World water congress
WORLD WATER ENVOYS PROGRAMME
The World Water Congress is the largest event linking water researchers and policy practitioners in the world. In its XVIIth edition since 1973, the Congress will focus on a key, timely theme: “Foundations for Global Water Security and Resilience: Knowledge, Technology and Policy”. It is known that water security can be endangered in many ways: water scarcity, natural hazards, conflicts, contaminants, etc. The challenges and priorities around water security are multiple, complex and diverse.
That is why for this Congress, IWRA wanted to hear stories from representatives of the next generations and give them a chance to showcase the issues they face when it comes to Water Security during the next XVII World Water Congress in Korea. The five selected representatives are called “World Water Envoys”.
To apply, candidates for selection as a World Water Envoy had to provide the following:
During the opening ceremony of the Congress, the World Water Envoys will have the opportunity to talk about the water security challenge they face in their community and the impacts it has on everyday life. They will then have the chance to discuss this issue in more detail over the following days with experts attending the Congress, and then will be asked to summarise in the Closing Ceremony what they have learned over the week, and what connections they made that might help their community to overcome its water security challenge.
The collaboration between IWRA and the Envoys won’t only start at the Congress: the preparation year before the Congress in Korea is an opportunity to already engage with the five Envoys, and give them the chance to take part in IWRA Task Forces and projects.
The five World Water Envoys are:

Maria
Almonte
Dominican Republic
Maria focuses on urban river management, specifically on the recent contamination of a river in Santo Domingo, leading to severe health problems in her neighbourhood, such as dengue fever. She sees education and awareness-raising around waste and water management as a key priority for her community. Maria finished her undergrad in civil engineering.

Pallavi
Pokharel
Nepal
Pallavi focuses on groundwater pollution in the city of Kathmandu, Nepal, where 90% of people depend on groundwater, contaminated with arsenic, chemicals and viruses. Pallavi understands well the multifactorial complexity of the situation and is very eloquent. She finishes her undergrad in environmental science.
ADDRESS
Stafford Rosenbaum LLP
222 West Washington Avenue, Suite 900
Madison, Wisconsin 53701-1784
United States of America
IWRA Executive Office
51 rue Salvador Allende
92027 Nanterre Cedex, France
Phone: +33 (0)1-41-20-16-28
Email: office@iwra.org
Editorial: editor@iwra.org