The IWA Young Water Professionals Denmark Chapter celebrated its 10th anniversary earlier this year. To mark this important milestone, Copenhagen will host the first IWA YWP European Conference from 16 to 19 June. Hundreds of young water professionals will meet for three days to share scientific and professional ideas and forge long-lasting connections.  

The Danish chapter, which now counts close to 600 members, started back in 2014 with a small group of people full of ambitions and dreams, to create a space for YWPs in Denmark to connect and develop together. There are many challenges associated with maintaining a free-of-charge,  non-profit and youth-led organisation based on volunteer work, while upholding high standards of professionalism and cultivating a strong voice within the water sector. Moreover, the nature of the network created by and for young people require continuous turnover, and therefore, a robust but dynamic internal organisation. A combination of engaged and dedicated members along with strong support from the Danish water sector has made it possible for the Chapter to grow over the years.  

Organising conferences is not new to us – this will be our 10th annual conference and we gained a lot of experience while driving some of the YWP initiatives during the 2022 IWA WWCE in Copenhagen. However, organising a European IWA YWP Conference was a step up which required us to reach out to our IWA YWP Country Chapters peers in Europe (Sweden, Spain, Italy and Poland) for support to co-create this event together. International collaboration has been instrumental to make our organisation thrive. Over the years, we have had the chance to collaborate with several other IWA YWP chapters, and other Danish stakeholders, such as The Danish Water Forum, our sponsor for our annual IWA YWP Denmark Chapter award.  

Our network, along with the dedicated efforts of active members, regional representatives, board members, and sponsors who generously volunteered and contributed over the past decade, has made all this possible. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to each one of you for your invaluable contributions that have brought us to this point. 

Cheers to another 10 years and see you in Copenhagen! 

Interested in learning more? Discover IWA’s work on water policy & regulation, or check out the upcoming IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition in Toronto, Canada (11-15 August 2024), where we will host the 9th International Water Regulators Forum.