ODI programmes offer world class research and advisory services. To find out more, choose a programme from the list below.
For a broader overview of ODI work, the ODI theme pages bring together the work of all ODI's programmes to highlight key narratives.
The Water Policy Programme is one of 22 ODI programmes, and sits in ODI's Rural Policy and Governance Group.
With a diverse and multi-disciplinary team of researchers, the WPP has a broad skills base and wide regional-country knowledge.
Over the last five years, WPP researchers have worked with partners in South America, Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and Asia on issues as diverse as flood management, drought preparedness, sanitation policy, pro-poor drinking water provision, water rights, irrigation reform and aid effectiveness.
The Water Policy Programme team
Team members have backgrounds in geography, political science, economics, sociology, technology, ecology and botany. To find out more about a team member, click on their name below.
In addition to the core team above, Peter Newborne works with the Water Policy Programme, as a Research Associate on water policy, with a focus on institutional aspects. His principal areas of work are:
Flood Risk Management - evolution of laws, policies and strategies in the context of growing climate change-related flood risks;
Public-Private issues in the water sector: as a practising commercial lawyer and then subsequently in international development, Peter has worked with/for private and public sectors, as well as ‘civil society’;
Opportunities and challenges of Civil society participation in water planning and management; and
Water Rights: legal/institutional aspects of right of access to water supply.
Our partnerships
Our programmes works with a wide range of donors, government agencies, private companies and civil society organisations, north and south. We are currently working with the UK Department for International Development (DFID), WaterAid, the Nile Basin Discourse and the World Bank, and through our RiPPLE programme with government, NGO and civil society partners in the Horn of Africa.
The Water Science into Water Policy (WASP) initiative with the British Geological Survey (BGS) aims to link scientific analysis and conclusions to policies promoting sustainable management of water resources. We are currently working with BGS staff to evaluate the impacts of climate change on groundwater systems and water-dependent livelihoods.
The Water Policy Programme is one of 22 ODI programmes, and sits in ODI's Rural Policy and Governance Group. 
Our programmes works with a wide range of donors, government agencies, private companies and civil society organisations, north and south. We are currently working with the