Regional Dialogue on Water Tenure for Asia and the Pacific
6–7 May 2026 | Galaxy Meeting Room, Avani+ Riverside Bangkok Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand | Hybrid
The Regional Dialogue on Water Tenure for Asia and the Pacific will take place on 6 and 7 May 2026 at the Avani+ Riverside Bangkok Hotel, in Bangkok, Thailand.
This multi-actor forum will bring together representatives from governments, civil society, Indigenous Peoples, academia and the private sector, with the objective of contributing regional perspectives to the Global Dialogue on Water Tenure.
The meeting will be held in a hybrid format, with in-person and online participation, and with support from the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific.
The Dialogue process is designed to facilitate the participation of all relevant actors from different sectors across the region. Preliminary activities, including advocacy and networking, capacity-building, online dialogues and pre-dialogue consultations, began in November 2025.
The Regional Dialogue on Water Tenure for Asia and the Pacific draws on water tenure assessments across the region through the ScaleWat and KnoWat projects, as well as the Asia-Pacific Water Scarcity Programme (WSP). These efforts have covered Sri Lanka (KnoWat), Cambodia (WSP), Viet Nam (WSP), Indonesia (WSP) and Thailand (WSP and ScaleWat), as well as quick water tenure assessments for Lao PDR, Malaysia and the Philippines through the ScaleWat project.
These assessments have demonstrated the diversity of legal, customary and informal tenure arrangements, while revealing persistent implementation gaps, fragmented governance, and cumulative discrimination against smallholder farmers, women, pastoralists and fisherfolk. They have also generated concrete recommendations for governments and water users towards more equitable and sustainable water governance.
Participants to the Regional Dialogue will review the draft Elements in light of regional priorities, challenges and opportunities, and foster multi-actor collaboration towards equitable, inclusive and climate-resilient water governance. Regional contributions will be consolidated to support the inclusion of water tenure in the agenda of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) .
Proposed agenda
| Time (UTC+7) | Session |
|---|---|
| 08:30–09:00 | Registration and collection of materials |
| 09:00–09:30 | Opening session Group photo |
| 09:30–10:00 | Introduction session Introduction to the concept of water tenure The Global Dialogue on Water Tenure |
| 10:00–10:20 | Presentation of the Elements of the Responsible Governance of Water Tenure |
| 10:20–10:30 | Mentimeter round 1 – priority Elements |
| 10:30–10:50 | Coffee break and group photo |
| 10:50–11:10 | Regional perspectives on water tenure governance |
| 11:10–12:10 | National perspectives panel Water tenure assessments and policy implications |
| 12:10–13:10 | Lunch |
| 13:10–14:40 | World café Tools and approaches for implementing the Elements of the Responsible Governance of Water Tenure |
| 14:40–14:55 | Coffee break |
| 14:55–17:00 | Group activity and plenary reporting Sector‑based group discussions and presentation of results |
| Time (UTC+7) | Session |
|---|---|
| 09:00–09:30 | Introduction session Summary of Day 1 Introduction to group activities |
| 09:30–10:30 | Multi‑sector dialogue groups Review of selected Elements of the Responsible Governance of Water Tenure |
| 10:30–10:45 | Coffee break |
| 10:45–12:00 | Presentation of multi‑sector group results |
| 12:00–13:00 | Lunch |
| 13:00–13:15 | Mentimeter round 2 – revised priorities |
| 13:15–14:15 | Panel discussion Avenues for future engagement and call for action |
| 14:15–14:50 | Plenary open discussion |
| 14:50–15:00 | Mentimeter round 3 – individual commitments |
| 15:00–15:30 | Next steps and the Global Dialogue on Water Tenure |
| 15:30–16:00 | Closing session |