Northern Water Network (NoWNET) was initiated by the World Water Council(WWC), the Global Water Partnership (GWP) and the Steering Committee of the 3rd World Water Forum, Japan during the 3rd World Water Forum and the Japan Water Forum (JWF) was identified as the secretariat of this initiative. It is a network of country level water partnerships in the industrialized countries for sharing knowledge, linking stakeholders, raising awareness and organizing meetings. The Northern Water Network collaborates with international organizations with similar or associated objectives.