History

In 1991, the first Stockholm Water Symposium was arranged by Stockholm Vatten AB, the municipal water and wastewater provider, on behalf of the City of Stockholm, and aimed at research scientists, civil servants, politicians and other decision-makers working with water. That same year, the Stockholm Water Prize, an international USD 150,000 award, was presented for the first time by the Stockholm Water Foundation (SWF), which was established in 1990 by the City of Stockholm and a number of Swedish companies. In 1994 the SWF created the Stockholm Junior Water Prize and in 2000 the Stockholm Industry Water Award was established by SWF together with the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.

The Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) was formed in 1997 as an interim organisational unit linked to Stockholm Vatten AB.  SIWI’s task was to take responsibility for the planning, administration and implementation of the Stockholm Water Symposium, administer the Stockholm Water Prize, the Stockholm Junior Water Prize, the Stockholm Industry Water Award (from 2000), and also the Swedish Baltic Sea Water Award (established by the Swedish government in 1999).

Since 1997 SIWI’s portfolio has grown and expanded. The World Water Week in Stockholm – the successor to the Stockholm Water Symposium – has grown into the leading annual, future-oriented meeting for experts on cross-sectoral, inter-disciplinary water, environment and development issues. More than 2000 participants from 100-plus countries represent governments, local authorities, international organisations, business, stakeholder organisations and NGOs in Stockholm, and more than 140 international organisations are active as convenors and co-convenors during the week.

SIWI’s project and long-term institutional arrangements have also developed. Since 2003 SIWI has been responsible for the Swedish Water House initiative, on behalf of Sweden’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Sustainable Development. The purpose is to work with various Swedish bodies to strengthen collaboration between them and to increase interest in and involvement within international water issues. Since 2005, SIWI also has responsibility for the UNDP Water Governance Facility at SIWI. Also since 2005, SIWI’s project-related work has developed to include “help desk” support to the Swedish International Development Co-operation Agency’s work, including support to the European Commission’s work on the EU Water Initiative and strategically important topics and areas, including issues related to anti-corruption in the water sector, transboundary water management, and the Middle East/North Africa region.

Capacity Building activities in the form of large number of Sida International Training Programmes that SIWI carried out together with Ramböll Natura have been implemented by SIWI since 2005.

In June 2008, SIWI has been legally separated from Stockholm Vatten AB and incorporate its operations into the registered not-for-profit Stockholm Water Foundation.