The Rivers, Rights, Resilience Forum (RRRF) 2026, organised by Oxfam in Asia, commenced on Tuesday in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The three-day regional event brings together water experts, policymakers, civil society representatives, researchers and community leaders from across South Asia and beyond to strengthen cooperation on shared river systems and climate resilience.
The forum is part of the Transboundary Rivers of South Asia (TROSA) programme, supported by the Government of Sweden, which works on the Ganges–Brahmaputra–Meghna (GBM) river basins, while also encouraging cross-basin learning at the regional and global levels. This year’s theme is “Building Resilient Communities and Ecosystems.” The Forum is co-organised by Oxfam in Asia and Dev Pro, Sri Lanka.
The forum opened with a welcome address by John Samuel, Regional Director, Oxfam in Asia, who highlighted the deep connection between rivers, politics, climate change, and sustainability. He underlined how rivers shape both environmental and social outcomes across South Asia and called for stronger collaboration between governments and civil society.
“Today building resilience is important in terms of climate and politics, and when civic space is shrinking, we should all work in solidarity,” he said.
Veteran water and development thinker Dipak Gyawali offered a broader climate perspective on water, describing it as ranging over “seven colours”, from white clouds to green soil moisture, brown ground water etc. All of them – and societies dependent upon each of them – are affected by both climate change and mal-development.
He also stressed the need to move beyond conventional models of engagement, calling for not just public–private partnerships where public interest tend to get overwhelmed by private ones, but “public–private–civic partnerships” to ensure more inclusive and accountable water governance.
Dr. Matthew McCartney, Research Group Leader – Sustainable Water Infrastructure and Ecosystems at the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Sri Lanka, spoke about IWMI’s Water Energy Food Ecosystems (WEFE) approach, which promotes integrated and holistic water management across sectors.
He also highlighted that women and children are disproportionately affected by water and climate challenges. “Within the programme we integrate Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) issues. One specific area is developing the capacity of emerging women leaders in the Water Energy Food and Ecosystem (WEFE) approach, because women are under-represented in decision-making.”
The session continued with a Plenary discussion titled, Building Resilient Communities in the GBM River Basins: Pathways for Policy Action, where participants discussed why effective water governance is critical for climate adaptation in transboundary river basins, how resilience can be strengthened for communities living along rivers, and what practical strategies and pathways are needed to address growing climate risks.
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The RRRF 2026 will continue over the next two days with thematic sessions, policy dialogues, and community-led learning exchanges aimed at strengthening cooperation for shared waters, climate resilience, and inclusive water governance across South Asia.
Oxfam in Asia organises the RRRF every year to bring together water professionals in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM) River Basins of South Asia. The RRRF serves as a learning platform wherein experts, civil society organizations, academia, the private sector, and governments exchange learning to promote equitable governance of shared water ecosystems
