Since March 2013, Robert Bos is part-time senior advisor with the IWA. Robert is a public health biologist who worked for the World Health Organization for 32 years, 30 of which at WHO’s Geneva headquarters. He held several positions, first in the Vector Biology and Control Division, then in the Department of Public Health and Environment; the links between water, environment and human health have been a constant leitmotif throughout his career. His final four years with the WHO, Robert was the Coordinator of the Water, Sanitation and Health Programme.

At IWA, he has been the main author of the Manual on the Human Rights to Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation; he has contributed to the Lisbon Charter on the Public Policy and Regulation of Drinking Water Supply, Sanitation and Wastewater Management Services; and a report analysing human resources needs in water, sanitation and wastewater management services. He is now part of a working group preparing a position paper on the Sustainable Development Goals.

He is keen to explore how, in view of the global trend towards breaking down disciplinary and institutional silo’s, IWA as an association of practitioners and professionals can develop effective links with other professional associations, such as the International Association for Impact Assessment, the American Mosquito Control Association, or the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials. In an interconnected world, such links will help to better coordinate efforts under Sustainable Development Goal 6, promote relevant new ideas beyond the IWA boundaries, and avoid overlaps in areas of shared interest.