International Water Resources Association

IWRA Webinar on Bridging Science and Policy: Legal Perspectives (5pm CET)!
2019-05-16 17:00 - 18:30 (Europe/Paris) | Paris, France
IWRA’s webinar on the “Bridging Science and Policy: Legal Perspectives”, is taking place on Thursday, May 16th from 17:00 to 18:30 Central European Time (11:00 – 12:30 EST). This 90-minute event is based on themes discussed in the Special Issue of Water International (Vol. 44, Issue 3) and in the forthcoming policy brief on this same topic.
Participation is free and open to all. Audience questions are encouraged.
To register please visit: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2285082428578160141
This webinar drawing from legal approaches to water, is co-organized with AIDA (International Association for Water Law). The webinar draws from selected papers dealing with law and governance presented at the IWRA XVI World Water Congress (Cancun 2017). The Panelists will discuss the role of legal frameworks and mechanisms in the integration of science in decision-making processes and evidence-based policies. They will share their insights on how to make laws flexible and adaptive to scientific knowledge and new environmental, social and economic conditions.
Stay tuned for the list of topics and panellists! More info soon at www.iwra.org homepage
IWRA Webinars constitute an additional resource designed to help our members, academics, dedicated practitioners, and policy professionals further explore these and other timely themes engaging on fruitful discussions, also aligned with the international water agenda and in close collaboration with key partners.

Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction
2019-05-13 - 2019-05-17 | Geneva, Switzerland
The sixth session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GP2019) will take place in Geneva, Switzerland from 13 to 17 May, 2019, convened and organized by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) and hosted by the Government of Switzerland. The session will be co-chaired by Switzerland and UNISDR. It will represent the next important opportunity for the international community to boost the implementation of the Sendai Framework related goals of the 2030 Agenda, as well as commitments of the Paris Climate Agreement. It is also the last global gathering for all stakeholders before the deadline for achieving Target E of the Sendai Framework: to substantially increase the number of countries with national and local disaster risk reduction strategies by 2020.

UNESCO International Water Conference
2019-05-13 - 2019-05-14 | Paris, France
The UNESCO International Water Conference aims to advance sustainable water security and peace by leveraging intersectoral management of water resources.
Looking from space, satellite imagery shows the abundant masses of water that characterize the Earth. Yet, less than 1% account for usable fresh water.
Almost all human activities depend on water, be it food production, energy generation, industry or even recreation. Water management and governance affect the health of humans and ecosystems, and reflect the conditions of gender equality, education and cultural diversity of a region. Water resources are critical to sustainable development and poverty reduction.
Once more, UNESCO brings together its actors and partners to share innovative solutions to contemporary challenges. Thanks to its experience and expertise in the fields of Education, Sciences (both natural, and social and human sciences), Culture and Communication, UNESCO contributes through holistic, sustainable approaches to resolve issues impacting the governance and management of water.
The UNESCO International Water Conference aims to advance sustainable water security and peace by leveraging intersectoral management of water resources.
Objectives of the conference:
– Bring everyone around the table to discuss intersectoral approaches to the governance and management of water resources.
– Launch a Call for Action to foster, embrace, and adopt intersectoral water management.
– Share good practices enabling participation, transparency and information-sharing.
– Give evidence of the importance of interdisciplinarity and the integration of sciences to support Member States in reaching the goals of the water-related international agendas.

68th World Water Council BoG Meeting
2019-04-09 - 2019-04-10 | Beirut, Lebanon

7th Beirut Water Week
2019-04-08 - 2019-04-10 | Beirut, Lebanon

Global Water Summit
2019-04-08 - 2019-04-10 | London, United Kingdom
On April 8th – 10th 2019 the Global Water Summit returns to London. This year is on Disruptive Designs. Disruption creates enormous opportunities as well as obstacles, and it offers real solutions to previously intractable problems. While barriers to trade grab the headlines, huge new markets are opening up in an unprecedented fashion. In the global water sector the story is a refreshing one of collaboration and consolidation rather than fragmentation and isolationism.
What the leaders of the water sector need to make the most of this new volatility is a clear global view and the right contacts. How are current trends going to play out, and how will it affect supply chains, revenue streams and business relationships? Where are the new opportunities, and who are the people you need to talk to? Where is the “fake news”?

