Professor Kaveh Madani named 2026 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate for advancing water science, policy, diplomacy and public engagement
UNESCO Headquarters, Paris, 18 March 2026 — Professor Kaveh Madani, Director of the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH), has been named the 2026 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate. The announcement was made at the World Water Day ceremony at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. The prize will be formally presented by H.M. King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden during World Water Week in Stockholm in August 2026.
Often described as the ‘Nobel Prize of Water’, the Stockholm Water Prize is the most prestigious water award and honours outstanding contributions to the sustainable use and protection of water resources. Professor Madani’s selection is also a historic milestone for the global water community: at 44, he is the youngest laureate in the prize’s history, as well as the first UN official and the first former politician to receive the honour. The official Stockholm Water Prize citation recognizes Professor Madani for his “unique combination of groundbreaking research on water resources management with policy, diplomacy and global outreach, often under personal risk and political complexity.”
Professor Madani is internationally recognized for integrating game theory and decision analysis into conventional water resources management models. His work challenged the assumption of perfect cooperation in human-water systems and showed why technically optimal solutions often fail when they do not reflect real-world incentives, competing interests and institutional constraints. By bringing human behaviour into water modelling, he helped open new pathways for understanding water conflict, improving governance and fostering cooperation in regions where trust is scarce.
He is also widely known for developing the concept of “water bankruptcy”, a framework that challenges the adequacy of terms such as “water crisis” when water insecurity becomes chronic, systemic and partly irreversible. As the author of the landmark Global Water Bankruptcy report in 2026, Professor Madani helped elevate the warning that many river basins and aquifer systems are no longer experiencing temporary shocks but are instead losing their ability to return to historical conditions. By shifting attention from crisis response to what he has framed as “bankruptcy management”, his work has helped push global water discourse toward long-term questions of insolvency, irreversibility, adaptation and justice.
“This is a great honour and a humbling experience,” said Professor Madani. “I accept it with profound gratitude and share it with all those who have stood by me throughout my journey, including millions of my compatriots in Iran, as well as my students, mentors, colleagues, and family. At a time when fragmentation is deepening, human rights are under assault, and international law is being undermined, I hope this recognition reminds us that our shared vulnerability can still become a basis for shared action. Water is our common denominator and has untapped potential to foster unity within and between nations.”
Since taking leadership of UNU-INWEH, Professor Madani has helped strengthen the institute’s role as the “UN’s Think Tank on Water”, expanding its visibility, partnerships and contributions to global policy dialogue on water security, sustainability, climate adaptation and human security. UNU-INWEH, headquartered in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada, is one of the institutes that make up the United Nations University, the academic arm of the United Nations.
“Professor Kaveh Madani exemplifies the mandate of the United Nations University: turning rigorous scientific insight into practical solutions for the world’s most urgent challenges,” said Professor Tshilidzi Marwala, Rector of the United Nations University and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations. “His work has transformed how governments and societies understand water scarcity, bringing clarity and urgency to one of the defining issues of our time. Beyond his outstanding scholarship and policy impact, Professor Madani has demonstrated exceptional strategic leadership within the UNU system, revitalizing UNU-INWEH’s global footprint and forging innovative partnerships that bridge the United Nations and academia to accelerate solutions for Member States. The United Nations family is immensely proud to see his leadership and scholarship recognized with the Stockholm Water Prize.”
Before joining the United Nations, Professor Madani built a distinctive career spanning academia, public service and international environmental diplomacy. He previously held academic appointments at Imperial College London, Yale University, and the University of Central Florida. In Iran, his homeland, he served as the Deputy Vice President in his role as the Deputy Head of the Department of Environment, led its International Affairs and Conventions Center, and served as Vice President of the UN Environment Assembly Bureau. During his political tenure, he served as Iran’s lead environment diplomat, chaired Iran’s National Committee on International Climate Change Negotiations and led the country’s delegation at major international forums, including COP23. Currently, he also serves as a Research Professor at the City University of New York’s Remote Sensing Earth Systems Institute (CUNY CREST) at the City College of New York and the Chair of UNU's Sustainability Nexus Analytics, Informatics, and Data (AID) Programme.
"Only a small number of scientists succeed in bridging the worlds of research, policy, and public understanding. Professor Madani belongs to that rare group,” said Professor Vincent Boudreau, President of the City College of New York. “His pioneering work on water governance and the concept of ‘water bankruptcy’, along with his dedication to policy and societal outreach, has helped elevate water to the center of global sustainability discussions. This recognition reflects both his extraordinary scholarship and the vital role of science in shaping a more secure future. The City College has been a proud home to many Nobel laureates and now celebrates the well-deserved awarding of the first ‘Nobel Prize of Water’ to one of its own."
