Programme features and highlights
Plenary Keynotes
Peter Gleick
Pacific Institute
USA
Saroj Kumar Jha
World Bank Group
USA
Batsirai Majuru
World Health Organization
USA
Ong Tze-Ch’in
PUB
Singapore
Farokh Kakar
Brown and Caldwell Consultants
Canada
Juliet Willetts
University of Technology Sydney’s Institute for Sustainable Futures (UTS-ISF)
Australia
Paul Brown
Paul Redvers Brown, Inc
United States of America
Henk Ovink
Global Commission on the Economics of Water
Netherlands
Amy Pruden
Virginia Tech
United States of America
WWCE 2024 Forums
The programme in Toronto will feature a number of agenda-setting Forums, including:
Monday 12 August
Groundwater Forum
Tuesday 13 August
Industrial Water Forum
Utility Leaders Forum
International Water Regulators Forum
Wednesday 14 August
Emerging Water Leaders Forum
Utility Leaders Forum – continued
Industrial Water Forum
Corporate water strategy: How industry overcomes challenges when investing in water efficiency
The purpose of the Industrial Water Forum is to engage, inspire and share knowledge on the topic of corporate water strategy across industrial and regulatory sectors.
Industry is a large consumer of water and energy, with > 22 % of the total global water withdrawals being used for industrial purposes and is projected to increase rapidly over the next years and decades. Decreasing availability of clean water is a risk many industries face across north America and many other regions and, as < 15 % of industrial water is being reused, there is a massive potential. While this problem is global, the solutions are highly local; to solve this water and energy nexus it is crucial to have collaboration across technology providers, governors, regulators and industries.
The forum will be a place for fostering collaboration, sharing best practices, and exploring how to overcome barriers to accelerate actions on more efficient water usage.
See the Industrial Water Forum programme here.
Groundwater Forum
Groundwater – a resilient resource in times of change and crisis
The Groundwater Forum aims to promote groundwater as a critical resource to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. In three sessions, the forum will explore and facilitate participant discussions on strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of a groundwater-based water supply. By sharing knowledge on the resilience of a groundwater-based water supply in times of conflict and climatic crisis, the forum aims to support water utilities and other decision-makers urgently in need of futureproof strategies.
Utility Leaders Forum
Convened around the needs and interests of water and wastewater utility leaders charged with service delivery, the Utility Leaders Forum (ULF) is a unique opportunity for those tasked with managing utilities to exchange views, network and to access the insights of prominent water utility leaders in a setting that is by utility leaders for utility leaders.
Over the course of two days, the Forum will bring together some of the world’s most prominent water utility leaders with the most impactful case studies to share experiences and knowledge. Curated by an international committee of experienced utility practitioners, the forum is structured to facilitate an open and interactive dialogue around some of the most critical issues facing utilities. Active delegate participation will be key.
On the agenda for 2024 are utility-led solutions for water scarcity, utility breakthroughs on climate adaptation, and utilities working to improve the circular economy.
There is an open registration.
International Water Regulators Forum
The International Water Regulators Forum (IWRF) is the international meeting of the global network of regulators of IWA. It gathers high-level representatives of regulatory authorities and officials of agencies with regulatory and supervisory functions over the provision of water, sanitation, and wastewater treatment services.
The 9th IWRF will be held during the IWA World Water Congress and Exhibition in August 2024 in Toronto, Canada, where a highly prioritised agenda addressing current regulatory priority challenges and topics of interest to regulators will be covered. Attendance of the Forum is by invitation only. The Forum will conclude with a closing plenary where discussions will be summarised and recommendations presented, providing an opportunity to engage with other relevant stakeholders and explore the interlinkages between regulation, science, policy and practice. The Forum is being shaped and steered by a diverse and motivated Programme Committee, a committed group of professionals consisting of high-profile members of the IWA Regulators Community.
By invitation
https://iwa-network.org/events/9th-international-water-regulators-forum/
Emerging Water Leaders Forum
The IWA Emerging Water Leaders Forum is an event which sets an open platform for young water professionals to connect with their peers from around the world. The Forum is a place to share professional experiences and highlight the critical responsibility of Young Water Professionals (YWPs) working on solutions for the future of water.
In an evolving landscape of water management and governance, unprecedented challenges are arising due to climate change, population growth, escalating resource demands, poverty, sanitation, and economic factors. These challenges require solutions that achieve sustainable water practices and enhance the optimisation, estimation, and management efficiency of water-related processes. The advancement of digital tools can serve as the cornerstone of innovation and development aimed at shaping our water future. By harnessing the capabilities of AI, water utilities and organisations can make data-driven decisions, streamline operations, reduce costs, and ensure sustainable management of this precious resource in the face of growing demand and environmental changes. At the same time, concerns about misinterpretation or misuse of data, ethical issues, and the digital divide pose significant hurdles and important issues to consider.
To tackle the complexities linked with digital tools, the 6th Emerging Water Leaders Forum (EWL Forum) will emphasise the pivotal contributions of both young and seasoned professionals in this digital era. These discussions will centre on how to effectively integrate AI and digital solutions into traditional water management practices to meet present and future water challenges, and how Young Water Professionals (YWPs) can play a major role in this process. In addition, the Forum will create an open platform for YWPs to connect globally and share professional experiences.
The Forum’s theme and objectives are centred around creating an open platform for YWPs to connect globally, share professional experiences, and discuss the critical responsibility of addressing future water challenges by gathering insights and expertise on how to integrate AI into traditional water management. Through engaging sessions, interactive workshops, and networking opportunities, participants will gain valuable insights and practical knowledge to contribute to a more sustainable and resilient water-wise future.
Open to all YWPs attending the congress
https://iwa-network.org/events/6th-iwa-emerging-water-leaders-forum/