The Rosenberg International Forum on Water Policy originated 1996 with an endowment gift from the Bank of America to the University of California. The purpose of the gift was to support a water policy Forum in honor of then-retiring Bank Chair and Chief Executive Office, Richard Rosenberg. Mr. Rosenberg has had a long-term interest in water resources and was credited with rallying the California business community to address the causes and impacts of the drought of 1987-1992. The Forum is held every other year in different locations around the world. Participation is limited to no more than fifty water scholars and senior water managers. Interactive discussions about the science of water management and different experiences in water management around the globe are at the heart of the Forum.

The overarching theme of the Rosenberg Forum is: To Reduce Conflict in the Management of Water Resources. Specific sub-themes are chosen by the Advisory Committee for each individual Forum. The objectives of the Forum address this theme in an explicit fashion. The primary objective is to facilitate the exchange of information and experience in the management of water resources. The problems of managing and husbanding water are surprisingly common around the world. However approaches and solutions may differ depending upon the available financial resources as well as social and cultural norms. Discussions of alternative approaches and identification of what works and what doesn’t are intended to aid in devising more effective and efficient water management schemes.

There are two sub-objectives which provide specificity and support in achieving the main objective and in addressing the overarching theme. The first of these is to emphasize the role of science in the making of water policy and in the management of water resources. The second and related sub-objective is to promote exchange and interaction between scientists and policy-makers for the purpose of facilitating the use of science as a basis for the making of water policy.  Participants at each Forum are a mix of scientists and policy makers and the presentations and discussions focus equally on illumination of the pertinent science for policy making and on the experience with different policies in different settings around the world.

The primary objective of the Rosenberg International Forum on Water Policy is to facilitate the exchange of information and experience in the management of water resources. The problems of managing and husbanding water are common problems but approaches and solutions may differ depending upon the financial resources available to address the problem as well as social and cultural norms. Discussions of alternative approaches and identification of what works and what doesn’t should aid in devising more effective and efficient water management schemes.