Putting fairness at the heart of water policy decision-making

Water policy depends on trust – without it, decisions stall, face reversal, or fuel conflict. Watertrust’s Equity, Fairness, and Justice initiative is focused on ensuring water decisions are more inclusive, transparent, and widely supported.

Three reports from the initiative – Water, Law and Concepts of Equity (released December 2024); Equity, Fairness, and Justice: Key Concepts for Water Policy; and, Equity, Fairness, and Justice: Literature Review – lay the foundation for a fairer and more effective approach to water governance. This work explores how decision-making processes that embed fairness and equity can lead to stronger, more durable policies.

The research highlights a simple but powerful truth: when people feel heard and respected, they are more likely to support difficult decisions.

Without doubt, trust is the foundation for lasting change. What is clear from the research is that when fairness is built into decision-making, solutions are found that unite rather than divide.

Watertrust sees this work as a turning point – an opportunity to shift the way water governance is approached. By integrating fairness, equity, and justice into decision-making, policies can be created that don’t just balance competing interests but build lasting trust and resilience.

These reports are another building block of a new model for water governance, one that is fairer, more inclusive, and built for the future.

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