International Water Resources Association

World Water Week
2018-08-26 - 2018-08-31 | Stockholm, Sweden
World Water Week is the annual focal point for the globe’s water issues. It is organized by SIWI. In 2018, World Water Week will address the theme “Water, ecosystems and human development”. In 2017, over 3,300 individuals and around 380 convening organizations from 135 countries participated in the Week.

Experts, practitioners, decision-makers, business innovators and young professionals from a range of sectors and countries visit Stockholm to network, exchange ideas, foster new thinking and develop solutions to the most pressing water-related challenges of today.

IWRA was excited to host a session on Smart Water Management at this major water week 2018 alongside K-water, Xylem, IVL and IWA on Thursday 30 August at 11:00am – 12:30pm in the FH Little Theatre.
The session looked at how projects from around the world in both developed and developing countries are using smart technology to resolve current water challenges. Speakers discussed a range of ideas related to smart technology implementation, including case specific lessons learned, challenges and enabling factors. IWRA welcomed all IWRA members for what was be a very interesting discussion about the future of smart water management!

29th UN-Water Meeting
2018-08-24 - 2018-08-25 | Stockholm, Sweden
UN-Water Members and Partners, including IWRA, gather to discuss issues related to UN-Water. This meeting will take place before to the annual World Water Week. For more information please contact IWRA Executive Office at office@iwra.org.

AWRA Conference on the Science, Management and Governance of Transboundary Groundwater
2018-07-09 - 2018-07-11 | Texas, United States
AWRA’s Conference on the Science, Management and Governance of Transboundary Groundwater simply stated, transboundary groundwater is groundwater that crosses jurisdictional/political boundaries, be they boundaries between nations, states, provinces, counties, management districts, reservations, etc. IWRA’s Treasurer, Renée Martin-Nagle, presented her work on “Transboundary Offshore Freshwater, Which Law Will Apply?”.

High-Level Political Forum 2018
2018-07-09 - 2018-07-18 | New York City, New York, United States
The High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on sustainable development met from Monday, 9 July, to Wednesday, 18 July 2018 under the theme “Transformation towards sustainable and resilient societies”. The ministerial meeting of the forum was from Monday, 16 July, to Wednesday, 18 July 2018.
The HLPF also reviewed progress towards the SDGS and focused particular on:

Goal 6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
Goal 7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
Goal 11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
Goal 12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
Goal 15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
Goal 17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development, that will be considered each year

47 countries carried out Voluntary National Reviews during the ministerial meetings.
Various meetings and forums were held to prepare the HLPF and multiple inputs were provided. Special events, side events, a VNR Lab and other meetings were held during the HLPF.
The meeting adopted a ministerial declaration. Please click here to read the HLPF blog.

Singapore International Water Week (SIWW)
2018-07-08 - 2018-07-12 | Singapore, Singapore
The Singapore International Water Week (SIWW) is the global platform to share and co-create innovative water solutions. The biennial event gathers stakeholders from the global water industry to share best practices, showcase the latest technologies and tap business opportunities. SIWW is part of the strategic programme of the Singapore Government to grow the water industry and develop water technologies.
Held in between the main SIWW editions, the SIWW Spotlight series are exclusive by-invitation events to continue the dialogue from SIWW and foster ongoing exchanges on pressing challenges faced by the water industry worldwide. This meeting of minds focuses on critical issues and discussions in greater depth, where the outcomes will shape the programme and content for SIWW.
These events are organised by Singapore International Water Week Pte Ltd, a company set up by Singapore’s Ministry of the Environment & Water Resources and PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency.
The 8th Singapore International Water Week was held in conjunction with the 6th World Cities Summit and the 4th CleanEnviro Summit Singapore at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands in Singapore.

International Union for the Conservation of Nature Academy of Environmental Law Colloquium
2018-07-02 - 2018-07-07 | Glasgow, United Kingdom
The University of Strathclyde Law School through its Strathclyde Centre for Environmental Law and Governance hosted in Glasgow the 2018 instalment of the IUCN Academy of Environmental Law Annual Colloquium. Over five days the University Technology and Innovation Centre became a global hub of excellence in which international academics and practitioners joined to discuss how environmental law is transforming. In particular, the colloquium explored the role of law and governance in addressing the opportunities, challenges and risks posed by technology and innovation, in order to build resilience. Together with the Colloquium itself, which runned from Wednesday 4 to Friday 6 July 2018, the University of Strathclyde also hosted events organised by the Academy’s Teaching and Research Committee on Monday 2 and Tuesday 3 July 2018. IWRA’s Treasurer, Renée Martin-Nagle,presented her work on “Governance of Offshore Freshwater Resources”.

