Marianne Kjellén

Contact

Name and title: Marianne Kjellén

Mail: marianne.kjellen@humangeo.su.se

ORCID0000-0001-8434-9653 Länk till annan webbplats.

Workplace: Department of Human Geography Länk till annan webbplats.

Visiting address Svante Arrhenius väg 8

Postal address Kulturgeografiska institutionen106 91 Stockholm

About me

I am Associate Professor (Docent) in Human Geography and work as Senior Lecturer (temporary).

For over thirty years, I have been engaged with international development cooperation, water and environment management. At present, 2023-2026, I serve on the independent Technical Advisory Panel (iTAP), advising the Board of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) on funding proposals on climate change adaptation and mitigation.

Previously, I worked for the United Nations, as Senior Water Advisor with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), 2016-2023, engaging also with UN-Water. Before that, I led the Water Governance Team at the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), 2012-2016, and served as Research Fellow (part-time) at the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), 1994-2012. During this time I also taught and developed courses in Geography, and worked on my dissertation in Human Geography: From Public Pipes to Private Hands (2006), explores the informalisation, privatisation, remunicipalisation of water distribution in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

My current research interests embrace water governance, climate change, environmental justice, urban informality and basic service provision.

Teaching

I teach on the following courses:

Environment and Urbanization (part of Master's Programme in Globalization, Environment and Social Change)
Theory and Methods (Master's Programme in Globalization, Environment and Social Change)
Globalization, Environment and Social Change (introduction to Master's Programme in Globalization, Environment and Social Change)
Challenges for Planning in the Global South (Human Geography)
Tematisk specialisering (del av Kandidatprobram i global utveckling), GU4 (in Swedish)
Staden i världen (del av Kandidatprogram i global utveckling), GU2 (in Swedish)
Motstånd och kollektiv organisering (del av Kandidatprogram i global utveckling), GU1 (in Swedish)
Political Ecology – Land Use and Natural Resources in a Local to Global Perspective (Physical Geography & Human Geography)

