As the Dutch saying goes, “trust comes on foot and leaves on horseback” (Vertrouwen komt te voet en gaat te paard); it points in the direction of relationality in human affairs and the importance of investment in mutual understanding and trust. This relationality is increasingly recognised as key in the fields of policy public (e.g. the rise of relational approaches to policy analysis) and water governance, among other fields.
Farhad Mukhtarov of ISS, among others, inspired a clear message to focus on trust and reputational risks in Global North – Global South partnerships that the Flagship report “Water in a heated world” published by the German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU) in 2025 delivered to the German government and its partners. Dr. Mukhtarov had the privilege of advising the team at the design of the study and the formulation of policy recommendations, for which he received a letter of gratitude form the Council, see below. Dr. Mukhtarov’ s contribution partly inspired the section “Create policy coherence internally and externally” (p. 17). This section states the following:
“Particularly against the backdrop of geopolitical power shifts, the importance of trusting partnerships and ensuring Germany’s credibility in its own political actions is increasingly becoming the focus of political considerations. In preparation for the upcoming processes to renegotiate a post-2030 agenda at multilateral level, the promotion of European and German credibility in the eyes of strategic partner countries is also of key importance worldwide” (page 17).
The focus on building long-term trust in partnerships between European and Global South partners originates from the research of dr. Mukhtarov into the global hydro-hubs and development cooperation of the Netherlands with other countries around the world in water diplomacy. In publications from 2022 and a blog post from 2021, and building on an IOB assessment (IOB is an independent unit at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs responsible for monitoring, evaluation and learning) of the Dutch development cooperation in the water sector in the decade 2006-2016, Mukhtarov and colleagues explain how investment in “soft infrastructure” of trust between riparian states and between development cooperation partners is as important as investment in “hard” infrastructure. This finding is now an official recommendation of WBGU to the German government and its European partners.
In the full version in English, the first two recommendations in section 8.5.1.4 are also inspired by the work of dr. Mukhtarov. These recommendations are available under sub-headings “Internal and external policy coherence” and “Confidence-building measures in cooperation” on page 246 of the report in English. They underline the importance of long-term involvement in development cooperation between global North and South partners, building and maintaining trust relationships, and being aware about reputational risks involved in pursuing too aggressive and short-sighted “aid-for-trade” policies or withdrawing development aid altogether. Trust, as the Dutch saying goes, comes on foot but leaves on horseback, and hence should be prioritised in development cooperation projects in the water sector.
Full version in German
Executive summary in English
Full version in English.