations in water) and EU, and with its extensive network of partners in developing
countries and countries in transition, UNESCO-IHE is uniquely positioned to continue playing a
significant role in the water-related transition to sustainability through research and innovation. The
research outcomes often provide decision makers, water managers, and water sector organizations
with the knowledge and innovations needed to address complex water and sustainable development
challenges. The research programme strives to achieve scientific excellence, be solution-oriented and
have high societal impact. Trans-disciplinary approaches (going beyond interdisciplinary approaches
by explicitly including stakeholders) will be further strengthened in the co-design and co-production
of research and innovation activities.
The research programme of the Institute has grown continuously; there are now about 150 registered
PhD fellows, up to 20 post-docs and around 200 MSc thesis researchers annually. The Institute has
reached its delivery capacity in its current set up. The regular (six-yearly) external research review
conducted in 2014 under the auspices of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences (KNAW)
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assessed the research quality, productivity, academic reputation, earning capacity, societal relevance,
viability, and strategy very favourably.

Research Themes
UNESCO-IHE's research is linked to five essential elements of sustainability and thus contributes
directly to the pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals. The first element is to meet basic needs,
which refers mainly to water supply, sanitation, hygiene, and food security. The second is to protect
the integrity of the resource base, which refers to water resources (freshwater, estuarine, and coastal)
and ecosystems that constitute our natural heritage as well as the raw materials necessary for economic
growth. Third is to ensure equity and reduce conflict, with an emphasis on gender equality for women
and girls as well as the role of water in promoting cooperation. Fourth is to mitigate risks and build
resilience, which emphasizes floods and droughts and considers hard and soft engineering and
management approaches in urban and rural settings and in response to climate change. Finally, the
fifth element is to enable economic development (meet the challenges of green growth in a circular
economy), which emphasizes going beyond basic needs to support sustainable agriculture, energy
generation, and other productive uses of water that increase income and raise living standards
The six research themes of UNESCO-IHE are well aligned with relevant international and national
science programmes (e.g. UNESCO IHP-8, ICSU's Future Earth, IAHS Pant Rhei, EU Horizon 2020
etc.). They cover core thematic areas of sustainability as well as cross-cutting themes:
1) Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation addresses the entire water supply and sanitation chain,
mainly within an urban and peri-urban context, including centralized and decentralized
approaches, advanced and low-cost technologies, and engineered and natural systems;
2) Water Related Hazards and Climate Change addresses hazards such as floods, droughts, and
water pollution under current and future climate conditions;
3) Water and Ecosystems Quality addresses processes affecting the occurrence and
transformations in water resources and ecosystems, with special emphasis on knowledge
supporting solutions to local and global pressures that impact them;
4) Water Management and Governance addresses how water management decisions are made
through an instruments-oriented approach targeting management arrangements and a critical
analytical approach analyzing contested decision-making processes;
5) Water, Food, and Energy Security investigates the complex web of inter-linkages between
water, food and energy; and
6) Information and Knowledge Systems investigates the use of computer based data acquisition,
modelling, optimization and decision support tools in water management and the dynamics of
professional knowledge development and dissemination in rolling out water sector programs
at local and national scales.
Establishing the Graduate School
The UNESCO-IHE Graduate School for Water and Development is currently under development and
will be launched in early 2015. The objective is that the Graduate School will operate as a 'one entry
and PhD training point' in water and development with multiple (joint) degree providers (international
top level universities), while building on the excellent relationships with universities in the
Netherlands (partners universities in co-supervising the PhD students and co-awarding the PhD
degree) but extent the focus internationally. This unique feature gives the Graduate School the
possibility to select, based on the PhD topic, the best and most suitable team of supervisors from
UNESCO-IHE and partner institution/s with whom UNESCO-IHE arranges an agreement for each
PhD candidate.

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Figure 3. Correspondence between research themes and chair groups at UNESCO-IHE

Commitment to Innovation
New in this research and innovation agenda is the increased commitment to innovation defined as a
translation of research outputs (inventions) into products, services, processes and new activities that
are introduced to the real world. The innovations of the Institute are and will continue to be often of
technological nature, but their adoption also has social, economic, environmental, governance,
institutional and political dimensions. Examples include the Institutes research into low-cost water
and wastewater treatment systems, pro-poor and emergency sanitation, resource recovery from wastes,
real-time capture and routing of flood waters for irrigation, nature-based flood defences, improved
forecasting techniques and coastal warning systems and many more.

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To prevent the failure of innovative ideas not penetrating to the real world, UNESCO-IHE will make
an effort to create 'stepping stones and bridges'. Therefore, the Institute focuses on capacity
development to enlarge the absorptive and innovation capacity of partners and stimulates
entrepreneurial development of the water sector by enlarging the number of Public-PrivatePartnerships (and the capacity to establish these) and offering entrepreneurial and other specialised
trainings. Furthermore, more demonstration sites, living- or transition labs will be established in
different regions where the Institute operates in cooperation with local governments, businesses,
knowledge institutes, and non-governmental organizations. These sites will become focal areas for
stakeholder engagement with a key role for local partners to co-design and co-development of research
activities and demonstration sites and when applicable joint educational programmes and training
activities.

