For 15 years, seven Bonn-based institutions shared their insights into solutions to water problems in the "Water Lecture" series, before founding the Bonn Water Network in November 2020.

The network aims to bundle and intensify efforts towards a sustainable water future.

As of January 2024, the network includes

• the Bonn International Center for Conversion (BICC)
• the University of Bonn with the Institute of Geography (GIUB), which holds the UNESCO Chair in Human Water Systems
• the Center for Development Research (ZEF)
• the Institute for Hygiene and Public Health (IHPH)
• the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) - formerly the German Development Institute (DIE)
• the IUCN Environmental Law Center
• the United Nations Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS)
• the Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
• the United Nations Secretariat for Water and Sanitation (UN-Habitat/GWOPA)
• the Water Integrity Network (WIN) Berlin
• the Koblenz-based International Center for Water Resources and Global Change (ICGWRC)