KhinNiNi Thein, Myanmar Water Academy, Founder and Chair

KhinNiNi Thein, Myanmar Water Academy, Founder and Chair

About

A passionate water professional since 1977. Water Mother of Myanmar.

 

Short Bio

Prof. Dr. Khin Ni Ni Thein

Chair, Myanmar Water Academy

Initiator, Myanmar Water Think Tank

Myanmar Country Chair, G100 Ecocivilisation Wing

Vice Chair, Network of Asian River Basin Organizations

Vice Chair, ASEAN Hydroinformatics Data Center (AHC)

Initiator and Co-Lead, Transformative Water-Learning Partnership (TW-LP) Consortium

Patron and Founding Member, Myanmar Green Building

Society (MGBS)

 

Prof. Dr. Khin Ni Ni Thein, a seasoned global water professional with 45 years of experience, specializes in inclusive water governance, IWRM, and Hydroinformatics. As the Founder of Myanmar Water Academy (https://www.myanmarwatersacademy.com), she initiated the Water Think Tank and Water Mothers. In this capacity, she advises the top government officials and boards, including IWPG (https://www.iwpg.org/), IRAH (https://www.happysociety.org),

GWP (https://www.gwp.org) and the High-Level Experts and Leaders Panel on Water and Disaster (https://www.wateranddisaster.org). As the G100 Ecocivilisation Wing Myanmar Country Chair (https://www.ecocivilisation.eu/en/) and an IHA Civil Society Chamber Member (http://www.hydropower.org), she co-hosts water events internationally; recently co-organized the Ecocivilisation Year of Water 2023, promoting the "new water governance paradigm" at the UN Water Conference 2023. She worked for capacity building for sustainable development in Africa, Asia, and Europe. At the 7th General Meeting of NARBO during the 10th World Water Forum in 2024, she was appointed as Vice Chair of the Network of Asian River Basins (NARBO). Since April 2024, she has initiated the Transformative Water-Learning Partnership (TW-LP) Consortium in Myanmar. There are three organizations in the consortium and leader of each entity co-lead the consortium. The three partner organizations are the Myanmar Water Academy (MyanWA), https://www.myanmarwatersacademy.com ; the Federation of the Myanmar Engineering Societies (Fed. MES), https://www.mes.org.mm ; and the Myanmar Green Building Society (MGBS), https://www.myanmargbs.com . She also undertakes the duty of the Vice Chair of the ASEAN Hydroinformatics Data Center (AHC) https://www.aseanwater.net as a professional hydroinformatician.

As a civil engineer who graduated in 1977, she has actively championed women's empowerment in Myanmar, supporting initiatives like women’s participation in digital transformation, Women in AI, Women in STEM, the Circle of Women in Water, Water Mothers, Women Factor Myanmar, advocacy for women in engineering, and the Green Building Society. Her contributions include numerous articles on gender and water, the role of women in climate change adaptation, and the importance of female leadership in sustainable development.

From 2004 to 2010, she served as an external advisor to the Mekong Program on Water, Environment and Resilience (M-POWER) and co-hosted many national, regional, and international water events throughout her career. This year alone, she organized three international water webinars, each emphasizing critical topics, including a call for "The New Water Management Paradigm" during the Ecocivilisation water webinar and a "Dialogue on Water, Happiness, and Conscious Cooperation for a Peaceful and Prosperous Mekong River Basin."

Her global contributions span Africa, Asia, and Europe, focusing on sustainable development and capacity building from 1987 to 2012. Her leadership roles have included Senior Advisor to UNEP’s Dams and Development Project, Chief of Section for Sustainable Water Management at UNESCO, and Vice President of AIT in Bangkok, and the Component 1 Director of the Ayeyarwady Integrated River Basin Management Project supported by the World Bank. As a visionary and co-leader of Myanmar’s water sector reform alongside the then government, she laid essential groundwork for sustainable water management. Over four decades, her extensive experience has culminated in a dedication to co-create Ecocivilisation, a concept she has focused on since 2021, aimed at fostering human and water security within a framework of global systems change. Her vision is to promote a happy, peaceful, and prosperous world through reducing collective ego and greed. She is a devout Buddhist who is active in interfaith activities.

Based on consciousness and empathy, she has founded the Myanmar Water Academy to advance water education and shape the future of water management in Myanmar. Since 2021, her work has been guided by the principles of water and peace, with an emphasis on citizen-led water education and a commitment to co-creating Ecocivilisation for a harmonious and sustainable future.

 

----------

 

Information

Industry experience

Education: PhD

Taxonomy