The demands on water professionals to provide innovative solutions to the growing water challenges and opportunities will continue to rise. From entering the sector and throughout their entire career, water professionals need to remain up to date by regularly enhancing their skills, knowledge and know-how. This is done not only through formal training, but increasingly through being part of an organisation that fosters learning and knowledge-sharing.

The YWP Iran Chapter, open to all water professionals below 35 years of age, is a unique opportunity to bring young water enthusiasts from different fields together within IWA. Pezhman Taherei Ghazvinei, the Chapter Executive Secretary, presents here some of the activities being organised by the Iran chapter and invites interested YWPs based in Iran to engage with the group – which they can do by joining the group on IWA Connect.

Q: What was the motivation for setting up an IWA YWP Chapter in Iran?

Pezhman Taherei Ghazvinei: IWA’s Iran National Committee has established a YWP chapter with the aim of facilitating connections for water and wastewater professionals, and to improve development opportunities and learning activities for young professionals in the country. In particular, the Iran Chapter is committed to empower future water leaders by addressing the shifting needs of young professionals and a rapidly evolving water sector.

Q: What are your aims and objectives for your chapter, and what activities do you plan to do?

PTG: The activities being planned by the Iran chapter include:

• Developing mentorship, training and professional development programmes for YWPs.
• Involving various active professionals of the water and wastewater sectors such as academics, researchers, engineers, consultants, practitioners and students to get together and share their knowledge in a cross-disciplinary setting.
• Holding regional and national conventions to discuss and introduce the professional development and learning programmes.
• Planning skills development and training programmes for active young water professionals through forums, conventions, technical visits and tours.

Q: How will the chapter contribute to the empowerment of YWPs to contribute to the national water agenda of Iran?

PTG: Our aim is to expand the young water professionals network and contribute to building a YWP vision both at national and international scale. This will enable us to be more visible and influential at both national and global level.

The goal of the YWP Iran Chapter is to become a regional and international participant in the global water and wastewater industry. This would provide an effective starting point to promote the skills of the young water professionals and connect them with international water leaders. These connections will introduce best practises, shed light on new solutions and present emerging technologies for the most pressing water issues. The role of the Iran YWPs will be to act upon these connections and bring emerging knowledge within the country, by providing leadership and disseminating the latest advancement in the industry and beyond through events, webinars and other activities.

Join the group on IWA Connect! 

Meet the founding committee of the IWA YWP Iran Chapter

Mohammad Sabouhi, Chair

Chair of the YWP IRC

National Water & Wastewater Engineering Company

Studies and Assessment of Projects

PhD in Civil Engineering – Environment

Member of the Treatment Technology specialist group

Zahra Elmi, Vice-Chair

Sistan & Baluchistan Water & Wastewater Province Company

Operation and development of wastewater networks

M.Sc. of Mechanical Engineering – Energy Conversion

Instructor of the industrial urban water management specialist group

Pezhman Taherei, Executive Secretary

Tehran Water & Wastewater Province Company

Design and enhance of wastewater treatment plants

PhD in Civil Engineering – Water Resources Engineering

Instructor of the Information and communication specialist group

Kavian Sohrabi, Specialist Groups Coordinator

Kermanshah Water & Wastewater Province Company

Design and enhance of wastewater treatment plants

M.Sc. of Water and Wastewater Engineering

Member of the Resources recovery & reuse specialist group

Reza Khosravi, Specialist Groups Coordinator

Golestan Water & Wastewater Province Company

Operation of water treatment plants

M.Sc. of Environmental Engineering – Water and Wastewater

Member of the industrial water and wastewater specialist group

Behzad Zare, Partnerships Developer

Shiraz Water & Wastewater Company

Operation and development of wastewater treatment plants

PhD in Civil Engineering

Member of the Waste Water Systems specialist group

Pegah Bahmani, Regional Coordinator

Kurdistan Water & Wastewater Province Company

Sustainable Development

PhD in Environmental Health Engineering

Instructor of the Water and health specialist group

Mehdi Yaghoubi, Events and Communications Coordinator

Guilan Province Water & Wastewater Province Company

Design & reconstruction of transmission lines &water distribution network

PhD in Civil Engineering – Ports &Offshore Structures

Member of the drinking water systems specialist group

The executive committee of the YWP IRC comprises 8 members. The number of the representatives’ seat for each constituency in the steering committee is indicated in this figure.

For more information on IWA’s Young Water Professionals programme and country chapters, please visit this page or contact ywp@iwahq.org