Time for reflection: IW:LEARN highlights and achievements of 2025

2025 was a year defined by collaboration, learning, and shared purpose. Across the GEF International Waters portfolio, we exchanged knowledge more than ever through publications, webinars, twinning exchanges, monthly catchups, and regional and global dialogues. It was a dynamic and productive year that strengthened collective action for healthier waters and ecosystems worldwide.

So, what exactly did we accomplish?

Key Publications Released in 2025

IW:LEARN published a suite of core resources now supporting projects across the entire portfolio:

• IW:LEARN Welcome Guide: helping new projects quickly orient themselves within the IW community.
• IW:LEARN Website Guidelines: offering clear, practical steps to build modern, compliant, and impactful project websites.
• LME Annotated Bibliography: consolidating essential knowledge for the Large Marine Ecosystem (LME) community.
• Funding & Financing Guide (Latin America Focus): supporting project teams in LAC to identify and structure sustainable financing options and scale impact beyond project lifetimes.
• Compendia of International Waters Tools: providing technical and managerial tools to help projects work more efficiently and effectively.

Regional Workshops & Dialogues

In 2025, IW:LEARN convened or supported six regional events, creating spaces for cooperation, exchange, and capacity development:

• Regional MSP Training, LAC (Panama, Feb 2025)
• Pan-African Transboundary Dialogue, Addis Ababa (April 2025) held under the auspices of African regional partners
• Regional MSP Training, Africa (online, May 2025)
• First Regional Partnership Forum, Our Sea - Our Source - Our Future, Cartagena, Colombia (Oct 2025)
• LAC Transboundary Symposium, Lima (Oct 2025)
• Pacific SIDS Intraregional Meeting & Thematic Workshop, Fiji (Nov 2025) held as part of a Twinning Exchange

Global Platforms & High-Level Engagement

At the global level, IW:LEARN ensured that transboundary water issues remained visible in international dialogues. We contributed to:

• LME24, Athens (May 2025), focusing on ecosystem-based management of LMEs and ocean governance
• LME Side Event at UNOC 3, Nice (June 2025), highlighting mechanisms to boost public–private cooperation
• World Water Week, Stockholm (Aug 2025), with five IW:LEARN-led and supported sessions
• Conjunctive Water Management Dialogue, Johannesburg (Nov 2025), where we co-coordinated sessions on governance and cooperation

Capacity Building Through Webinars

IW:LEARN delivered five portfolio-wide webinars, including:

• The comms lab: Get hands-on communication experience (January 2025)
• IW Project Website Made Easy (April 2025)
• Storytelling 101: Turning Projects and Results into Compelling Narratives (Sept 2025)
• Working with the Media: Turning Your Project into News (Nov 2025)

Portfolio Engagement & Exchange

Throughout the year, IW:LEARN supported ongoing collaboration through:

• 4 portfolio calls
• 107 stories and news items submitted by projects
• 6 general twinning exchanges
• 4 SIDS-focused twinning exchanges

2025 was a year of meaningful progress where we expanded our knowledge base, deepening regional and global collaboration, and enhanced the capacities of projects across the GEF IW portfolio. 

Cheers to an even more glorious 2026!