Climate change is expected to exert significant impacts on water cycles worldwide, raising the vulnerability of multiple communities and the potential for conflicts between water users. Approaches such as Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) aim to strengthen society's resilience through improved governance of water resources. As part of the Leverhulme Trust funded project on IWRM and climate change adaptation, two workshops were held in May 2016 in Dhaka and Khulna to draw lessons from the Bangladesh experience and share experiences from other national contexts. Dr. Josselin Rouillard from Ecologic Institute presented the results of his research on IWRM and public participation in France.

The national Dhaka workshop, held at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, involved 25 participants from government bodies, experts and academics working on water management in Bangladesh. The regional Khulna workshop focused on local public participation in water management and involved community representatives, local authorities, experts and academics. The workshops were followed by a field visit to three sites contrasting local experiences on sediment management and public participation in the Ganges-Brampoutra delta.

Three previous workshops were held in Berlin (Germany), Windsor (UK) and Venice (Italy) which served to compare knowledge on IWRM from other national contexts. A special issue in Regional Environment Change will be published presenting the results of the research and a final workshop is planned in Dhaka Bangladesh to present the results of the Khulna regional workshop to Bangladesh national authorities.