Figure 4. Illustration of the gap (Valley of Death)2 that dooms many attempts at translating of knowledge
into innovative and sustainable products, services, processes, practices, and policies.

Strategy Capacity Development for Social Innovation

UNESCO-IHE has a strong mandate and comparative advantage in capacity development for social
innovation. The raison d'tre for the Institute is considered its impact 'on the ground', i.e. its ability to
strengthen the performance of the water sector particularly in developing countries and countries in
transition. The global demand for high-quality and high-impact projects (e.g. national/regional
strategies) has been increasing and is predicted to continue to increase. Furthermore, the role of social
innovation is gaining increasing global attention, i.e. those processes and outcomes related to societal
goals, unsatisfied collective needs or societal - as opposed to mere economic - progress. The European
Union characterises social innovations as innovations that are not only good for society but also
enhance societys capacity to act. Social innovations take place across boundaries between the public
sector, the private sector, the third sector and the households". Social innovation consists of both,
technological and non-technological elements, which will not be met by relying on market signals
alone.

The gap represents the phase of innovation when research funding declines and before funding of knowledge users
(public or private) is secured. Bridging the gap requires including stepping stones in innovation and valorisation
activities. UNESCO-IHE is increasing its commitment to completing this innovation process and including the
needed stepping stones to see its research results put into application.

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While known for the quality and impact of its capacity development activities, UNESCO-IHEs
approach is characterized by working in long-term partnerships (trust, cooperation on equal footing,
respect) with a variety of stakeholders. It will concentrate on the following strategic objectives: (i)
UNESCO-IHE will take on diverse roles to sustainably strengthen the capacity of individuals and
organisations through joint learning and change. (ii) It will shift to higher value/advanced capacity
development services (e.g. advisory services, change processes as well as (tailor-made) training
activities) due to the complexity of water problems and the diversity of involved stakeholders. (iii) It
will target the following capacity development beneficiaries and partners: individual water
professionals, a wide variety of water sector organizations, NGOs and civil society organizations,
envisaged long term partners and targeted future water sector leaders. And, (iv) it attempts be the
leading, world-class provider of capacity development services for the water sector by 2025.

Organizational and Governance Aspects

The overall leadership and day-to-day management of the Institute will continue to lie with the
Rectorate. Ways to simplify and increase the effectiveness of the governance structure will be
investigated in collaboration with various stakeholders (UNESCO, Government of the Netherlands,
and the Governing Board of UNESCO-IHE and the IHE Delft Foundation Board) in the coming
months.
It is proposed to review the current department set up and examine alternative organizational set-ups
to support more programme-driven/theme-oriented approaches. Currently, the education and research
programme are implemented by staff members from the three academic departments (matrix structure)
and the process management units. Changes might include to move towards two (instead of four) MSc
programmes and to reconsider the composition and size of the chair groups in view of reaching critical
mass. Furthermore, it is the ambition to further increase staff efficiency through professionalising the
Institutes process management services, automating systems, increasing efficiency in education and
research, and integrating student supervision as much as possible into externally funded projects.
UNESCO-IHE aspires to remain an attractive international employer, whose staff is its greatest asset.
The Institute aims to continue enlarging its diversity (gender, professional background, country of
origin) through all level positions and make the organization more flexible (incl. temporary contracts,
post-docs etc.).
A two-tier approach is likely to develop for external partnerships: (i) The first category consists of
partners with well established and intense collaboration and implementation of joint programmes in
education and research, joint staff appointments, etc. (e.g. Dutch universities, Deltares, AIT Bangkok,
Egerton University Kenya, and others.) (ii) The second category includes many MoU partners with
whom the Institute has fewer joint activities characterized by project based cooperation, which is
essential for fulfilling the mandate of the Institute. To overcome some capacity constraints (research
facilities, e-learning etc.), the Institute will intensify the cooperation particularly with the first
category.

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Concluding Remarks
Implementing this strategy will require concerted efforts in the coming 10 years. It is important to note
that the strategy will have to be implemented in a dynamic and changing environment due to economic
uncertainties and societal and environmental changes, the not yet consolidated SDG agenda, changes
donor policies, etc. Furthermore, a mid-term evaluation of the cooperation agreement between the
Government of the Netherlands and UNESCO in early 2016 will decide about the continuation under
the current conditions until 2018.
A detailed implementation plan will be developed in the first half of 2015, which will specify the
organization profile and structure, resource needs (human resources, facilities) and resource
mobilization plans. A two-step process of implementation is foreseen with necessary
staging/prioritized actions in early 2015 that relates to assessing research staff and capacity,
representation of disciplines and possibly missing fields (e.g. water economics, water and finance,
innovation studies), assessing strategic partnerships, facility needs, staffing plan and establishment of
the PhD Graduate School for Water and Development. The full implementation of the strategy will
happen from July 2015 onwards.
To conclude, UNESCO-IHE is exceptionally well-placed to implement high-quality and high-impact
water education, research and innovation, and capacity development for social innovation
programmes needed to address the grand water and sustainability challenges. The Institute is
confident that with this ambitious strategy it will excel in impact by developing talent, providing
solutions and contributing to global sustainability in partnership.

DRAFT 10 November 2014

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