Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada (27 October 2026) - We are delighted to announce a new collaboration between United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) and PLOS Water: a collection of papers focusing on policy-relevant, science-based solutions.
With the 2026 United Nations (UN) Water Conference and 2028 UN Water Conference on the horizon, this collaboration aims to place research at the forefront of the UN Water meetings, and better integrate the work of academic, scientific, and policy communities. Our collection will feature a series of invited narrative-style Opinion and Essay articles as well as research papers in PLOS Water, on key themes related to the UN Water conference and beyond. There is an open call for submission of relevant primary research papers to the collection, especially those which have the potential to translate into impactful policy for people and planet.
Our collaborative series, entitled “A New Era for Water: Policy-Relevant Research for Solutions”, aims to advance research and policy responses fit for a world that has entered the era of Global Water Bankruptcy. It builds on the UNU-INWEH report “Global Water Bankruptcy: Living Beyond Our Hydrological Means in the Post-Crisis Era,” calling for “honest, science-based adaptation to a new reality.”
This is a critical period for the water sector, and there is a need to build and sustain momentum in the lead-up to several major global meetings in which water is a central pillar. In addition to the 2026 and 2028 UN Water Conferences, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Summit and the World Water Forum will both occur in 2027. Additionally, 2028 is the conclusion of the Water Action Decade.
To nurture this momentum, it is essential to hear from a diversity of the brightest voices who can spotlight the most urgent challenges and showcase the most innovative ideas in the water sector in ways relevant for policy makers. This collection aims to do exactly this, and house this thought leadership in one easy-to-locate, open-access, searchable location.
Their work will challenge the status quo, make calls to action from within and across disciplines, sectors, and communities, and create a vision for how water research can translate into transformative policy and practice. In so doing, our organizations will create sustainable and lasting impact through intellectual stewardship.
Achieving SDG 6, “clean water and sanitation for all” is essential for the health of people and the planet. Progress towards this goal must come from a joint multi-lateral and multi-sectoral endeavor, and a place of solidarity and cooperation. Technical, political, financial, and public efforts in isolation will not be sufficient. Connected and collaborative cross-disciplinary communities are imperative.
“The challenge of water bankruptcy cannot be solved by science alone. It requires turning knowledge into policy and policy into action. Through our partnership with PLOS Water, we are fostering a stronger bridge between research, decision-making and practice, ensuring that diverse voices help shape global water agendas at the 2026 and 2028 UN Water Conferences and beyond.”
Professor Kaveh Madani, Director of UNU-INWEH
“This collaboration with UNU-INWEH, the UN’s think tank for water, and PLOS Water is a tremendous opportunity for researchers from any background to publish their work in a forum that can feed directly into the policymaking process.” Professor Sera Young, co-Editor-in-Chief of PLOS Water and Anthropologist at Northwestern University.
“How exciting, an invitational space for the arts, humanities, and sciences, publishing global and place-based water-focused materials; transcending boundaries for policy and practice.” Emeritus Professor Pierre Horwitz, co-Editor-in-Chief of PLOS Water, and social ecologist at Edith Cowan University.
This collection is intended to complement the existing UN Water Conference Academic Hub, a UN-Water initiative co-led by UNU, UNESCO and UNITAR.
Contributing an article to the series
Narrative commentary pieces for the collection are by invitation only, however, if you wish to propose a piece for PLOS Water, please contact the journal’s Executive Editor, Guillaume Wright, in the first instance. Submissions of research articles do not require prior approval, and can be made directly by going to this portal. Please quote “A New Era for Water” in the Collections field when submitting your manuscript and mention the collection in your cover letter. Please note that ‘Special Collection’ and ‘Collection’ refer to the one and the same thing within the PLOS journal submission systems.
About UNU-INWEH
Marking its 30th anniversary of operation in 2026, the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) is one of 13 institutions that make up the United Nations University (UNU), the academic arm of the UN. Known as 'The UN's Think Tank on Water', UNU-INWEH addresses critical water, environmental, and health challenges around the world. Through research, training, capacity development, and knowledge dissemination, the institute contributes to solving pressing global sustainability and human security issues of concern to the UN and its Member States. Headquartered in Richmond Hill, Ontario, UNU-INWEH has been hosted and supported by the Government of Canada since 1996. With a global mandate and extensive partnerships across UN entities, international organizations, and governments, UNU-INWEH leads UNU Hubs in Calgary, Hamburg, New York, Lund and Pretoria.
