Four guiding principles established at the International Conference on Water and the Environment (ICWE) held in Dublin, Ireland, 26-31 January 1992, attended by 500 participants including government-designated experts from 100 countries and representatives of 80 international organisations. Principle 1: Water is a finite and vulnerable resource, essential to sustain life, development and the environment. Principle 2: Water development and management should be based on a participatory approach, involving users, planners and policymakers at all levels. Principle 3: Women play a central part in the provision, management and safeguarding of water. Principle 4: Water has an economic value in all its competing uses and should be recognised as an economic good. The Global Water Partnership (GWP) was founded in 1995 explicitly based on these principles. The Dublin Principles form the foundation for all modern Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) approaches and underpin stakeholder engagement frameworks used globally, including in the SADC region.