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The International Water Association (IWA) is a self-governing
nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...
and knowledge hub for the water sector, connecting water
professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who work (human activity), works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the partic ...
s and
companies A company, abbreviated as co., is a legal entity representing an association of legal people, whether natural, juridical or a mixture of both, with a specific objective. Company members share a common purpose and unite to achieve specifi ...
to find solutions to the world's water challenges. It has permanent staff housed in its
headquarters Headquarters (often referred to as HQ) notes the location where most or all of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. The term is used in a wide variety of situations, including private sector corporations, non-profits, mil ...
and global secretariat in central
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, to support the activities, and has a regional office in
Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...
,
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
. The aim of the IWA is to function as an international network for water experts and promote standards and optimal approaches in
sustainable Sustainability is a social goal for people to co-exist on Earth over a long period of time. Definitions of this term are disputed and have varied with literature, context, and time. Sustainability usually has three dimensions (or pillars): env ...
water management Water resources are natural resources of water that are potentially useful for humans, for example as a source of drinking water supply or irrigation water. These resources can be either freshwater from natural sources, or water produced artificia ...
. Its membership is a global mosaic comprising 313
technology companies A technology company (or tech company) is a company that focuses primarily on the manufacturing, support, research and development of—most commonly computing, telecommunication and consumer electronics–based—technology-intensive products and ...
,
water Water is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance. It is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known liv ...
and
wastewater Wastewater (or waste water) is water generated after the use of freshwater, raw water, drinking water or saline water in a variety of deliberate applications or processes. Another definition of wastewater is "Used water from any combination of do ...
utilities, 54
universities A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...
, and wider stakeholders in the fields of water services,
infrastructure Infrastructure is the set of facilities and systems that serve a country, city, or other area, and encompasses the services and facilities necessary for its economy, households and firms to function. Infrastructure is composed of public and pri ...
engineering and
consulting A consultant (from "to deliberate") is a professional (also known as ''expert'', ''specialist'', see variations of meaning below) who provides advice or services in an area of specialization (generally to medium or large-size corporations). Cons ...
as well as 7,791 individuals including
scientist A scientist is a person who Scientific method, researches to advance knowledge in an Branches of science, area of the natural sciences. In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, philosophers engag ...
s and
research Research is creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge. It involves the collection, organization, and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness to ...
ers, with 53 governing members (2021). IWA is an affiliated member of the
International Science Council The International Science Council (ISC) is an international non-governmental organization that unites scientific bodies at various levels across the social and natural sciences. The ISC was formed with its inaugural general assembly on 4 July 20 ...
(ISC). IWA features regional associations, approximately 50 specialist groups covering key topics in urban water management, specialized
task force A task force (TF) is a unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. Originally introduced by the United States Navy, the term has now caught on for general usage and is a standard part of NATO terminology. Many ...
s, and web-based knowledge networks. Two significant
conference A conference is a meeting, often lasting a few days, which is organized on a particular subject, or to bring together people who have a common interest. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always d ...
s are organized by the IWA biennially: the World Water Congress & Exhibition (WWDE) and the Water and Development Congress & Exhibition (WDCE). IWA works across a wide range of issues covering the full
water cycle The water cycle (or hydrologic cycle or hydrological cycle) is a biogeochemical cycle that involves the continuous movement of water on, above and below the surface of the Earth across different reservoirs. The mass of water on Earth remains fai ...
, with four programmes – Basins of the Future (
water security The aim of water security is to maximize the benefits of water for humans and ecosystems. The second aim is to limit the risks of destructive impacts of water to an acceptable level. These risks include too much water (flood), too little water (d ...
), Cities of the Future ( urban metabolism,
sustainable city A sustainable city, eco-city, or green city is a city designed with consideration for the Sustainability, social, economic, and environmental impact (commonly referred to as the triple bottom line), as well as a resilient habitat for existing po ...
), Water and
Sanitation Sanitation refers to public health conditions related to clean drinking water and treatment and disposal of human excreta and sewage. Preventing human contact with feces is part of sanitation, as is hand washing with soap. Sanitation systems ...
Services (
wastewater Wastewater (or waste water) is water generated after the use of freshwater, raw water, drinking water or saline water in a variety of deliberate applications or processes. Another definition of wastewater is "Used water from any combination of do ...
management) including Water policy and regulation – that work towards achieving the
Sustainable Development Goals The ''2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development'', adopted by all United Nations (UN) members in 2015, created 17 world Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The aim of these global goals is "peace and prosperity for people and the planet" – wh ...
adopted by the 70th UN General Assembly and addressing the threat to sustainable water supplies posed by
climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...
.


