COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, 8 September 2026 – The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) are bringing together experts at a co-sponsored meeting titled ‘Addressing Water Risks and Building Resilience to Climate Change: Evidence, Gaps and Policy Pathways’. The meeting will take place from September 8–10, 2026 at IWMI’s global headquarters in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The Expert Meeting will be co-chaired by Cromwel Lukorito, IPCC Working Group II Vice Chair and Henk Ovink, Chair of the Board of Governors of IWMI, and Executive Director and founding Commissioner of the Global Commission on the Economics of Water. The meeting will bring together about 60 leading experts in the field to discuss the current state of knowledge on water and climate, identify priority research needs and generate evidence that could inform policy and practice at the local, national and global levels. This meeting takes place at a pivotal moment in the IPCC assessment cycle, as authors are progressing on work relating to the IPCC Working Groups I, II and III contributions to the IPCC Seventh Assessment Report (AR7), with Working Group II having a dedicated chapter on water. Bringing together experts, including those involved in IPCC’s global climate assessments and IWMI’s leadership in water research, reflects the growing recognition that water is central to understanding climate risks and shaping effective responses. For more questions about this Co-sponsored Expert Meeting or if you would like to schedule media interviews with any of the expert participants, please contact to cIPCC Working Group II ([email protected]) and the International Water Management Institute ([email protected]).