Henk Ovink is a global leader in water diplomacy and climate resilience, widely recognized for reframing how societies understand and design with the world’s most essential resource. Formerly the first Special Envoy for International Water Affairs for the Kingdom of the Netherlands, he now serves as Executive Director of the Global Commission on the Economics of Water, where he advocates for systemic approaches to valuing and managing water in the face of the climate crisis.

Throughout his career, Ovink has advanced the idea that water is not just a resource but a driver of justice, sustainability, and resilience. He is the initiator of Water as Leverage, a program launched in Southeast Asia to bring vulnerable communities and governments together in designing robust and inclusive water management strategies. His work demonstrates how water can be a catalyst for social equity as well as ecological transformation.

At In Focus: Research—co-presented with Future Observatory at the Design Museum—Ovink underscores the urgency of moving beyond reactive responses to climate change. By rethinking the economics of water and embracing collective, design-led action, he makes the case for a more integrated and hopeful approach to our shared future.