Water Week 2025 opens: Water takes centre stage in climate action

Stockholm, Sweden – 25 August 2025 — World Water Week 2025 opens today in Stockholm and online under the theme Water for Climate Action, bringing together thousands of participants from across the globe to accelerate solutions for the climate crisis.

From extreme droughts to rising floods, the impacts of climate change are felt most acutely through water. Yet water has often been overlooked in climate negotiations. Recent progress at COP28 and COP29 has begun to change this, and with COP30 ahead in Brazil, World Water Week offers a crucial moment to keep the momentum going.

“The climate crisis is a water crisis. We see it in drying rivers and flooded cities, in failed harvests and forced migration. But in water, we also find the solutions. This year’s World Water Week is our historic chance to put water where it belongs—at the heart of global climate action,” said Helena Thybell, Executive Director of the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI).

A highlight of the week will be the High-Level Panel: Water’s Pathway in Global Processes (26 August), where leaders from governments, UN agencies, science, and civil society will connect World Water Week discussions to upcoming milestones such as COP30 and the 2026 UN Water Conference.

Other highlights include the Stockholm Water Prize ceremony, the Indigenous Peoples Focus, and the first-ever UN World Lake Day Sunrise Swim.

Now in its 35th year, World Water Week has grown from a local event in Stockholm into the world’s leading conference on global water issues, co-created with over 500 organizations. Participation is free online.