History


Merger of IWSA and IAWQ

The association traces its historical roots back to the ''International Water Supply Association'' (IWSA), established in June 1947 in
Harrogate Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and civil parish in the North Yorkshire District, district and North Yorkshire, county of North Yorkshire, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist de ...
,
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, changing its name to ''International Water Service Association'' (IWSA) in the mid-1990s, and the ''International Association on Water Quality'' (IAWQ), which was originally formed as the ''International Association for Water Pollution Research'' (IAWPR) in 1962, formally constituted in June 1965 also in the same city, renamed ''International Association of Water Pollution Research and Control'' (IAWPRC) in March 1982 and adopting IAWQ in May 1992. Both were global membership
organization An organization or organisation (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English; American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), see spelling differences) is an legal entity, entity—such as ...
s – one related to
drinking water Drinking water or potable water is water that is safe for ingestion, either when drunk directly in liquid form or consumed indirectly through food preparation. It is often (but not always) supplied through taps, in which case it is also calle ...
utility and the other related to
wastewater Wastewater (or waste water) is water generated after the use of freshwater, raw water, drinking water or saline water in a variety of deliberate applications or processes. Another definition of wastewater is "Used water from any combination of do ...
utility – dedicated to advancing
research Research is creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge. It involves the collection, organization, and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness to ...
and
best practice A best practice is a method or technique that has been generally accepted as superior to alternatives because it tends to produce superior results. Best practices are used to achieve quality as an alternative to mandatory standards. Best practice ...
s through international
collaboration Collaboration (from Latin ''com-'' "with" + ''laborare'' "to labor", "to work") is the process of two or more people, entities or organizations working together to complete a task or achieve a goal. Collaboration is similar to cooperation. The ...
, but represented two distinct causes, perspectives, histories, and membership profiles. The organizations had a series of activities centered on recurring
congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...
es, which in the later years would include specialty
conference A conference is a meeting, often lasting a few days, which is organized on a particular subject, or to bring together people who have a common interest. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always d ...
s and regional conferences for individuals without the means of attending the biennial events. The self-managed specialist group framework initially developed within IAWPRC would eventually evolve into the cornerstone of IWA's operational approach extending beyond IWA's biennial congresses, and be further enriched by clusters and programs formed by specialist groups within IWA. In the history of IWSA, the focus of publication of journals was smaller compared to IAWQ. Discussions regarding a merger between the IWSA and IAWQ commenced in 1996. Given their shared location in London for several years, the idea of a merger had long been considered. Ultimately, negotiations for the merger were conducted through what later became known as the ''Merger Coordinating Group'' (MCG), who held a last meeting in London on 12-13 May 1999. On 23 January 1998, the then
president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
s, Nicholas Hood of IWSA and Thomas Keinath of IAWQ, signed a
memorandum A memorandum (: memorandums or memoranda; from the Latin ''memorandum'', "(that) which is to be remembered"), also known as a briefing note, is a Writing, written message that is typically used in a professional setting. Commonly abbreviation, ...
of understanding, paving the way for the
ratification Ratification is a principal's legal confirmation of an act of its agent. In international law, ratification is the process by which a state declares its consent to be bound to a treaty. In the case of bilateral treaties, ratification is usuall ...
of the merger between the two organizations. After receiving mandates from their respective
boards of directors A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulations ...
to the formal proposal, IWSA in May and IAWQ in June the same year, the full merger was scheduled to take place by 1 August 1999. The merger was formally sealed during a signing event held at the Stockholm Water Week in August 1999. Under UK Charity Law, the merger officially dissolved IWSA and IAWQ, giving rise to the establishment of a new association. The two professional, technical associations with separate
culture Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...
s, and working methods eventually merged on 7 September 1999 to form the International Water Association (IWA), creating one international organization focused on the full water cycle. The merger was motivated by the streamlining of operations and a desire to accumulate critical mass. Legally signed and created at the end of July 1999, the IWA was ceremonially launched at the final IWSA 22nd World Water Congress and Exhibition, held in
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
, Argentina in 18–24 September 1999, in collaboration with AIDIS Argentina. IWA were operational in their new
headquarters Headquarters (often referred to as HQ) notes the location where most or all of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. The term is used in a wide variety of situations, including private sector corporations, non-profits, mil ...
on Caxton Street,
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, United Kingdom from January 2000. Included in the merger process was a new member leadership structure, the ''Scientific and Technical Council'' (STC) and a ''Management and Policy Council'' (MPC), and the creation of two subsidiaries: IWA Publishing (IWA) and the IWA Foundation.


