Humanity cannot thrive and survive without water. Cities cannot function without water. A simple, but powerful reality. And yet, the pace of planning, innovation, governance, stakeholder collaboration and level of citizen engagement is slow and insufficient to satisfy the demands of increasingly complex urban water challenges. In this context, the International Water Association has developed the Principles for Water Wise Cities aiming at inspiring change amongst urban and local leaders and catalysing a shift in the current water management paradigm to make our cities more resilient and liveable.