Events - Center for Regulation, Policy and Governance

FAO Director-General QU Dongyu speaking at the lectern in FAO's Plenary Hall

FAO

'Pricing is not privatization': QU Dongyu opens the high-level Rome Water Dialogue on water tenure

FAO's Director-General told ministers that many water crises are governance crises, that water pricing must start from social justice, and that clear water rights protect customary users and build trust.

Barbara Schreiner speaking into a microphone on the stakeholder panel

FAO

'You cannot do it without transparency': Barbara Schreiner on water tenure, integrity and implementation

The Water Integrity Network's Barbara Schreiner said allocation systems fail in their design and in their implementation, and urged countries not to wait: 'We need action now.'

Pedro Arrojo Agudo speaking into a microphone on the stakeholder panel

FAO

'Do not keep this project in your drawer': UN Special Rapporteur Pedro Arrojo on the water tenure principles

Pedro Arrojo urged governments to recognise and record water rights 'urgently and unapologetically', fund community institutions by law, and carry the draft water tenure principles forward.

Germany's Ambassador Andreas von Brandt at the lectern in FAO's Plenary Hall, with the ministerial panel seated on stage

FAO

An outpouring of support for responsible water tenure at the high-level Rome Water Dialogue

Ministers, ambassadors and senior officials from ten countries and the Asian Development Bank responded to FAO's draft principles on water tenure. Here is what each said, in their own words.

Stephen Hodgson at the lectern presenting the draft principles at the High-level Rome Water Dialogue 2026

FAO

'Will I get my water?': Stephen Hodgson presents the twelve draft principles for the responsible governance of water tenure

At the high-level Rome Water Dialogue, environmental lawyer Stephen Hodgson walked governments through FAO's twelve draft principles, arranged in a circle because 'there is no hierarchy' and 'the principles are completely interlinked'.

Winfried Wicklein, Director General, Asian Development Bank

FAO

Governance and investment belong together: clear water rights "determine whether investment works or not", says ADB

At the Rome Water Dialogue, ADB's Winfried Wicklein argued that clear rights, transparent allocation rules and capable institutions decide whether water investment works. FAO's draft element on tenure security makes the same link.

FAO Plenary Hall during the ministerial panel of the High-level Rome Water Dialogue 2026

FAO

Food and water must never be instruments of pressure: Türkiye raises Gaza at FAO's water tenure dialogue

At the high-level session of the Rome Water Dialogue, Türkiye's Agriculture and Forestry Minister İbrahim Yumaklı named Gaza as among the most harrowing examples of why access to water and food must be protected in conflict, and invited countries to Antalya for COP31.

Speaker at the podium during the session on restoration of degraded agricultural lands

FAO

Restoring degraded farmland: the missing piece of land degradation neutrality

More than 60 per cent of human-induced land degradation is on agricultural land. At the Rome Water Dialogue, FAO and ministers asked how restoration can reach the farms where it matters.

Water Tenure

FAO presents draft principles for the responsible governance of water tenure in Rome

A global consultation reaching 768 participants in 95 countries has shaped 12 draft principles on water tenure. Fair and inclusive allocation emerged as the shared priority.

Water Tenure

Making invisible water users visible: CRPG at the Rome Water Dialogue 2026

At FAO headquarters in Rome, CRPG Director Mova Al'Afghani drew on water tenure assessments in Indonesia to show why reform starts with the water users the formal system does not see.