Established in 1991, the Stockholm Water Prize is presented by the Stockholm Water Foundation in cooperation with the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. Each year, the laureate is announced around World Water Day and later formally honoured during World Water Week in Stockholm.
“Through his work and outstanding achievements, Professor Madani has made invaluable contributions to our understanding of cross-cutting and complex water issues,” said Anette Scheibe Lorentzi, Chair of the Stockholm Water Foundation. “In the face of a changing climate, this knowledge is more important than ever, and I congratulate Professor Madani on being awarded the Stockholm Water Prize 2026.”
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Comments and Reactions
Kaveh Madani (2026 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate), Director of the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH)
“In the Persian tradition of Nowruz, water is a symbol of light and purity on our New Year table. To be named the Stockholm Water Prize Laureate at this specific moment is a vindication I share with all Iranians who believed in me when I was labeled a ‘threat’ for simply speaking the truth. I accept this honour with profound humility, and I am deeply grateful to my nominators, the selection committee, and the mentors, colleagues, and students who have been my intellectual family throughout this journey.
“I share this award with the millions of compatriots who stood by me, with my friends in the conservation community, who were imprisoned and killed for their love of nature, and with the brave and innocent Iranian lives taken from us in January 2026, and those lost before and since.”
“It is a profound coincidence that this news arrives as my homeland and the region whose sustainability I have fought for have been burning in the fires of conflicts and a war being conducted in defiance of international law. I hope that in the midst of this fragmented world, this Prize and World Water Day serve as a reminder that water does not wait for politics. Water bankruptcy is a common threat that transcends every military line. We must recognize our shared vulnerability if we are ever to find our shared peace.”
Tshilidzi Marwala, UN Under Secretary-General and Rector, United Nations University
“Professor Kaveh Madani exemplifies the mandate of the United Nations University: turning rigorous scientific insight into practical solutions for the world’s most urgent challenges.
His work has transformed how governments and societies understand water scarcity, bringing clarity and urgency to one of the defining issues of our time. Beyond his outstanding scholarship and policy impact, Professor Madani has demonstrated exceptional strategic leadership within the UNU system, revitalizing UNU-INWEH’s global footprint and forging innovative partnerships that bridge the United Nations and academia to accelerate solutions for Member States.
The United Nations family is immensely proud to see his leadership and scholarship recognized with the Stockholm Water Prize.”
Anette Scheibe Lorentzi, Chair of Stockholm Water Foundation
“Through his work and outstanding achievements, Professor Madani has made invaluable contributions to our understanding of cross-cutting and complex water issues. In the face of a changing climate, this knowledge is more important than ever, and I congratulate Professor Madani on being awarded the Stockholm Water Prize 2026”.
Vincent Boudreau, President, City College of New York
“Only a small number of scientists succeed in bridging the worlds of research, policy, and public understanding. Professor Madani belongs to that rare group.”
“His pioneering work on water governance and the concept of ‘water bankruptcy,’ along with his dedication to policy and societal outreach, has helped elevate water to the center of global sustainability discussions.”
“This recognition reflects both his extraordinary scholarship and the vital role of science in shaping a more secure future. The City College has been a proud home to many Nobel laureates and now celebrates the well-deserved awarding of the first ‘Nobel Prize of Water’ to one of its own.”
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The Stockholm Water Prize
Known as the ‘Nobel Prize of Water’, the Stockholm Water Prize is the world’s most prestigious water award. Since its inception in 1991, it has been awarded annually to individuals and organizations who have made substantial contributions to the sustainable use and protection of the world’s water resources, thereby leading to improved health and well-being of humans as well as ecosystems.
The Stockholm Water Foundation presents the Prize in collaboration with the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, with H.M. King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden serving as official patron and presenter.
Each year’s laureate is announced around World Water Day in March, then formally honored at a royal ceremony during World Water Week in August, where the laureate plays a central role in the Week’s celebrations.
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About UNU-INWEH
The United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) is one of 13 institutes that make up the United Nations University (UNU), the academic arm of the UN. Known as 'The UN’s Think Tank on Water,' UNU-INWEH addresses critical water, environmental, and health challenges around the world. Through research, training, capacity development, and knowledge dissemination, the institute contributes to solving pressing global sustainability and human security issues of concern to the UN and its Member States.
Headquartered in Richmond Hill, Ontario, UNU-INWEH has been hosted and supported by the Government of Canada since 1996. With a global mandate and extensive partnerships across UN entities, international organizations, and governments, UNU-INWEH also operates through UNU Hubs in Calgary, Hamburg, New York, Lund, and Pretoria, and an international network of affiliates.
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Media Contacts
William Smyth, UNU-INWEH Public Engagement Liaison and Personal Assistant to the Director, william.smyth@unu.edu
Daniel Powell, UNU Senior Communications Officer, powell@unu.edu
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