From 21 to 24 April 2026, FutureWater delivered a regional training in Manila, Philippines, on the application of the REWEFe toolkit and the Water–Energy–Food–Ecosystem (WEFE) Nexus in the context of Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM). The training brought together

 Representatives from ASEAN Member States, including national and local government partners, IRBM Learning Centers, partner universities, and national coordinators from Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Viet Nam.

The training was organised under the GEF/UNDP/ASEAN project on Reducing Pollution and Preserving Environmental Flows in the East Asian Seas, implemented through IRBM in ASEAN countries. The project supports improved river basin governance, reduced pollution, sustained environmental flows, and climate resilience in priority river basins across Southeast Asia.

During the four-day programme, participants were introduced to the REWEFe toolkit, which was tailored by FutureWater to support WEFE Nexus analysis in the regional context in 2024-2025. The training combined lectures, interactive discussions, and hands-on exercises. Participants explored how policy plans and sector strategies can be translated into structured scenarios, how the REWEFe tool can be used to analyse baseline conditions and future developments, and how results can inform discussions on trade-offs and synergies between water, energy, food, and ecosystem priorities.

A key element of the training was the connection between technical analysis and governance. FutureWater worked closely with Dipankar Aich, governance expert, who led sessions on IRBM governance, WEFE Nexus thinking, cross-sector coordination, and the science–policy interface. B oth trainers facilitated breakout sessions and policy-oriented exercises to help participants reflect on how REWEFe outputs can support policy dialogue, planning processes, and decision-making at river basin level.

The visit provided an opportunity to strengthen regional capacity for applying WEFE Nexus approaches in practice. By combining technical modelling with governance-oriented dialogue, the training supported participants in understanding not only how REWEFe works, but also when and how it can be used as a decision-support instrument within IRBM processes.