World Wise Voices: Alan Ha on Finding Common Ground in Water Governance

Your career spans more than 15 years in water governance, sustainable agriculture, and climate resilience across the Mekong region and Asia. What first drew you to this work, and what continues to motivate you today?

‍

I first came to water through science and engineering, with an interest in understanding how rivers, agriculture and people depend on one another. Working across Vietnam and the region showed me how closely technical challenges are connected to livelihoods, institutions and questions of fairness.

Today, I am motivated by helping connect scientific knowledge with the experience of people whose lives depend on water. What keeps me engaged is the possibility of turning better understanding into decisions that improve people’s lives and protect the ecosystems they rely on.

‍

Water governance decisions affect communities with different needs, priorities, and levels of influence. How do you find common ground while ensuring that those most affected have a meaningful voice? Can you share an example that shaped your approach to leadership?

‍

I start by asking what different groups need, what they fear losing, and who has the least influence over the decision. Recent discussions with community researchers in Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia reminded me that people within the same community can have different priorities, even when they depend on shared natural resources.

Meaningful participation means enabling resource users to help set priorities, agree on responsibilities and assess how decisions affect their lives. These exchanges have shaped my approach to leadership: listening carefully, helping those most affected influence decisions, and building shared responsibility for the natural capital people depend on.

‍

What motivated you to join the World Wise Executive Leadership Program at this stage of your career, and what leadership challenge did you hope it would help you navigate?

‍

Working in international development brought me into a role that requires working across countries, institutions and different perspectives on water governance. With a strong technical background, I wanted to become more effective at helping people work together when evidence alone could not resolve a disagreement.

World Wise offered an opportunity to reflect on my own leadership habits and learn alongside people facing different challenges. I particularly wanted to strengthen my ability to navigate uncertainty, difficult conversations and situations where I need to influence without having formal authority.

‍

World Wise brings together leaders from different countries and professional backgrounds. What classroom discussion or exchange with a fellow participant has challenged an assumption or helped you see a familiar problem differently?

‍

A discussion about how people respond to principles versus practical examples stayed with me. Having lived and worked in several countries, I had assumed that I was fairly adaptable in how I communicated. It made me realise that cultural awareness also means noticing differences in how people build trust, interpret disagreement and find an argument convincing. I now think more carefully about where a conversation needs to begin for the people involved.

‍

What is one lesson from World Wise that you are applying to your current work? How has it influenced the way you approach a decision, conversation, or collaboration?

‍

One lesson from World Wise is how transformational leadership can build shared purpose and ownership. At my workplace, I am applying this by connecting activities such as research and training with our wider goal of inclusive, sustainable management of water and other natural resources.

In discussions with partners, I encourage them to help shape priorities and identify how their contributions support that shared goal. This has encouraged me to pay closer attention to what motivates people and how we can sustain their commitment throughout a collaboration.

‍

For someone considering World Wise while balancing a demanding leadership role, what would you want them to know about the experience? What has made it worthwhile for you?

‍

I would encourage them to bring a real leadership challenge into the programme and keep returning to it as they learn. Finding time requires commitment, but applying an idea to an actual meeting or conversation makes the learning immediately relevant.

What has made the experience worthwhile for me is the opportunity to reflect with people whose professional and cultural experiences differ from my own. Those exchanges help me recognise my habits, question my assumptions and return to work with better questions to ask.

--

World Wise applications are now open. Bring your leadership challenges, learn alongside global peers, and put new perspectives into practice. Explore here.