Early years, new agendas and offices

The first congress under the auspices of the new organization was held in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
in 2000 with nearly 2.500 delegates attending 450 oral presentations, 750 poster presentations and 4 workshops and seminars. In 2009, IWA launched a biennial Development Congress, with
Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...
as the inaugural location, as a key component of its comprehensive agenda to drive advancements in the
developing world A developing country is a sovereign state with a less-developed industrial base and a lower Human Development Index (HDI) relative to developed countries. However, this definition is not universally agreed upon. There is also no clear agreeme ...
. Together with the America’s Clean Water Foundation (ACWF), IWA sponsored the first World Water Monitoring Day in October 2003, handled the joint coordination of the program together with the Water Environment Federation (WEF) from July 2006 until January 2015, where the coordinator role was transferred to ''EarthEcho International''. By September 2016, the membership numbers at IWA had increased to 6,295 members, which was an increase from 4,901 members in 2007. Water professionals had increasingly discussed and agreed on the necessity for a consistent framework within which to ensure drinking water quality standards, which was further emphasized by the
World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...
's development of the 3rd edition of its ''Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality'' (GDWQ), emphasizing proactive risk-based management alongside end-product monitoring for compliance. A generic framework for water quality management was crafted during workshops in
Bonn Bonn () is a federal city in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, located on the banks of the Rhine. With a population exceeding 300,000, it lies about south-southeast of Cologne, in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr region. This ...
, Germany in October 2001 and refined in February 2004, resulting in the ''Bonn Charter for Safe Drinking Water'', launched by IWA in September 2004 during the 4th WWC&E. The ''Bonn Charter for Safe Drinking Water'' advocates for the adoption of Water Safety Plans (WSPs), in alignment with the WHO GDWQ. By 2015, the target year for the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
Millennium Development Goals In the United Nations, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were eight international development goals for the year 2015 created following the Millennium Summit, following the adoption of the United Nations Millennium Declaration. These w ...
(MDG) from 2009, the 2030 agenda of the UN
Sustainable Development Goals The ''2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development'', adopted by all United Nations (UN) members in 2015, created 17 world Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The aim of these global goals is "peace and prosperity for people and the planet" – wh ...
(SDG) was embraced as a new main water-focused issue of concern among the many other global priorities. In March 2015, AquaRating was announced as the world's first rating agency for the water sector by establishing the international standard for assessing water and sanitation services provision, jointly developed by the
Inter-American Development Bank The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB or IADB) is an international development finance institution headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States of America. It serves as one of the leading sources of development financing for the countri ...
(IADB) and the IWA. On 1 September 2016, the
World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...
and IWA announced the establishment of a partnership surrounding the reduction of water losses. In a partnership with
OPEC Fund for International Development The OPEC Fund for International Development (OPEC Fund) is an intergovernmental development finance institution established in 1976 by the member states of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). The OPEC Fund was conceived ...
(OFID), the IWA published a report on 26 February 2017, emphasizes the critical need for swift and substantial action to significantly enhance wastewater treatment, reuse, and recycling. At an official ceremony on 14 November 2007, a major operational office in
The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...
, the
Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
, was opened, which followed the opening of regional offices in
Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...
, Republic of China (7 December 2006) and
Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
(5 June 2007), and later in
Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...
, Kenya (2009/2010),
Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...
, Romania (24 November 2009) and
Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...
,
Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...
, United States (2016). A regional office in
Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...
, India was established in May 2018 to coordinate the organization's activities across
South Asia South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia that is defined in both geographical and Ethnicity, ethnic-Culture, cultural terms. South Asia, with a population of 2.04 billion, contains a quarter (25%) of the world's populatio ...
, and hosts a sub-unit of the IT and Digital Transformation team. A collaboration agreement that established IWA's new Global Operations Hub in
Nanjing Nanjing or Nanking is the capital of Jiangsu, a province in East China. The city, which is located in the southwestern corner of the province, has 11 districts, an administrative area of , and a population of 9,423,400. Situated in the Yang ...
, Republic of China, was signed on 22 October 2018 to host the Asia & Oceania Regional Member Engagement and Service, Water Intelligence, IWA Learn, and Event, becoming fully operational in July 2019, and staying active until late 2022 or early 2023.
Brexit Brexit (, a portmanteau of "Britain" and "Exit") was the Withdrawal from the European Union, withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU). Brexit officially took place at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February ...
let to the shutdown of the association's operations in the
Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
and the transfer of activities back to the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, where IWA and IWA Publishing have shared an expanded office in London since July 2020.


