Policy Brief // Effective Stakeholder Engagement to Operationalise the WEFE Nexus
By Mueller. This policy brief offers concrete, practice-oriented recommendations for effectively engaging stakeholders in operationalising the WEFE Nexus, based on lessons from eight case studies across Europe and Africa within the EU-funded GoNEXUS project.
Summary
This policy brief offers recommendations for researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to improve stakeholder engagement in the process of implementing the Water-Food-Energy-Ecosystems (WEFE) Nexus in river basins. It reflects on so-called Nexus Dialogues carried out across eight case studies within the four year Horizon 2020 project GoNEXUS. Evidence on how to effectively conduct Nexus Dialogues in river basins, especially in large projects with multiple case studies, is limited and has motivated this policy brief.
Key Messages
- Rather than being an end in itself, the WEFE Nexus serves as a valuable - though not exclusive -framework for implementing cross-sectoral approaches to ensure sustainable water management.
- Substantial donor investments in recent years have propelled WEFE Nexus initiatives across the globe, with the EU being one of the largest donors.
- Stakeholder engagement through Dialogues is at the core of successfully operationalising the WEFE Nexus — and the skills of engagement dictate the quality of their outcomes.
- Dialogues serve multiple purposes, with the shared goal of empowering their participants to make better natural resource management decisions.
Published
2025