SWA Sector Ministers' Meeting
2019-04-04 - 2019-04-05 | San Jose, Costa Rica
WASHing away inequalities: partnering to finance and achieve the water, sanitation and hygiene targets of the Sustainable Development Goals
The upcoming SWA Sector Ministers’ Meeting (SMM) will be convened in San Jose, Costa Rica, on 4-5 April 2019 to support the achievement of the water, sanitation and hygiene-related targets of the Sustainable Development Goals. It will be held the days after LatinoSan.
It will bring together ministers responsible for water, sanitation and hygiene and senior government officials from different regions and development levels, as well as leaders from other stakeholders, including civil society, private sector, donors, development banks, UN agencies and academia.
Unique in the sector, the SMMs are the culmination of robust ongoing strategic dialogue at country level, involving multiple stakeholders bound together by the belief that good governance and mutual accountability are key to achieve water and sanitation for all, always and everywhere.

World Bank Group’s Water Global Practice Water Week
2019-04-02 - 2019-04-04 | Washington, United States

81st African Water Association Scientific and Technical Council Meeting
2019-04-01 - 2019-04-05 | Rabat, Morocco

Latinosan - 5th Latin American Conference on Sanitation
2019-04-01 - 2019-04-04 | Centro de Convenciones de Costa Rica, Costa Rica

World Water Day 2019 "Leaving No One Behind"
2019-03-22 | Rome, Italy

CDP’s Global Water Forum
2019-03-22
CDP’s Global Water Forum opens its invitation for its online Forum on March 22nd to celebrate World Water Day. The event will be recorded and distributed to all registrants.
Water smart economies: Worsening water security is a material risk for the global economy and the private sector faces financial and supply risks that can no longer be ignored.
Although action is being taken, incremental changes are insufficient to deal with the scale of the challenge. Instead, more strategic action from the business and finance communities is needed to deliver a water secure, resilient economy and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
Join us to explore the opportunities emerging from the transition away from traditional forms of business management, towards new and innovative approaches to water stewardship and how investors are favoring the allocation of capital towards a water secure economy. In support of this CDP will be providing insight into the latest trends in corporate water stewardship from CDP’s 2018 Global Water Report.
The time for debating the materiality of water security issues is over. The time for action is now.
Confirmed speakers:

Cate Lamb, Director of Water Security, CDP
Paul Simpson, CEO, CDP
Wilhem Mohn, Head of Sustainability Initiatives, Ownership Strategies at Norges Bank Investment

Additional speakers and full agenda will be announced ahead of the event.

Register here

VACI 2019 - Vietnam International Water Week
2019-03-22 - 2019-03-25 | Hanoi, Viet Nam
Vietnam wAter Cooperation Initiative (VACI) is the global platform to share and co-create innovative water solutions with particular emphasis on Vietnam and tropical water issues. Under auspice of Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE)-the Ministry responsible for water management in Vietnam, VACI has been growing since 2012 and brings together thought leaders who are pioneering new solutions; it uncovers new scientific findings and technological breakthroughs that could be transformative for the water industry; it connects the world’s leading companies and water professionals working in water sector. Uniquely, it attracts decision makers across the entire water value chain that allows global water industry to collaborate on local business opportunities in Vietnam and the region.
Find more details of the the event and registration for participant, speaker, exhibitors/sponsors, session proposals, visitors, etc. at https://viww.vaci.org.vn/2019

IWRA Webinar on World Water Day 2019 - Leaving No One Behind
2019-03-22
As every year, IWRA celebrates the World Water Day, on 22 March focusing attention on the importance of water. In 2019, the theme for World Water Day 2019 is ‘Leaving No One Behind’ and IWRA will have a dedicated webinar with invited experts from around the world.
Check more detailed information on IWRA’s webinar shortly!