GEOGLOWS-2018 Annual Business meeting “Earth Observations for Water Sustainability”
2018-05-09 - 2018-05-11 | Reading, United Kingdom
The annual meeting was hosted by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) in Reading, UK, on 9 – 11 May 2018. The GEO Global Water Sustainability (GEOGLOWS), the freshwater Initiative of the Group on Earth Observations, provides a framework for effectively mobilizing EO assets to address issues of water sustainability through the engagement of governments and communities at the national, local, and regional levels. The agenda included discussions on project-partnerships under GEOGLOWS, such as global hydrological forecasting, the definition of Essential Water Variables, and many others.

Workshop: Hydrological Services for Business
2018-05-08 - 2018-05-09 | Reading, United Kingdom
This workshop offered a unique opportunity for global businesses to meet the Global Flood Awareness System (GloFAS) development team and influence the future shape of its hydrological services and forecasting products.
Objectives

Introduce GloFAS services and products to the global business community
Provide a networking opportunity between a global hydrological forecasting service provider and the business sector
Identify and prioritise global business needs in terms of hydrological products and services
Draft a future development strategy for GloFAS with these needs in mind
Establish a community of users of hydrological services from the business sector
Provide GloFAS training and best practice

Portuguese Water Congress
2018-05-07 - 2018-05-09 | Evora, Portugal
The Portuguese Water Resources Association (APRH) hosted the 14th Water Congress in Évora from March 7th to 9th, 2018. The theme focused on “Water Resources Management: New Challenges”. The Water Congress addressed Water Resources Management at various levels, at a critical time of change that requires new solutions and actions that minimize these problems in the future. In this framework, the APRH invited all its associates and wider technical-scientific community to this discussion forum, to help all stakeholders in Water Resources Management find convincing scientifically based solutions for water resolution problems. This invitation extended to the Portuguese-speaking countries that, coming with their own experiences, enriched the discussion.

International Training Workshop on Management of Land Acquisition, Resettlement, and Rehabilitation (MLARR)
2018-04-16 - 2018-04-28 | National Research Center for Resettlement, Nanjing, China
The management of Land Acquisition, Resettlement and Rehabilitation (MLARR) has become an integral part of the process of infrastructural development. However, a major challenge in this regard is the weak institutional and human resources capacity to address land acquisition and involuntary resettlement globally.
This is reflected in the limited professional staff, knowledge, technical expertise and operational experiences in resettlement policies, planning, implementation and management. Many countries have developed legislative and policy framework to manage issues in land acquisition, resettlement, rehabilitation and social safeguard.
This Hohai University training program focused on the international standards and good practices, as well as on lessons learned from case studies in China and globally. It included a 5-day field trip to the Three Gorges Dam and the Gezhouba Dam Projects. The field visits included presentations by the project staff, discussions, and field trips to resettlement sites.
The training program is targeted to an international audience – people who are involved in project planning and implementation, project managers, practitioners and people involved in project administration from public and private institutions or international financial institutions. The course was delivered by some of the world’s leading social assessment and resettlement practitioners.

World Water Day
2018-03-22
World Water Day, on 22 March every year, was about focusing attention on the importance of water. The theme for World Water Day 2018 was ‘Nature for Water’ – exploring nature-based solutions to the water challenges we face in the 21st century.

Damaged ecosystems affect the quantity and quality of water available for human consumption. Today, 2.1 billion people live without safe drinking water at home; affecting their health, education and livelihoods.

Sustainable Development Goal 6 commits the world to ensuring that everyone has access to safe water by 2030, and includes targets on protecting the natural environment and reducing pollution.

