The International Water Association (IWA) is delighted to unveil the chosen locations for the 2028 and 2030 editions of the IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition. 

Following the meetings of the IWA Board on September 14-15 and the IWA Governing Assembly on September 16 in Bordeaux, France, IWA is pleased to announce that Kuching, Malaysia has been selected as the location for the 2028 IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition, and São Paulo, Brazil as the location for the 2030 edition. 

Outstanding proposals supported by high-level delegations were received from both candidates, with the Malaysian bid led by the Malaysian Water Association and the Brazilian bid led by ABES – the Brazilian Association of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering. 

The IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition is a global event covering the full water cycle, attracting thousands of leading professionals and companies from across the water sector. The event provides a platform to build new insights into how pioneering science, technological innovation and leading practices shape water management worldwide. With the biennial event moving from location to location, each edition offers an opportunity to highlight regional issues and expertise and to strengthen connections within and beyond the region. 

Following the announcement, Dr Mohmad Asari bin Daud, President of the Malaysian Water Association (MWA), commented: “I am truly humbled for this incredible honour of Malaysia being selected by IWA to host the prestigious World Water Congress & Exhibition in 2028. 

“I would like to acknowledge and extend my heartfelt appreciation to our valued partners, including water associations and companies in Southeast Asia for their support in our bid for the congress. Through collaborations and partnerships, we have been able to create a powerful network, also through platforms such as the Southeast Asia Water Utility Network. 

“Furthermore, MWA’s active involvement in the Asia Pacific region through the IWA ASPIRE conference has allowed us to establish strong ties and foster collaboration with esteemed water organisations. This has not only enabled us to learn from the best but also share our expertise and experiences, ultimately enhancing water management practices on a global scale.” 

The Brazilian team also expressed its excitement for São Paulo being selected as the host location for 2030.  

Marcel Sanches, Secretary-General of ABES, said: “It is an honour for ABES to bring to Brazil one of the most important water events in the world. It will be a unique opportunity to strengthen the role of Brazil and our region on the issue of water, as it will be the first time that an event of this size will be held in Latin America and the Caribbean. It will be seven years of hard work together to promote this achievement, which, we hope, will be a milestone in our country and on the continent.” 

National President of ABES, Alceu Guérios Bittencourt, added: “With 57 years of existence, ABES has consolidated operations at a national level and we are increasingly expanding our relationship with entities from all over the world.” 

Looking ahead to joint events with IWA leading up to 2030, Luiz Pladevall, President of ABES São Paulo Section, remarked: “It was great for ABES-SP to collaborate with the National Board of ABES to make this event possible with this important institution, which is IWA.” 

The 2024 edition of the IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition will be held in Toronto, Canada, on 11-15 August 2024. The 2026 edition will be held in Glasgow, Scotland, at the city’s Scottish Event Campus. The most recent edition was held in 2022 in Copenhagen, Denmark and was the largest and most comprehensive staging of IWA’s flagship event to date. View the Copenhagen report. 

Stay up to date! 

To keep up to date with more announcements related to IWA’s World Water Congress & Exhibition, we invite you to visit the official website: worldwatercongress.org and subscribe to our mailing list. You can also follow the official hashtag #WorldWaterCongress on social media.