Management


Presidents of IWA

All past presidents of the International Water Association are listed below. The length of the
presidency A presidency is an administration or the executive, the collective administrative and governmental entity that exists around an office of president of a state or nation. Although often the executive branch of government, and often personified b ...
is a two-year term of office, which can be renewed for a second mandate following a constitutional change at a Beijing meeting in 2006. The person becomes president
-elect An ''officer-elect'' is a person who has been elected to a position but has not yet been installed. Notably, a president who has been elected but not yet installed would be referred to as a ''president-elect'' (e.g. president-elect of the U ...
until the term officially commences at the conclusion of the opening ceremony of an upcoming World Water Congress & Exhibition event with the term ending at the close of the next WWC&E. The association's work and strategy is guided and directed by its Governing Assembly, Board of Directors, Strategic Council and committees. Votings for the position of IWA President (chairperson of the board) have occurred during a world congress or by the association’s Governing Assembly at the IWA
annual general meeting An annual general meeting (AGM, also known as the annual meeting) is a meeting of the general membership of an organization. These organizations include membership associations and companies with shareholders. These meetings may be required ...
. A
vice president A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...
and a senior vice president is also elected as officers. During the merger in 1999, two co-presidents, both hailing from
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
, were elected at the
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
Congress. They were tasked with overseeing a two-year transition period from September 1999 through October 2001 (the IWA Congress in Berlin) as the newly formed organization, worked towards operational establishment. Diane D’Arras of France became the association's first female president in October 2016. Due to a delay caused by the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, the presidency of Tom Mollenkopf became effective in May 2021 despite being elected for his first term in October 2019. * 1999–2001: Piet Odendaal (South Africa) * 1999–2001: Vincent Bath (South Africa) * 2001–2003: Norihito Tambo (Japan) * 2003–2004: Michael Rouse (United Kingdom) * 2004–2006: (Hungary) * 2006–2010: David Garman (United States) * 2010–2014: Glen Daigger (United States) * 2014–2016: Helmut Kroiss (Austria) * 2016–2021: Diane D’Arras (France) * 2021–2024: Tom Mollenkopf (Australia) * 2024–''present'': Hamanth Chotoo Kasan (South Africa)