Water Market Europe 2019
2019-03-20 - 2019-03-21 | Brussels, Belgium
Water Market Europe 2019 Scope: Food & Drink Edition

Water management is one of the greatest challenges facing the Food & Drink sector today, with far-reaching implications for society, as well as the competitiveness and sustainability of all food and drink manufacturers. Worldwide, less and less water is going to be available for food production. Critical resources, including water – one of the biggest risks, is coming under increasing pressure. For this third edition, Water Market Europe 2019 is focusing on the Food & Drink sector that covers the full water cycle and has a high impact on climate challenges.

Water Korea 2019
2019-03-20 - 2019-03-22 | Daegu Metropolitan City, Korea, Republic of
WATER KOREA connects People, Technology and Industry

Korea Water and Wastewater Works Association is an agency under the Ministry of Environment consisting of more than 170 water providers, 300 companies, 20 associations and local government groups.
It firstly began in 2002 and is an annually held fair.
It is a comprehensive exposition of the water industry of Korea, comprised of a variety of events including exhibition, seminars, and conferences. Held in March of each year in Seoul and metropolitan cities alterately, the exposition features most companies of the water industry in Korea and is the platform through which many companies enter the Korean market.

Korea No.1 Water Industry Exhibition

WATER KOREA is the first exposition created for the water industry and has become a representation of this market.
Since its start in 2002, each year more than 200 companies and 25,000 people gather at the event.

More than 200 companies and over 25,000 visotors participate

Employees from a wide range of both domestic and oversea companies and agencies participate in WATER KOREA.
They are actively participate in exhibitions and associated events as working in the waterworks or sewage division in all over the Korean cities including the metropolitan cities.

The 40% visitors are from public officials

2019 WATER KOREA welcomes its 18th anniversary.

A multitude of water industrial companies in Korea participate in WATER KOREA. Each year approximately 200 companies are involved in the exposition.
The fair becomes an avenue through which these companies provide the optimal environment to identify and exchange products.
WATER KOREA has become the springboard for entry into the Korean market.

1st WASAG International Forum on Water Scarcity in Agriculture
2019-03-19 - 2019-03-22 | Praia, Cape Verde
The 1st International Forum on Water Scarcity in Agriculture will be held in Praia, Cabo Verde from 19 to 22 March 2019, with the theme ‘Leaving no one behind’.
The objective of the forum is to identify practical, innovative and collaborative solutions to address water scarcity in agriculture in a changing climate. With a special focus on Cape Verde, Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and West African countries, the forum intends to illustrate how water scarcity in agriculture can be addressed and turned into an opportunity for sustainable development, food and nutrition security, and tackling climate change.
The forum is structured around six thematic areas: Water and Migration, Drought Preparedness, Financing Mechanisms, Water and Nutrition, Sustainable Agriculture Water Use and Saline Agriculture. The sessions are expected to yield lasting solutions, shared experiences and take-home messages for addressing water scarcity in agriculture. The forum also aims to foster robust relationships among participants, presenters and institutions for future collaborations on addressing water scarcity in various parts of the globe.
The forum will bring together some 200 decision-makers, professionals, scientists and experts from WASAG partners and stakeholders, regional organizations, public and private sectors from different regions of the world with an interest in water scarcity in agriculture.
The outcomes of the forum will contribute to Agenda 2030 and to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and in particular SDG 1, SDG 2, SDG 5, SDG 6, SDG 13, SDG 15 and SDG 17.
For more information on the forum, visit the official website.

