The Hague, Netherlands, 23 March 2020. At the first online meeting of the Progamme Committee of the International Water Regulators Forum (IWRF) its members ratified their nomination, accepted the Terms of References and outlined their workplan for 2020-2021. They will present their work at the 6th IWRF in October 2020.

This year, the International Water Association (IWA) celebrates its 20^th anniversary. It is also the year of the 10^th anniversary of the UN declaration of the Human Rights to Water and Sanitation, and it is the 5^th year since adoption of the IWA Lisbon Charter. It is a year to celebrate but also for self-assessment.

“Along the years of the Forum, we have seen great improvements in the way the sector is regulated, promoting safe innovation and universal access to services. We have also seen new challenges being raised and growing pressures over traditional systems and roles, demanding for a paradigm shift from a contingency approach towards a water security one,” stated Carolina Latorre, IWA Lead of the work on IWA Policies and Regulation.

How can regulators and regulation cope up with today’s challenges?

The 2020 IWA International Water Regulators Forum (IWRF) gathers high-level representatives of regulatory authorities and officials with regulatory and supervisory functions related to the provision of water, sanitation and wastewater management services.

The IWRF facilitates dialogue across functions – e.g. economic, health, environmental regulation– and sectors from science to policy and practice, to enable synergies, peer to peer learning and collaboration to inform water-wise policies and regulation.

”The IWA International Regulators Forum will provide a unique opportunity to share and discuss knowledge and experiences with regulatory measures and the implementation of water-related policies across countries, e.g. when it comes to improved efficiency, securing the necessary investments in the water sectors and the importance of regulators’ independence. I am looking forward to this opportunity and believe all of you have valuable insight to bring to the table”, said Jakob Hald, Chairman of the IWRF Programme Committee.

At the 6^th International Water Regulators Forum the experts will revise the role of regulators and that of regulation in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, building on the outcomes of previous editions and identifying developments and the way forward for resilient and sustainable universal access to water and sanitation for all.

Programme Committee

The Programme Committee (PC) of the IWRF has the role of advising the IWA Secretariat about the content and structure of the Forum’s agenda and, in general, of helping us to make this an interesting and useful experience for its participants. Read the terms of reference of the PC for the 6th IWRF here.

The members of the Programme Committee of the 6th IWRF are:

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	Jakob Hald Chairman of the IWRF Programme Committee Director General of the Danish Competition and Consumer Authority (DCCA – KFST).
	Andrea Guerrini President of WAREG, the Association of European Water Regulators and Commissioner of ARERA, the Italian Regulatory Authority for Energy, Networks and Environment.
	Dan Palombi Senior Advisor of Resource Geoscience at the Alberta Energy Regulator – Alberta Geological Survey.
	Loga Veeraiah Representative of the National Water Services Commission (SPAN), Malaysia which holds the regulatory functions of the water services in Malaysia.
	Mari Asami Chief senior researcher at Department of Environmental Health, National Institute of Public Health, NIPH, Japan.
	Hugo Oscar Pintos President of the Association of Drinking Water & Sanitation Regulators of the Americas (ADERASA). Mr Pintos also serves as President of Federal Association of Drinking Water & Sanitation Regulators (AFERAS).
	Patrick Lester N. Ty Chief Regulator of the MWSS-Regulatory Office.
	Paul Hickey Managing Director of the Regulators Alliance Progressing Infrastructure Development (RAPID).
	Seamus Parker Executive Director, Strategic Partners, of the Queensland Treasury Corporation (QTC), Australia.
	Sai-wai Chau Deputy Director, Water Supplies Department, Hong Kong SAR Government, China.
	Tone Madsen Head of the Water Regulatory Authority which is a part of Danish Competition and Consumer Authority (DCCA-KFST), Denmark.
	Yvonne Magawa Project Manager at the Eastern and Southern Africa Water and Sanitation Regulators Association, ESAWAS.
	Vanessa Schmitt Representative of the Brazilian Association of Regulatory Agencies (ABAR).
	James Manda Technical Manager, African Forum for Utility Regulators (AFUR), South Africa.
	Ana Barreto Albuquerque Member of the Executive Board of the Water and Waste Services Regulation Authority (ERSAR).

About the IWA International Water Regulators Forum

The themes and structure of the forum aim at creating an interactive and productive space for all participants. During the Forum, discussions are structured around highly interactive sessions that combine short inspirational presentations and roundtable discussions led by the speakers. Roundtable discussions are destined to provide an opportunity to participants and speakers to analyze and discuss in detail each topic, share comparative experiences, address proposed questions, and suggest one or more recommendations to consideration of the plenary. The forum concludes in plenary sessions where forum discussions are summarized and recommendations are presented. Additionally, plenary sessions are also an opportunity to invite other key stakeholders to contribute to the Forum and address the interlinkages between regulation and science, policy and practice.

Contact at IWA: For more information and request for invitation please contact Mrs. Carolina Latorre, IWA Senior Officer and Lead of the work on IWA Policies and Regulation:  RegulatorsForum@iwahq.org

Top photo: 5th International Water Regulators Forum meeting at 2018 IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition, Tokyo, Japan.