The International Office for Water (OIEau) is an association of French law non-profit declared public utility by Decree of 13 September 1991. IOWater intervenes mainly in the development of skills for better water management in France, in Europe and in the world .

Historical
IOWater is born of the fusion between three organisms:

The Institute of Water (or the Water Foundation) of Limoges, created in 1978 on the initiative of the University of Limoges (Filière des Eaux), Local Authorities, the Ministry of the Environment and water businesses.
The CEFIGRE (International Training Center for Water Resources Management) Sophia-Antipolis, created in 1976 jointly by the French Government and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) to meet the needs of the international community to ensure the control of water resources.
the AFEE (French Association for the Study of Water) of Paris, created in 1949 on the initiative of "industrial groupings" representative "of industries interested in the supply and the distribution of water" and "of consuming industries more specifically concerned with the quality of the water ".
IOWater was created to coordinate and synergize the resources and activities of the three agencies that make it up. From the beginning, it was intended to develop skills to better manage water in France, Europe and the world by intervening in "its three professions": for the training of water professionals, for the diffusion and sharing of knowledge or data as well as institutional support projects to countries that so wish.

Four sites in France

Paris: General Management
Limoges:  National Training Center for Water Professions (CNFME) and National Center for Information and Documentation on Water (CNIDE)
La Souterraine:  National Training Center for Water Professions (CNFME)
Sophia Antipolis: International Center for Water Administration (Aquacoope)