Publications

Kjellén, M. (2025) Book Review: Giulio Boccaletti - Water: A Biography. Environment and History 31(4), 577-580. (link)
Mdee, A., Ofori, A.D., Cohen, J., Kjellén, M. et al (2024) Obscuring Complexity and Performing Progress: Unpacking SDG Indicator 6.5.1 and the Implementation of IWRM. Water Alternatives 17(2). (link)
Kjellén, M. (2024) Reflections on Water and Peace. In: Reflections: Water for Peace. Development Alternatives (ed), pp. 17-18, Development Alternatives, New Delhi. (link)
Saikia, P., K. Davis, R. E. Mathews, M. Kjellén, et al (2023) Urban River Governance. In: Managing Urban Rivers: From Planning to Practice. Shinde, V.R., Mishra, R.R., Bhonde, U. & Vaidya, H. (eds), pp. 263-282, Elsevier. (link).
Kjellén, M. et al (2023). Governance: A 'Whole-of-Society' Approach. In: The United Nations World Water Development Report 2023: Partnerships and Cooperation for Water. United Nations. Paris, UNESCO. (pp. 172-182). (link).
Swedenborg, E., K. Davis, D. Hebart-Coleman, M. Kjellen, et al (2022). NDC Enhancement: Opportunities through Water. Working Paper. World Resources Institute. (link).
Kjellén, M. (2022) Water Diplomacy Talks - Integrating Water Management Across Sectors and Scales: No More "Silo Thinking" [guest column in The Water Diplomat - Hydropolitics News and Intelligence. 3 May 2022] (link)
Grönwall, J. M. Kjellén, et al (2022). Legal and other institutional aspects of groundwater governance. In: The United Nations World Water Development Report 2022: Groundwater: Making the invisible visible. Paris, United Nations - UNESCO. (pp. 39-46). (link).
Grönwall, J. M. Kjellén, et al (2022). Groundwater Policy and Planning. In: The United Nations World Water Development Report 2022: Groundwater: Making the invisible visible. Paris, United Nations - UNESCO. (pp. 156-162) (link).
Kjellén, M et al (2021). Enabling Multi-Value Approaches in Water Governance. In: The United Nations World Water Development Report 2021: Valuing Water. Paris, United Nations UNESCO. (pp. 121-132). (link).
Kjellén, M. (2021). Sustainable sanitation for health and dignity. UNDP blog post, December 17, 2021 (link).
Kjellén, M. (2021). Climate change adaptation priorities help address everyday risks. UNDP blog post, March 1, 2021 (link).
Ekane, N., M. Kjellén, H. Westlund, A. Ntakarutimana and D. Mwesige (2020). "Linking sanitation policy to service delivery in Rwanda and Uganda: From words to action." Development Policy Review 38(3): 344-365. (link)
White, M. and M. Kjellén (2020). "Why water governance is key to tackling climate change" SIWI NEWS April 2, 2020 (link).
Kjellén, M et al (2020). Water Governance for Resilience to Climate Change. In: The United Nations World Water Development Report 2020: Water and Climate Change. Paris. UNESCO / UN-Water. (pp. 151-159) link
UNDP-SIWI Water Governance Facility (2020). Water Interactions for Consideration in NDC Enhancement & Implementation. Sectoral Checklists to Help Climate Change Professionals and Decision-Makers to Identify Water-Related Issues. Written by I. Timboe, with M. Kjellén, D. Hebart-Coleman, B. Liss Lymer and K. Davis. (link)
Kjellén, M. et al (2019). Political, Legal and Institutional Dimensions. In: The United Nations World Water Development Report 2019. Leaving No One Behind. Paris. UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme / UN-Water. (pp. 73-83). (link).
Kjellén, M. (2019). Climate change reveals underlying threats to urban water. UNDP blog post, July 10, 2019. (link).
Kjellén, M., W. Kombe and G. McGranahan (2018). Addressing Water Challenges and Urban Informality: Lessons from Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. Urban Waters: How does water impact and is impacted by cities and human settlements? World Centre for Sustainable Development / RIO+ Centre, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). 1: 6-9.
Kjellén, M. (2018). "Wastewater Governance and the Local, Regional and Global Environments." Water Alternatives 11(2): 219-237. (link)
Bertule, M., P. Glennie, P. K. Bjørnsen, G. J. Lloyd, M. Kjellen, J. Dalton, A. Rieu-Clarke, O. Romano, H. Tropp, J. Newton and J. Harlin (2018). "Monitoring Water Resources Governance Progress Globally: Experiences from Monitoring SDG Indicator 6.5.1 on Integrated Water Resources Management Implementation." Water 10(12): 1744. (link)
Weinberg, J., M. Kjellén et al (2018). Enabling Accelerated Uptake of Nature-Based Solutions. In: The United Nations World Water Development Report 2018. Nature-Based Solutions for Water. Paris. UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme / UN-Water. (pp. 96-105) link
Kjellén, M. et al (2017). Governance. In: The United Nations World Water Development Report 2017. Wastewater: The Untapped Resource. Paris. UNESCO WWAP/UN-Water. (pp. 30-36) link
Kjellén, M. and B. Liss Lymer (2017). Eyes on the Ball – How to Navigate the Sea of SDG Indicators. Stockholm Water Front Magazine (Issue 2-3, 2017). Stockholm, Stockholm International Water Institute: pp. 22-23. (link)
Kjellén, M., K. Vairavamoorthy and G. Donoso (2017). "Editorial – Stockholm World Water Week 2016: 'Water for sustainable growth' Water Alternatives 10(2): 455-458. (link)
Quin, A., Balfors, B. & Kjellén, M. (2016) Monitoring and Evaluation of Rural Water Supply in Uganda: Implications for Achieving the Human Right to Water. In: The Human Right to Water: From Concept to Reality. Singh, N. (ed), pp. 33-54, Springer International Publishing, Cham. (link).
Aguilar-Barajas, I., J. Mahlknecht, J. Kaledin, M. Kjellén and A. Mejía-Betancourt, Eds. (2015). Water and Cities in Latin America: Challenges for Sustainable Development. Earthscan Studies in Water Resource Management. London and New York, Routledge. (link). Available in Spanish: Agua y Ciudades en América Latina. Retos para el Desarrollo Sostenible. (link).
Ekane, N., C. K. Mertz, P. Slovic, M. Kjellén and H. Westlund (2015). "Risk and benefit judgment of excreta as fertilizer in agriculture: An exploratory investigation in Rwanda and Uganda." Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal 21: 1-28. (link) .
Kjellén, M., H. Tropp and A. Jiménez (2015). Water Governance in Perspective: Water Governance Facility 10 years - 2005-2015. Stockholm. (link)
UNDP Water Governance Facility / UNICEF (2015) WASH and Accountability: Explaining the Concept (Written by A. Jiménez, M. Kjellén and H. Le Deunff.) Accountability for Sustainability Partnership: UNDP Water Governance Facility at SIWI and UNICEF. Stockholm and New York. (link)

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