Firstly, I wanted to wish you a very happy festive season and all the best for the New Year.

We are truly grateful to all our members for their hard work, dedication, and continued support – it’s your efforts that make IWA so great. So, from the IWA secretariat team to our members – you have our highest gratitude and appreciation.

The past year has been a challenging one for many of us due to the pandemic. One consequence of these difficult circumstances has been the postponement of a number of IWA events.

Unfortunately, we have now had to take the difficult decision to further postpone our May 2021 World Water Congress & Exhibition (WWCE). This will now be held in Copenhagen, Denmark in September 2022.

We hope that making this decision now about the WWCE gives participants, exhibitors, sponsors, and speakers a greater degree of certainty, and helps to enable your attendance in 2022. More details can be found on the congress website at www.worldwatercongress.org.

2020 has though undoubtedly highlighted the significance of the water sector, particularly in terms of its role in hygiene, sanitation, and environmental sustainability. Reflecting our strengths across this spectrum, we created the IWA COVID-19 Task Force, which has contributed to sector collaboration, the sharing of knowledge, and the provision of guidance and best practice.

The year also represented the 20^th anniversary of the creation of the IWA, following the merger of the International Water Supply Association (founded 1947) and the International Association for Water Pollution Research (founded 1965).

Despite the difficult year, IWA published and supported a range of reports, on topics from digitalising the water sector to using more nature-based solutions in our efforts to reduce diffuse pollution. We have also established an Innovators Platform and a Climate Smart Utilities community of practice.

Furthermore, we significantly upscaled our digital presence, notably holding an array of webinars and podcasts. We plan to build on this activity next year with a significant virtual congress in Q2 of 2021, with more details to follow shortly.

I will close by saying again, a big thank you for all your efforts and support to IWA. As always, the IWA secretariat is at your service. I hope you have a safe and peaceful break for the holidays and wish you all the best for 2021.