Executive Directors of IWA

All past executive directors of the International Water Association are listed below. The IWA secretariat, where the association's worldwide operations are coordinated, is headed the by executive director, which is appointed by the board of directors. During the merger process of IWSA and IAWQ, Tony Milburn, who had previously served as the Executive Director of IAWQ since 1982, was appointed as the new Executive Director of IWA. Mike Slipper, who had served as the Executive Director of IWSA since 1997, was appointed as Deputy Executive Director of IWA. * 1999–2002: Anthony Milburn (United Kingdom) * 2002–2012: Paul Reiter (United States) * 2012–2017: Ger Bergkamp (Netherlands) * 2017–''present'': Kala Vairavamoorthy (United Kingdom)


Acknowledgement

IWA acknowledges the contributions and achievements of its members and professionals in the water sector through a program of honors and awards, which encompass the ''Global Water Award'' (since 2004), the ''Honorary Membership of the Association'' (since 2016), the ''Publishing Award'' (since 2002), the ''Gender & Diversity Award'' (known as the ''Women in Water Award'' in its former incarnation between 2008 and 2020), the ''Project Innovation Award'' (since 2016), the ''Professional Development Award'' (since 2018), the ''Best Practice on Resource Recovery'' (since 2015), the ''Young Leadership Award'' (since 1999), and the ''IWA/ISME Bio Cluster Award'' (in collaboration with the
International Society for Microbial Ecology The International Society for Microbial Ecology (ISME) is the principal scientific society for the burgeoning field of microbial ecology and its related disciplines. ISME is a non-profit association and is owner of the International Symposia on Mi ...
since 2016). Since 2015, a program aimed at encouraging the sustainable management of water in low- and middle-income countries have included the ''Water and Development Award for Research'' and the ''Water and Development Award for Practice'', where the winners are announced during the opening
plenary session A plenary session or plenum is a session of a conference or deliberative assembly in which all parties or members are present. Such a session may include a broad range of content, from keynotes to panel discussions, and is not necessarily r ...
of the WDC&E, held every two years.


IWA Global Water Award

Past awardees of the biennial award are listed below. Regarded as the highest honor from the IWA, and known as the ''IWA Grand Award'' between 2004 and 2008, the award is presented to the winner(s) at an upcoming World Water Congress & Exhibition. The IWA Global Water Award, bestowed by a review committee panelled by international experts spanning the water cycle, acknowledges any significant contributions of individuals towards enhancing global sustainable water and sanitation. Since the award's establishment, there have been dual winners on two occasions. The winner receive a trophy of various design and a certificate honoring their contributions. * 2004: Jamie Bartram (Switzerland) * 2004: Jisong Wu (Republic of China) * 2006: Daniel A. Okun (United States) * 2008: Jim Gill (Australia) * 2008: Mark van Loosdrecht (Netherlands) * 2010: David Jenkins (United Kingdom) * 2010: (Mexico) * 2012: R. Rhodes Trussell (United States) * 2014: Qiu Baoxing (Republic of China) * 2016:
Catarina de Albuquerque Catarina de Albuquerque (born 1970) is a Portuguese lawyer and human rights activist who served as the first United Nations special rapporteur on the right to safe drinking water and sanitation (2008–2014). After becoming Executive Chair of Sa ...
(Portugal) * 2018: Tony Wong (Australia) * 2021: Marcos Von Sperling (Brazil) * 2022: Nisha Mandani (India) * 2024: Joan Rose (United States)


