IWRM: for sustainable use of water; 50 years of international experience with the concept of integrated water resources management; background document to the FAO/Netherlands conference on water for food an ecosystems, The Hague, 31 January - 5 February 2005

Since the concept was explained in detail at the Dublin Conference in 1992 (International Conference on Water and the Environment: Development Issues for the 21st Century), Integrated Water Resources Management has been at the core of thinking on water resource development. Today, integrated water resources management is seen as: “A process which promotes the coordinated development and management of water, land and related resources, in order to maximise the resultant economic and social welfare in an equitable manner without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems” (definition of IWRM, GWP 2000). This is a concise, yet precise definition of IWRM expressing the need for water development for socio-economic development, while keeping ecosystems health