8th World Water Forum - “Sharing Water”
2018-03-18 - 2018-03-23 | Brasilia, Brazil
The World Water Forum is the world’s biggest water-related event and is organized by the World Water Council (WWC), an international organization that brings together all those interested in the theme of water. Its mission is “to promote awareness, build political commitment and trigger action on critical water issues at all levels, to facilitate the efficient conservation, protection, development, planning, management and use of water in all its dimensions on an environmentally sustainable basis for the benefit of all life on Earth”.
The World Water Forum contributes to the dialogue of the decision-making process on water at the global level, seeking to achieve the rational and sustainable use of this resource. Given its political, technical and institutional scope, one of the Forum’s main features is the open, democratic participation of actors drawn from different sectors, making it an event of the greatest importance on the international agenda.
Continuing in from its role at the 7th World Water Forum as Champion for the Theme “Ensuring Water Quality from Ridge to Reef”, IWRA continued this role for the 8th World Water Forum. The IWRA Executive Office was part of the coordination group for the cross-cutting Theme of Capacity, as well as the topic coordination group for “Climate Science and Water management: the communication between science and decision/policy making” under the Theme of Climate. Last but not least, IWRA was the topic lead for “Ensuring Water Quality from Ridge to Reef”, which now sits under the Theme of Ecosystems. In this lead role Project Officer Alice Colson was providing support and general coordination to the three session groups, and liaising between the sessions and the Thematic Commission.
Given IWRA’s strong involvement in this major water event, the Executive Office had a stand in the Expo area for the whole Forum week.

ASIA 2018: Seventh International Conference and Exhibition on Water Resources and Renewable Energy Development in Asia
2018-03-13 - 2018-03-15 | Danang, Viet Nam
Supported by IWRA, ASIA 2018 provided a platform for international experts from around 50 countries to focus on issues of direct relevance to Asia: helping advance projects which exploit the remaining renewable energy potential; explore investment opportunities and strategies; address major challenges such as climate resilience, and the management of floods and earthquakes; encourage best practice in project implementation; and, review advances in technology for both new and refurbishment schemes.
Recognizing that Asia is the region of the world with the largest current programme of water resources and hydro development, but also some of the greatest challenges to face, including natural hazards, challenging sites, and in some countries limited resources, Aqua~Media has been organizing regional conferences in Asia since 2006.
Key participants included government representatives (from ministries and utilities), planners, researchers, consultants, owners and operators of water infrastructure and hydro plants, contractors, suppliers, officers from the relevant professional associations, academics and students.

UN Water Meeting
2018-02-01 - 2018-02-02 | Rome, Italy
The 28th UN-Water Meeting took place from 1-2 February 2018, at IFAD headquarters in Rome, Italy. Agenda items included: 2030 Agenda update and related intergovernmental processes; Monitoring and reporting; Launch of the World Water Data Initiative – Good Practice Guidelines; Updates on World Toilet Day 2017 on Wastewater and World Water Day 2018 on Nature for Water; Selection of Coordinator(s) of World Toilet Day 2018 and World Water Day 2019; Support to the “International Decade for Action – Water for Sustainable Development” 2018 – 2028; and the Work Programme 2018-2019.

International Water Summit
2018-01-15 - 2018-01-18 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
The International Water Summit (IWS) is the world’s leading global exhibition dedicated to developing solutions for water sustainability in arid regions. IWS brings together over 9,200 visitors from 111 countries attracting government leaders, policy makers, entrepreneurs and decision makers. It constitutes an important opportunity to network and source products from 150+ exhibiting companies from 22 countries and to uncover the latest advances in water sustainability.

IWRA's Anniversary
2017-11-29
Established on 29 November 1971, IWRA was set up to meet the growing but unmet need to create a multidisciplinary association at the international level in order to fill the gaps both between disciplines and the science community with the general public and policy makers.
In the 46 years since then, while moving with the times, we have held steadfast to our core objective by holding 16 World Water Congresses; through publications, notably our flagship journal Water International; leading and collaborating with projects mainly on Water Quality, the Science-Policy Interface and Smart Water Management, as well as through networking at multiple scales, including the World Water Forum at one end and national and regional committees at the other. Today, IWRA’s mission and goals remain the same, making sure the Association promotes water research and shares knowledge towards the use of sound science to develop strong water policies, engages with members and key partners more closely, and reinforces its unique multidisciplinary network of experts concerned with the sustainable use of the water resources, globally.
IWRA looks forward to continuing this work, bringing the latest research and sharing up-to-date knowledge, engaging across projects, events and initiatives with all our members and partners, as well as collaborating up close with the international water community in years to come!

4th Arab Water Forum
2017-11-26 - 2017-11-28 | Cairo, Egypt
Organised by the Arab Water Council (AWC), the 4th Arab Water Forum on “Sharing Water … Sharing Destiny”, was held 26-28 November, 2017, in Cairo, Egypt. This Forum takes place every 3 years and is considered a meeting place for AWC’s members from 22 Arab states, together with their partners and associates from the region and from around the world. As usual, the Forum provided a platform to address the issues and challenges within the water sector in the region, which is the scarcest in water resources. The Forum witnessed interactive discussions on a number of important themes and topics that are of highest importance to all water stakeholders in the region.