Publications

IWA Publishing Ltd. (IWAP) was established as the wholly owned subsidiary of the International Water Association in January 1999, in anticipation of the merger between IAWQ and IWSA, with the purpose of providing information services on all aspects of water,
wastewater Wastewater (or waste water) is water generated after the use of freshwater, raw water, drinking water or saline water in a variety of deliberate applications or processes. Another definition of wastewater is "Used water from any combination of do ...
and related environmental fields, and would take over journal, book and magazine publications from the previous associations. The company's portfolio include the
publishing Publishing is the activities of making information, literature, music, software, and other content, physical or digital, available to the public for sale or free of charge. Traditionally, the term publishing refers to the creation and distribu ...
and
printing Printing is a process for mass reproducing text and images using a master form or template. The earliest non-paper products involving printing include cylinder seals and objects such as the Cyrus Cylinder and the Cylinders of Nabonidus. The ...
of
periodical Periodical literature (singularly called a periodical publication or simply a periodical) consists of Publication, published works that appear in new releases on a regular schedule (''issues'' or ''numbers'', often numerically divided into annu ...
s and a broad range of
peer-reviewed Peer review is the evaluation of work by one or more people with similar competencies as the producers of the work ( peers). It functions as a form of self-regulation by qualified members of a profession within the relevant field. Peer review ...
scientific journal In academic publishing, a scientific journal is a periodical publication designed to further the progress of science by disseminating new research findings to the scientific community. These journals serve as a platform for researchers, schola ...
s alongside over 800
book A book is a structured presentation of recorded information, primarily verbal and graphical, through a medium. Originally physical, electronic books and audiobooks are now existent. Physical books are objects that contain printed material, ...
s, research reports, manuals of best practice, and online services. The ''
Journal Citation Reports ''Journal Citation Reports'' (''JCR'') is an annual publication by Clarivate. It has been integrated with the Web of Science and is accessed from the Web of Science Core Collection. It provides information about academic journals in the natur ...
'' lists '' Water Research'' with the highest
impact factor The impact factor (IF) or journal impact factor (JIF) of an academic journal is a type of journal ranking. Journals with higher impact factor values are considered more prestigious or important within their field. The Impact Factor of a journa ...
of 11.236 (2020) among the company's journals. A member and trade exhibition
magazine A magazine is a periodical literature, periodical publication, print or digital, produced on a regular schedule, that contains any of a variety of subject-oriented textual and visual content (media), content forms. Magazines are generally fin ...
, named ''Water21'' was launched to coincide with the creation of IWA, publishing six issues each year with a worldwide circulation of approximately 20,000, and combining elements from the previous periodicals, IAWQ's ''Water Quality International'' and IWSA's ''Aqua News''. The Water21 magazine's final issue was published in June 2015, when the magazine was rebranded and relaunched quarterly as ''The Source'' in September 2015. At one point a
Chinese language Chinese ( or ) is a group of languages spoken natively by the ethnic Han Chinese majority and List of ethnic groups in China, many minority ethnic groups in China, as well as by various communities of the Chinese diaspora. Approximately 1.39& ...
supplement for the Water21 magazine, aimed at the Chinese water market, was published twice a year in a joint venture between IWA and Aquatech China with a circulation of 41,000. Two
newsletters A newsletter is a printed Printing is a process for mass reproducing text and Printmaking, images using a master form or template. The earliest non-paper products involving printing include cylinder seals and objects such as the Cyrus Cylind ...
, named ''Water Utility Management International'' (WUMI) and ''Water Asset Management International'' (WAMI), were quarterly publications produced by the Water21 team between 2005/2006 and 2015. The first book published was ''Wastewater Treatment Systems'' in 1999. In July 1999, the first new publication under IWA Publishing, ''Journal of Hydroinformatics'', was launched in partnership with the
