About Us

Turkish Water Institute (SUEN) is a think tank that aims to develop short and long term strategies, as well as national policies to achieve a better water governance.

SUEN is a national think tank established to develop national water policies, provide consultation to decision makers, coordinate between organizations & institutions and enhance scientific research and strategic ideas with a focus on creating a common platform for water management.

SUEN works in cooperation with national and international water-related institutions on issues such as sustainable water management, developing water policies, sustainable energy and capacity building for solving local and global water problems.

Who are we

SUEN is a special funded entity under the authority of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Turkey. SUEN is located in Istanbul. On October 10, 2011, the Council of Ministers decided to establish SUEN in concordance with law no. 6223. SUEN was established with the decree law of no. 658 published in Official Gazette on 2 November 2011.

Our vision

To provide significant contributions to making Turkey a leader country both in her region and around the world with regards to sustainable water policies and strategies as well as water education.

Our mission

To contribute to the production of global-scale water policies and strategies, promote global water cooperation through interdisciplinary scientific research, organize international water events and carry out national/international projects related to water.

Our history

SUEN was founded as a think tank under the Ministry of Forestry and Water Affairs with the purpose of realizing the scientific experience and water vision of the team gathered as the 5th World Water Forum Secretariat, in 2007.

The great success of the 5th World Water Forum (March 2009), which hosted more than 30,000 participants from 192 countries, awarded Turkey a new status, as a country with an important principal voice on water on a global scale. The multifaceted knowledge gained by this Forum became the basis of SUEN.

For more information about the 5th World Water Forum click here.

Turkey's geographical position has a prominent role in building a strong communication network among Central Asia, the Middle East and Eastern Europe. SUEN works to improve the technical cooperation in the region in order to find solutions to regional water problems.

Our Activities

SUEN’s role in Turkey’s water management can be summarized under the following topics:

• Conducting scientific studies to develop and support national and international water policies;
• Following the activities, innovations and statistics of national and international water establishments;
• Organising national and international education programs;
• Contributing to national and international fora, conferences, meetings, symposia, training programs and similar activities.