Formally established in 2020 (after a more informal cooperation over the past 15 years), the Bonn Water Network (BWN) bundles the capacities of nine Bonn-based institutions and two partner institutions based in Berlin and Koblenz, all renowned for working on water and related issues in international research, development policy and training. 

The network consists of eleven renowned institutions with longstanding experience on water and related issues:

• the Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies (BICC)
• Bonn University with its Institute of Geography (GIUB) holding the UNESCO Chair in Human Water Systems 
• the Center for Development Research (ZEF)
• the Institute for Hygiene and Public Health (IHPH)
• the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS)
• the IUCN Environmental Law Centre
• the United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS)
• the Secretariat of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
• the Global Water Operators Partnerships Alliance (UN-Habitat/GWOPA)
• Berlin-based Water Integrity Network (WIN)
• the International Centre for Water Resources and Global Change (ICGWRC) based in Koblenz 

The network members deal with water and related problems worldwide and, together with partners in science and practice, contribute to finding sustainable and socially appropriate solutions. Investigating how cross-border cooperation in Africa can help to make better use of water for energy and agriculture, supporting policy makers and stakeholders at all levels globally on drought risk mitigation, or simulating how and where climate change is affecting water resources in Nepal and India are exemplary contributions. These also include developing solutions for resolving conflicts over water and to promote sustainable water management in Jordan, Morocco and Mongolia, as well as finding climate-sensitive adaptation strategies to reduce flood risks in Togo and Benin.