International Association for Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research The International Association for Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research (IAHR), founded in 1935, is a worldwide, non-profit, independent organisation of engineers and water specialists working in fields related to the hydro-environment and in ...
(IAHR), and later International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS). From 2000, the publication of the three journals ''Water Science and Technology'' (previously published by
Elsevier Elsevier ( ) is a Dutch academic publishing company specializing in scientific, technical, and medical content. Its products include journals such as ''The Lancet'', ''Cell (journal), Cell'', the ScienceDirect collection of electronic journals, ...
on behalf of IAWQ), ''AQUA'' and ''Water Supply'' (previously published by
Blackwell Scientific Publications Wiley-Blackwell is an international scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly publishing business of John Wiley & Sons. It was formed by the merger of John Wiley & Sons Global Scientific, Technical, and Medical business with Blackwell Publish ...
on behalf of IWSA) was continued by IWA Publishing, while the publication of '' Water Research'' journal, on behalf of IAWQ, was continued by Elsevier in association with IWA. Having had Elsevier as the publisher for the first four volumes, the official journal of the
World Water Council The World Water Council (WWC), also known as the Conseil Mondial de l'Eau (CME), is an international think tank. It was founded in 1996, with its headquarters in Marseille, France. It has 358 members (as of February 2020) which encompass organiza ...
, ''Water Policy'', was transferred to IWA Publishing from 2003. Activities related to safe drinking-water by the
World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...
(WHO) have since 2003 included a collaboration surrounding the publication of the ''Journal of Water and Health'' by IWA Publishing. In 2012, the publication of ''Water Quality Research Journal of Canada'' was passed from the Canadian Association on Water Quality (CAWQ) to IWA Publishing. The first open access article was published in 2006 in the ''Journal of Water & Health'' and in 2016 the H2Open Journal became the first fully open access journal. Almost a quarter of all articles published in IWA Publishing journals in 2020 were open access. The publishing branch of IWA became a member of the Open Access Scholarly Publishing Association (OASPA) in 2021. Ten of IWA Publishing's journals became
open access Open access (OA) is a set of principles and a range of practices through which nominally copyrightable publications are delivered to readers free of access charges or other barriers. With open access strictly defined (according to the 2001 de ...
via a "Subscribe to Open" model (S2O) in 2021. In an agreement reached with Electronic Information for Libraries (EiFL),
libraries A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...
continue to pay subscriptions and generate a revenue stream allowing the journals to be freely read and free to publish in by everybody. Periodicals published by the IWA: *AQUA: Water Infrastructure, Ecosystems and Society ( June 1952) *Blue–Green Systems ( January 2019) *pen Journal ( July 2018) *Hydrology Research ( February 1970) *Journal of Hydroinformatics ( July 1999) *Journal of Water & Climate Change ( March 2010) *Journal of Water & Health ( March 2003) *Water Reuse ( March 2011) *Journal of Water, Sanitation & Hygiene for Development ( March 2011) *Water Policy ( February 1998) *Water Practice & Technology ( March 2006) *Water Quality Research Journal ( February 1966) * Water Science & Technology ( 1972) *Water Supply ( January 2001) Published by
Elsevier Elsevier ( ) is a Dutch academic publishing company specializing in scientific, technical, and medical content. Its products include journals such as ''The Lancet'', ''Cell (journal), Cell'', the ScienceDirect collection of electronic journals, ...
on behalf of the IWA: * Water Research ( January 1967) *Water Research X ( December 2018) *Water Resources and Economics ( January 2013) *Water Resources and Industry ( March–June 2013) *Water Resources & Rural Development ( November 2013; December 2017) *Sustainability of Water Quality and Ecology ( December 2013; November 2017) Published in association with Universitat Politècnica de València: *Ingeneria del Agua ( January 1994) IWA membership magazine: *Water21 ( July 1999; June 2015) *The Source ( September 2015) IWA newsletters: *Water Asset Management International ( March 2006; December 2015) *Water Utility Management International ( March 2005; December 2015)


