Future Africa and UNU Hub at UP congratulate Professor Kaveh Madani on 2026 Stockholm Water Prize
Future Africa and the United Nations University Hub on Resilient Environment, Agriculture, Climate and Health for Africa ( REACH-AFRICA) at the University of Pretoria (UP), congratulates Professor Kaveh Madani, Director of the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH), on being named the 2026 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate.
The Stockholm Water Prize, often described as the Nobel Prize of water, is recognised as the world’s most prestigious award for outstanding achievements in water.
Professor Madani received the award in recognition of his contributions to advancing global understanding of water resource management through an integrated approach that bridges science, policy and diplomacy.
His work has helped reframe water challenges as complex socio-environmental systems, highlighting the critical importance of governance, human behaviour and transboundary collaboration.
UNU-INWEH is a key partner in the UNU Hub on REACH-AFRICA initiative based at Future Africa, the University of Pretoria’s pan-African platform for collaborative research.
Launched in July 2025, the hub is the first UNU Hub in Africa and the Global South and brings together partners to advance integrated, transdisciplinary solutions to interconnected challenges across environment, agriculture, climate and health.
“We congratulate Professor Kaveh Madani on this prestigious recognition,” said Professor Francis Petersen, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Pretoria. “Water is one of Africa’s most strategic and urgent development priorities, with far-reaching implications for health, agriculture, climate resilience and sustainable development.”
He added: “Professor Madani’s work exemplifies the kind of impactful, globally engaged scholarship that underpins the UNU Hub on REACH-AFRICA initiative. The University of Pretoria is proud to partner with UNU-INWEH through this important initiative, and we are immensely honoured to see his scientific excellence and global leadership recognised through the Stockholm Water Prize. This recognition affirms the calibre of expertise and impact embodied in this partnership.”
Professor Kaveh Madani
