SIWI

James Leten

James is a programme manager and a water resource governance expert, serving the UNDP SIWI-Water Governance Facility.

He leads global and regional programmes such as Regional Capacity-Building programmes on Water Integrity, in Sub Sahara Africa and MENA regions. He coordinates the global UNDP GoAL-WaterS programme in support of UNDP’s Country Offices for Sustainable Use and Protection of Freshwater and Coastal Resources.

James provides advisory services in the areas of water governance performance and institutional strengthening, capacity development, more specifically on accountability, anti-corruption, and enforcement of human-right to water. He contributed to the report Water Integrity: Unlocking the Potential of PPP.

President of WAREG and of the Portuguese Water and Waste Regulation Authority

Vera Eiró

Academic background

PhD in Public Law, NOVA School of Law, Post-graduate course in Environment and Planning Law, Coimbra University Law School, Law Degree, NOVA School of Law.

Professional Experience

Prof. Eiró is a Public Law and Regulatory Expert in Portugal. She was executive Board Member at ERSAR and is now the President of the Board of Directors of ERSAR.
She is a Public Law Professor since 2012 and her research and teaching areas in the academia cover Regulation, Administrative Law, Public Procurement and Planning Law.

Until November 2020, she was a Counsel and Head of Public Law and Regulatory in the Finance department at Linklaters LLP (Lisbon office) having also worked at Linklaters LLP Paris office (2004). Her practice focused on public procurement and administrative, environmental, energy and planning laws. As a legal practitioner, she has over 15 years of experience in providing legal advice in regulatory and public law issues relevant to project finance, litigation and M&A transactions, in highly regulated sectors.

Vera was an assistant in the Portuguese Constitutional Court and has also been appointed arbitrator in administrative law/public law and consumer disputes.

Head of WAREG Secretariat

Marco Delpero

Graduated in Economics and Commerce from the University of Turin, Marco is a director with extensive experience in regulation and a long‑standing career. Since July 2023, he has served in ARERA’s environmental area as Director of the Investments and Environmental Sustainability Directorate and, ad interim, as Director of the Directorate for Organisational Structure and Governance.

Project Manager at Steinbeis Europa Zentrum

Verena Höhn

Verena Höhn is Project Manager at Steinbeis Europa Zentrum and coordinator of the EcoDaLLi project, the Danube and Black Sea Coordination and support action project under the Mission Ocean and Waters. In her work she is responsible for fostering collaboration between research institutions, industry, and policymakers to advance mission-oriented projects. She has a background in Natural Sciences.

Director of EU Biodiversity Policy and Parliamentary Affairs

Delphine Dupeux

Delphine Dupeux is the Director of EU Affairs at the European Landowners’ Organization (ELO), where she leads work on EU biodiversity policy and advocacy. As an expert member of European Commission working groups on environmental regulation, she ensures the voices of land managers, foresters, and farmers are heard in policymaking. She also coordinates the European Parliament Intergroup “Biodiversity, Hunting, Countryside” and oversees the Wildlife Estates Label, a pan-European initiative promoting exemplary land management for nature and biodiversity. Her work focuses on regenerative agriculture, biodiversity restoration, water resilience and sustainable financing, bridging policy and practice across Europe.

Head of the Water and Waste Area of the Florence School of Regulation/European University Institute

Maria Salvetti

Maria Salvetti is currently heading the Water and Waste Area of the Florence School of Regulation/European University Institute and continues doing independent consultancy. She worked as a water economist and policy analyst for the past 20 years for several institutions including the World Bank and the OECD. Former chief economist for the French national agency for water and aquatic environment, Maria Salvetti produced the first report on water services performance presented during the World Water Forum (2012). From 2008 to 2010, she worked for the largest water service in Europe (SEDIF) providing economic and financial advice in the preparation of the PPP contract. She also worked as senior economist for Seine Normandy water Agency (France) and the Environment Agency (England & Wales). Maria also performs numerous training programmes and academic courses related to water economics (Sorbonne University, Sorbonne Business School, University College of London, Paris School of Economics, Fundação Escola de Sociologia e Política de São Paulo).