World Toilet Day - Wastewater
2017-11-19
The 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals aim to reach, among many other targets, everyone with sanitation by that year, and halve the proportion of untreated wastewater and increase recycling and safe reuse. However, and to be achieve that, we need everyone’s poo to be contained, transported, treated and disposed of in a safe and sustainable way. This 4-step journey briefly includes the following:
• Containment. Poo must be deposited into a hygienic toilet and stored in a sealed pit or tank, separated from human contact.
• Transport. Pipes or latrine emptying services must move the poo to the treatment stage.
• Treatment. Poo must be processed into treated wastewater and waste products that can be safely returned to the environment.
• Disposal or reuse. Safely treated poo can be used for energy generation or as fertilizer in food production.
IWRA to celebrate this important day organised a dedicated webinar on Thursday, November 16th 2017, from 3:00pm to 4:30pm (CET). Panellists, list of topics and other details, including registration can be found here: www.iwra.org/webinars

International Summit “Water and Climate: Meeting of the Great Rivers of the World”
2017-10-23 - 2017-10-25 | Rome, Italy
The Italian Ministry for Environment, Land and Sea, in partnership with UNECE (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe), the International Network of Basin Organizations (INBO,
Secretariat of the Global Alliances for Water and Climate) and Aquamadre held the International Summit “Water and Climate: Meeting of the Great Rivers of the World” from the 23rd to the 25th of October 2017 in Rome, Italy.
The managers and representatives of the most important river basins of the world, came from all continents and met, for the first time in Italy, in order to inspire a meaningful dialogue aiming at facing the future of water, threatened by more and more frequent and violent climate change and its dramatic consequences in terms of floods, drought and degradation of ecosystems.

2017 China Europe Water Platform Annual High-Level Dialogue Conference & Business Event
2017-09-21 - 2017-09-22 | Turku, Finland
This high level dialogue conference between ministers from Europe and China was held in Turku, Finland in order to discuss the future of the China Europe water platform (CEwp). It focused on creating stronger partnerships between China and Europe for promotion of water security and green development in these regions, with the expected declaration to drive future activities at the CEwp. An emphasis on business cooperation and financial organizations towards meeting the water-related sdgs was made with a special business event to enhance information exchange in the business sector.

International Water and Climate Workshop Ecological Engineering and Climate Risks
2017-09-20 - 2017-09-22 | Paris, France
Organized by the Seine-Normandy water agency and French Development Agency, this was a workshop for discussions and presentations of ecological engineering solutions and best practices from around the world. The event included roundtables, projects, working groups and field visits. Its goal was to exchange information and perspectives on nature-based solutions to water-related risks by professionals and decision-makers from the water, urban planning, development and biodiversity sectors. Outputs from the workshop were presented at COP23 and the 8th World Water Forum.

Korea International Water Week & 1st Asia International Water Week 2017
2017-09-20 - 2017-09-23 | Gyeongju, Korea, Republic of
These two major events for securing water resources in Asia occurred together in September, in Gyeongju, South Korea. As the second Korea International Water Week (KIWW), contained the theme of “Water Partnership for Sustainable Development”, through the sub-themes of global leadership for SDGs, implementation of solutions, economic/social value creation and knowledge sharing/ capacity building. “Asian Solutions for Water” was the slogan and theme for the first Asia International Water Week (AIWW), organized by the Asian Water Council in collaboration with K-water and the city of Gyeongju. It aimed to share water issues and expertise from around the continent and build action plans for the future, with the goal for the AIWW to be held every three years. During KIWW, the results of the World Water Challenge, an ongoing challenge for determining focal water issues and finding innovative solutions through submissions to address the selected problems, were presented. Both events involved the participation of NGOs, academia, public and private sectors, as well as government authorities including local governments and municipalities.

The International Baikal Ecological Forum
2017-09-14 - 2017-09-15 | Irkutsk, Russian Federation
The International Baikal Ecological Forum served as a communication platform between representatives from government, business and society, for solving aquatic ecological issues relating to Lake Baikal, a UNESCO site. Key themes discussed included approaches for preservation of the lake, state policies, linking to international experience for the protection of natural resources as well as innovative technologies in water management. This international two-day event was held in Irkutsk, Russia, organized by the Government of the Irkutsk Region, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Irkutsk Region with the participation of the Siberian Department of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Stockholm World Water Week
2017-08-27 - 2017-09-01 | Stockholm, Sweden
The World Water Week in Stockholm is the annual focal point for the globe’s water issues. It is organized by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) and located at the Stockholm City Conference Centre. This year, the theme was “Water and Waste – Reduce and Reuse”. With more than 200 sessions, topics covered it included implementing and monitoring SDGs, sanitation and health related to wastewater, financing, integrated urban water management, food and nutrition, water conflicts and fragile states. The week also featured many social events, kicking off with a Young Professionals Day on August 27, where attendance was free for those between the ages of 16-35.

