In this op-ed, Assistant Professor of Governance and Public Policy at the International Institute of Social Sciences (ISS), Dr Farhad Mukhtarov, investigates the increasing role of the OECD in shaping the global water agenda, asking 'what is its legitimacy?'
In 'The OECD Reshapes the Global Water Agenda: What is its Legitimacy?' Mukhtarov writes that the post-1945 UN-based world water order is now crumbling. Various organizations and initiatives beyond the UN system emerge on the global policy stage and seek to define the water agenda. One such organization is the the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) which has risen to prominence in the past 15 years and is currently considered an authoritative source for policy design, reform and evaluation advice.
Yet its legitimacy is not to be taken for granted. It has no historical track record on water management prior to 2009, with The Economist characterizing it as 'a club of rich countries' with a limited membership.
By conducting a critical discourse analysis on 55 OECD documents, published in Water Alternatives – a flagship peer-reviewed academic journal for critical water studies, Mukhtarov and his co-authors argue that the OECD's claims on water governance are based on incomplete and flawed knowledge practices. It bases its claims on a limited base of sources, prioritises self-referencing, consciously pursues familiar subjects that treat water management as a case study of New Public Management and orchestrates short-term support networks.
The authors of the Water Alternatives article conclude by arguing that for the OECD to increase its legitimacy, it must become broader and more inclusive in its knowledge practices.
Read the full op-ed online - 'The OECD Reshapes the Global Water Agenda: What is its Legitimacy?' , on Renewable Matter, 17 February 2026.