Africa Climate Week 2019
2019-03-18 - 2019-03-22 | Accra, Ghana
Africa Climate Week (ACW) 2019 will convene in the lead-up to the UN Secretary-General’s Climate Summit in September 2019, bringing together diverse actors from the public and private sectors. Participants will focus on how engagement between Parties and non-Party stakeholders can be further strengthened in key sectors for Africa, including energy, agriculture and human settlements. The event will also showcase the role of future carbon markets to enhance climate action towards the goal of sustainable development, and seek to facilitate implementation of countries’ nationally determined contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement on climate change and SDG 13 (climate action), among other Goals.
ACW is organized by the Nairobi Framework Partnership (NFP), which supports developing countries in preparing and implementing their NDCs.

Asia Water Council 3rd GA & 8th-9th BoC
2019-03-13 - 2019-03-16 | Manila, Philippines
As a member of the Asia Water Council, IWRA will participate at the 3rd Asia Water Council General Assembly & 8th BoC 14th-16th March 2019 in Manila, Philippines.
This event is expected to gather some 300 experts and water leaders from 123 AWC member countries and institutions.

13th Gulf Water Conference
2019-03-12 - 2019-03-14 | Kuwait, Kuwait
Despite the extreme scarcity of water resources in the region, the GCC countries have done well in providing water for their ever-increasing population and rapidly expanding economic base and activities. However, the GCC countries are faced with major challenges manifested by increasing financial, economic and environmental costs associated with providing water supplies. These challenges are expected to grow with time under the current policies and management approaches driven by many external and internal drivers, which include rapid population growth, changing consumption patterns, low management efficiencies, and the expected impacts of climate change
In the municipal sector, to meet escalating water demands under the current rapid population and urbanization rates and changing…
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IWRA Board Face-to-Face Meeting
2019-03-10 - 2019-03-11 | Paris, France

5th Arab Water Week
2019-03-03 - 2019-03-07 | Dead Sea, Jordan
Fifth Arab Water Week 2019
Towards Sustainable Development in Water and Sanitation

Access to safe water and sanitation is essential to human health, environmental sustainability and economic prosperity. This vital resource is under threat, making it crucial to address the challenges related to water, sanitation and hygiene for populations and water-related ecosystems.
Achieving universal access to drinking water, sanitation, hygiene and ensuring that services are safely managed remain major challenges, and meeting them is crucial to further progress in health, education and poverty eradication.
Read more about Arab Water Week (AWW)

IHE Delft Water & Peace Seminar
2019-02-21 - 2019-02-22 | The Hague, Netherlands
The Water Diplomacy Team at IHE Delft is pleased to announce that it will organize 2019 Water and Peace Seminar. This seminar will take place on 21-22 February in The Hague area, Netherlands.
About the Seminar
The seminar will focus on the principle of no significant harm and its role in water diplomacy with all its different dimensions. The principle of no significant harm is one of the key principles in international water law pursuant to which riparians must ‘in utilizing an international watercourse in their territories, take all appropriate measures to prevent the causing of significant harm to other watercourse States’. However, the principle has been subject to competing interpretations by different disciplinary, regional or practical backgrounds and its operationalisation, especially for specific basins, remains challenging.
Main Objectives
The seminar intends to be a forum for interdisciplinary and interactive discussions based on your knowledge and expertise, focusing on:

the challenges of defining, operationalising, and monitoring the principle of no significant harm from a multi-disciplinary perspective and from both academic and practical angles,
the use of the principle by different communities, disciplines and schools of thought and the respective implications for cooperation and sustainable water resources management in different basins, especially in light of different interests and power distributions.