ASTEE’s 96th Annual Conference
2017-06-06 - 2017-06-09 | Liège Theatre, Place du Vingt Août , Liège, 16, 4000, Belgium
ASTEE holds its annual conference bringing together water and environment professionals for information sharing and knowledge exchange on good practices and lessons learned in. Under its theme on “Regions and the EU, working together to foster environmental transition”, the French Scientific and Technical Association for Water and Environment holds its 96th Annual Conference. Dedicated this year to EU policies challenges heavily influencing regional management, investment and development projects, particularly those dealing with water, environment and waste management, the conference will be organized in order to prepare for the upcoming cycles in the fields of water and waste. Mainly, it will take stock of the progress accomplished through EU directives as well as the difficulties in implementing them, by comparing case studies and feedback from different regions and member states.
More information can be found at: www.astee.org

XVI World Water Congress
2017-05-29 - 2017-06-03 | Cancun International Convention Center, 9 1er Piso, Blvd. Kukulcan Mz. 50 Lt. 4, Zona Hotelera, Cancún, 77500 , Mexico
The next XVI World Water Congress will be held in Cancun, Mexico from 29 May to 3 June 2017 and hosted by the National Water Commission of Mexico (CONAGUA) and the National Association of Water and Sanitation Utilities (ANEAS).

4th Istanbul International Water Forum
2017-05-10 - 2017-05-11 | Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey
The 4th Istanbul International Water Forum under its theme “Water and Peace”, will be devoted to the impacts of the latest regional political setting on water issues. The Forum will put a spotlight on the two-sided relationship between immigration and water services, bringing together participants from the region and the international water community. Held every 3 years, prior to each World Water Forum, this event will aim to provide important inputs to the 8th World Water Forum, which will be held in Brazil in 2018. Registration to the 4th Istanbul International Water Forum will be free of charge.

Waterpower Week
2017-05-01 - 2017-05-03 | Capital Hilton, Washington D.C, United States
The Waterpower Week in Washington gathers IMREC, METS and NHA’s Annual Conference providing a unique opportunity to network and discuss about policy change and government affairs in the hydro and marine industry. This event will highlight perspectives on the role of hydro, explore issues affecting hydro and marine resources, and help participants develop a future game plan to meet challenges and ensure the future sustainability of the hydro and marine industry.

2nd Stakeholder Consultation Meeting for the 8th World Water Forum
2017-04-26 - 2017-04-27 | Brasília, Brasília, Brazil
Registration is open.
During 26-27 april, 2017, the 2nd stakeholder Consultation Meeting for the 8th World Water forum is set to take place in Brasília, Brazil. The goal of this important meeting is to constitute a milestone to ensure comprehensive consultations and the engagement process that will lead to the 8th World Water forum (18- 23 March 2018).
To register and confirm your attendance to the 2nd stakeholder Consultation Meeting, kindly visit this link: www.worldwaterforum8.org/news/2nd-stakeholder-meeting-register.
For additional information, more details are available at www.worldwaterforum8.org or simple send an email to secretariat@worldwaterforum8.org.
The international Water resources association will actively be present at this event, not only promoting the XVI World Water Congress as a major stepping stone in the ‘road to Brasilia’ but also in its capacity as a member of the theme Coordination group (tCg) for the Cross- cutting theme “Capacity”, and in the topic Coordination for “Water Quality”.

World Water Day
2017-03-22
World Water Day, on 22 March every year, was about taking action to tackle the water crisis. By 2017, there were over 663 million people living without a safe water supply close to home, spending countless hours queuing or trekking to distant sources, and coping with the health impacts of using contaminated water. This year’s theme: Why waste water? in support of SDG 6.3 on improving water quality and reducing, treating and reusing wastewater.
Globally, the vast majority of all the wastewater from our homes, cities, industry and agriculture flows back to nature without being treated or reused – polluting drinking and bathing and irrigation and losing valuable nutrients and other recoverable materials. Reducing and safely treating and reusing wastewater, for example in agriculture and aquaculture, protects worker, farmers and consumers promotes food security, health and wellbeing.
