With preparations underway for the IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition in Glasgow, United Kingdom, the Programme Committee of the International Water Regulators Forum (IWRF) has held its first online meeting and initiated discussions that will shape the 11th edition of the Forum in October 2026.
The International Water Regulators Forum (IWRF) is a unique global gathering of high-level regulatory authorities and officials with regulatory and supervisory functions related to the provision of water, sanitation, and wastewater management services. Since its inception in Lisbon in 2014, the Forum has brought together regulatory institutions from more than 90 jurisdictions across all continents, providing a platform for peer-to-peer learning, collaboration, and dialogue on the role of regulation in advancing resilient, equitable, and sustainable water and sanitation services.
Held during the IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition, the 2026 edition of the Forum will contribute to the Congress theme, “Water action – the path to resilience and prosperity”, and is expected to convene regulators and sector leaders from around the world to discuss emerging regulatory challenges and opportunities.
During the first Programme Committee meeting, members reflected on key outcomes from previous editions of the Forum, including the most recent edition held in Bangkok in 2025, and discussed priorities for the 2026 agenda. Conversations highlighted the evolving role of regulation in a rapidly changing global context, with particular emphasis on adaptive and agile regulation, climate resilience, long-term planning, innovation, digitalisation, and the changing relationship between regulators and utilities.
Programme Committee members also stressed the importance of ensuring balanced representation across regions and regulatory models, recognising the need to reflect the diversity of institutional realities between Global North and Global South contexts, as well as between large and small service providers.
One of the new elements introduced for the 2026 edition is the inclusion of a Young Water Professional (YWP) representative in the Programme Committee. This reflects growing recognition of the importance of intergenerational dialogue and the need to address workforce and skills challenges within the regulatory community.
The Programme Committee is chaired by David Satti (Water Industry Commission for Scotland) and brings together representatives from regulatory authorities, international organisations, utilities, academia, and IWA specialist communities.
The members of the Programme Committee of the 11th IWRF are:
- Darren Rice – Anglian Water Services
- David Satti (Chair) – Water Industry Commission for Scotland
- Elisabeth Nahimana – ESAWAS
- Elvira Estruch Juan – IWA SG Benchmarking and Performance Assessment
- Kala Sritharan – IWA SG Institutional Governancen and Regulation / Adaptive Water Governance/Policy Community of Practice
- Loga Sunthri Veeraiah – National Water Services Commission (SPAN)
- Mauro Gutiérrez – ADERASA/SUNASS
- Patrick Lester Ty – MWSS RO Regulators
- Paul Hickney – Ofwat
- Ryan Lee – YWP representative
- Vera Eiró – ERSAR/WAREG
- Ximena Quiroz – LIS-Water
The IWRF Programme Committee will continue meeting over the coming months to refine the Forum’s theme, identify priority topics, and shape the overall programme and participant engagement strategy for Glasgow 2026.
About the IWA 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 with regulatory and supervisory functions over the provision of water, sanitation, and wastewater treatment services. Participation in the Forum is by invitation only.
For more information or to express interest in the Forum, please contact Dr Isabela Espindola, Membership Engagement Senior Officer at the International Water Association (IWA), at regulatorsforum@iwahq.org.
