Articles of association & Values

Articles of OiEau

The International Office for Water is a non-profit association established under French law.

It has been recognised as a public utility since its inception under the decree of 13 September 1991. This status was renewed on 16 September 2020.

Since 2022, OiEau has been granted the French "Environmental Protection" approval by the Minister in charge of the Ecological Transition, for a renewable period of 5 years. Our Association can thus be called upon to participate in the action of public organizations concerning the environment and to be designated to sit on commissions or councils with an advisory role, at national, regional or departmental level for example.

OiEau’s new Articles of Association widen its purpose to other environmental fields such as aquatic environments, biodiversity and the circular economy.

They reflect the new priorities and concerns of national and international water policies, as influenced by climate change.

To consult the articles of our association, click here.

Values of OiEau

Moreover, as OiEau marked 30 years in existence, it decided to reaffirm the core values that guide its teams, which are aware of the issues of professional equality in their daily work, to its partners and clients.

With this in mind, it conducted a survey* among all its employees.

Below are the values chosen, in order of importance:

  1. General interest & Public utility
  2. Independence & Neutrality compared to private interests
  3. Innovation & Performance
  4. Pride in using our skills
  5. Environmental Protection and Biodiversity
  6. Importance of sharing knowledge and networking
  7. Participative water management for inclusion of all the stakeholders
  8. Cross-cultural mentality & Openness to others

*Survey conducted between 25 June and 5 July 2019.

For 30 years, OiEau has placed its expertise at the service of the International Water Community, guided by the principle of the general interest. From an operational, institutional, legal and strategic perspective, our missions, practices and working themes have changed significantly. We felt it was necessary to amend our Articles of Association to better reflect these changes, in order to make our organisation and our values more clearly identifiable across the sector.
Xavier Hilaire

General Secretary, OiEau