Conferences and workshops

IWA annually hosts approximately 40 specialist
conference A conference is a meeting, often lasting a few days, which is organized on a particular subject, or to bring together people who have a common interest. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always d ...
s and
workshop Beginning with the Industrial Revolution era, a workshop may be a room, rooms or building which provides both the area and tools (or machinery) that may be required for the manufacture or repair of manufactured goods. Workshops were the only ...
s on various aspects of water management. Flagship events organized by the IWA include the World Water Congress & Exhibition (WWCE) since 2000 and the biennially Water and Development Congress & Exhibition, with its first edition held in 2009. The Conference for Water Safety, previously held in
Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...
(2008),
Kuching Kuching ( , ), officially the City of Kuching, is the capital and the most populous city in the States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Sarawak in Malaysia. It is also the capital of Kuching Division. The city is on the Sarawak Ri ...
(2010),
Kampala Kampala (, ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,875,834 (2024) and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kampala, Kawempe Division, Kawempe, Makindy ...
(2012),
Palawan Palawan (, ), officially the Province of Palawan (; ), is an archipelagic province of the Philippines that is located in the region of Mimaropa. It is the largest province in the country in terms of total area of . The capital and largest c ...
(2016),
Narvik () is the third-largest List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Nordland Counties of Norway, county, Norway, by population. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Narvik (town), town of Narvik. Some of the notable villag ...
(2022) and
Montevideo Montevideo (, ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2023 census, the city proper has a population of 1,302,954 (about 37.2% of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...
(2024), and involving the discussion and implementation of Water Safety Plans (WSPs), is organized by the IWA and for the first five editions it was co-sponsored by the
World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...
(WHO). The Leading Edge Conference on Water and Wastewater Technologies (LET) have been held annually since the first edition at
Noordwijk Noordwijk () is a town and municipality in the west of the Netherlands, in the provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland. The municipality covers an area of of which is water and had a population of in . On 1 January 2019, the f ...
, the
Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
in 2003, with the exception of years 2020–2021. The ''Design, Operation and Economics of Large Wastewater Treatment Plants'' (LWWTP) conferences represent the longest-standing specialized conferences organized by a IWA specialist group (SG), the LWWTP group, who persisted through IAWQ's merger with IWSA into IWA and initially organized the first conference as a workshop in 1971 in
Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
, Austria. The first World Water Congress held under the auspices of the IWA was technically organized under IAWQ congress traditions, while the second WWC was organized as an IWSA/DVGW styled congress. The program
committee A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly or other form of organization. A committee may not itself be considered to be a form of assembly or a decision-making body. Usually, an assembly o ...
created for the third congress, held together with the Enviro 2002 Convention & Exhibition, designed the technical program, and was subsequently used as a standing committee for future congresses to ensure both quality and continuity. The 6th edition of the World Water Congress & Exhibition was visited by 4,500 participants from 94 different countries, which by the 11th edition in
Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
had increased to 9,815 participants from 98 countries, while 8,900 water professionals from utilities, academia, private companies, governments, and global organizations, of 102 countries, took part in the 12th edition in
Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
. Due to the
COVID-19 pandemic in Europe The global COVID-19 pandemic arrived in Europe with its first confirmed case in Bordeaux, France, on 24 January 2020, and subsequently spread widely across the continent. By 17 March 2020, every country in Europe had confirmed a case, and al ...
imposing major limitations on travel, the 12th edition of WWC&E was moved to 2022. As a replacement, between 24 May and 4 June 2021 an online event known as ''2021 IWA Digital World Water Congress'' was held, providing an opportunity for presenting papers originally prepared for WWC&E 2020 accompanied by
plenary session A plenary session or plenum is a session of a conference or deliberative assembly in which all parties or members are present. Such a session may include a broad range of content, from keynotes to panel discussions, and is not necessarily r ...
s, over 100 presentations and live Q&A sessions. The 1st edition of the Water & Development Congress & Exhibition was visited by 400 delegates from 60 countries, organized by the IWA and
National Autonomous University of Mexico The National Autonomous University of Mexico (, UNAM) is a public university, public research university in Mexico. It has several campuses in Mexico City, and many others in various locations across Mexico, as well as a presence in nine countri ...
, while the 6th edition saw 3,142 participants attend from over 100 countries. The 5th IWA Water and Development Congress & Exhibition was not held at a conference center or
university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...
, but took place in buildings and under temporary
tent A tent is a shelter consisting of sheets of fabric or other material draped over or attached to a frame of poles or a supporting rope. While smaller tents may be free-standing or attached to the ground, large tents are usually anchored using g ...
s at a water treatment plant in
Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
, Argentina.


WWCE locations and dates


WDCE locations and dates


Footnotes


References


External links

* * * * {{Authority control Environmental management-related professional associations Environmental organisations based in London International organisations based in London International water associations Members of the International Council for Science Organisations based in the City of Westminster