Please note this event is for invited guest only

1st World Summit on Leaving No One Behind
2019-02-07 - 2019-02-08 | WIPO, Geneva, Switzerland
Human Rights Based Solutions for Access to Water and Sanitation, Geneva, 7-8th February 2019, WIPO Conference Centre
The Summit will be the first event in 2019 to find ground-breaking technical and governance solutions for the topic of “Leaving No One Behind”, bringing governance leaders and funding agencies together. The structure of the summit invites innovative research through a competitive call for abstracts through our combined technical networks, culminating in a prestigious Awards Dinner. The following day provides a more dynamic platform for bringing real projects and funders together in an engaging manner. Importantly, the outcome will set off a stream of chosen projects that can help to solve some of the challenges for the people that are being left behind in the least developed countries. These projects and tangible outcomes will be presented as workable solutions at forthcoming high-level events. It is planned to run this Summit annually, teaming the “Leaving No One Behind” topic with the annual UN-Water theme, such as Climate Change in 2020.

30th UN-Water Meeting
2019-01-31 - 2019-02-01 | FAO HQ, Rome, Italy
UN-Water Members and Partners, including IWRA, gather to discuss issues related to UN-Water. This meeting will take place at FAO Headquarters in Rome, Italy. For more information please contact IWRA Executive Office at office@iwra.org.

Singapore Water Management Series on Water Quality
2019-01-14 - 2019-01-18 | Singapore Water Academy, Singapore
​​​​​The Singapore Water Academy’s Urban Water Management Series will offer water professionals practition​​er-based technical solutions in urban water sustainability.
If you are a senior utility or industry technical water practitioner, you are invited you to join the SgWA Urban Water Management Series.
You will hear from leaders in their fields who will bring best practices in different aspects of urban water management in​to the classroom, using Singapore as a case study.​​​​​​​​​​​
The Singapore Water Management Series focuses on the 4 key areas of: ​
A. Water Quality Management​
B. Sustainable Urban Stormwater Management
C. Water Supply Network
D. Water Reuse

IWRA 2019-2021 Board 1st Teleconference
2019-01-09

IWRA Executive Board Meeting
2019-01-09
IWRA Executive Board meetings offer a unique opportunity for the Association’s Board members to gather and discuss quaterly on its strategy direction, initiatives and projects as well as its statutory work and any updates. The Editor-in-Chief of Water International and its Executive Office also join these meetings for better coordination, assistance and implementation of IWRA’s work and activities.

Water Security and Climate Change Conference
2018-12-03 - 2018-12-07 | Nairobi, Kenya
The WSCC 2018 at Kenyatta University takes up the “bridge-building” aspect of WCSS 2017 and will provide continuity in serving as a platform for discussions towards water secure societies. The conference will be a stimulus for discussing new and innovative ideas with special attention to SDGs dealing with “Zero Hunger and Food Security”, “Ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation”, “Clean Water and Sanitation”, “Sustainable Cities and Communities”, and “Combating climate change and its impacts”.
In all aspects, water security is the main focus, as reflected in the conference sessions and dialogue forums. Space is given to meet the new dimensions and perspectives in the current discourse on water security and related SDGs. Against this background researchers, professionals, practitioners, politicians, industry, NGOs and other thematically involved societal groups are invited to enter the interactive, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary conference space.

COP 24 - 24th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
2018-12-02 - 2018-12-14 | Katowice, Poland
COP24 is the informal name for the 24th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
The UNFCCC is a “Rio Convention”, one of three adopted at the “Rio Earth Summit” in 1992. The UNFCCC entered into force on 21 March 1994. Today, it has near-universal membership. The countries that have ratified the Convention are called Parties to the Convention. Preventing “dangerous” human interference with the climate system is the ultimate aim of the UNFCCC.
The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the supreme body of the UNFCCC Convention. It consists of the representatives of the Parties to the Convention. It holds its sessions every year. The COP takes decisions which are necessary to ensure the effective implementation of the provisions of the Convention and regularly reviews the implementation of these provisions.
In accordance with a decision of the 22nd Session of the Conference of the Parties to the Climate Convention (COP22) in Marrakesh in November 2016, the successive climate summit will be held in Poland. Poland was selected to host this event within the framework of the Eastern European Group (EEG).
Poland will hold the Presidency of the Climate Convention for the third time.
