The Climate Smart Utilities Recognition Programme
Applications are closed for the 2024 edition of the Climate Smart Utilities Recognition Programme, which will take place at the IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition (WWCE) in Toronto, Canada on 11-15 August 2024. Water and sanitation utilities from around the globe are invited to apply. The application deadline is has passed.
Applying to the recognition programme is an excellent way to gain recognition and share best practices towards becoming a Climate Smart player in the water sector. The recognition programme offers an outstanding opportunity to reflect on your Climate Smart journey, ensure visibility for your actions to an international audience, and share your aspirations to achieve a climate smart water sector. Joining the recognition programme is also an effective way to facilitate knowledge exchange and international collaboration with other utilities. An attractive financial incentive package covering flight expenses, conference registration fees, and accommodation in Toronto will be provided to six representatives in total, from each of the top three utilities in the Achiever category, and each of the top three utilities from low-, lower-middle- and upper-middle-income countries in the Entrant category.
Through their applications, utilities can reflect on their progress on the Climate Smart journey and compare themselves against several indicators and criteria describing an ideal Climate-Smart Utility under each pillar.
The inaugural edition of the Recognition Programme was launched in 2022 at the IWA WWCE in Copenhagen, Denmark. The second edition took place during the 2023 IWA WDCE, in Kigali, Rwanda. In 2024, the third edition will happen at the IWA WWCE, in Toronto, Canada on 11-15 August 2024.
The 2024 edition is powered by Xylem.
“It is an honour for us to support the IWA Climate Smart Utilities initiative in recognising utilities that are true leaders in climate action. Those recognised are demonstrating the critical role water utilities play in essential resources to their communities, often acting as the first line of defence to climate-related impacts, and demonstrating the power of collective climate action. Congratulations to all those recognised!”
~ Austin Alexander, Vice President, Sustainability & Social Impact, Xylem
This programme aims to inspire utilities and stakeholders to become increasingly Climate Smart and embrace the cultural shift on three interconnected pillars for action on adaptation, mitigation, and leadership. The main goals of the programme are to:
- Increase awareness, by inviting utilities and IWA members to share best practices through Climate Smart Stories, organising webinars, sharing and publishing relevant publications and research, and through a web platform with resources.
- Inspire action, through the description of an ideal Climate Smart utility, as presented by IWA in the Guidance Framework. IWA also offers a peer-to-peer exchange through the Community of Practice meetings and website.
- Celebrate and share the work in progress, this contributes to increasing awareness of key stakeholders in the transition, and inspire action.
Useful Documents
Past Recognised Utilities
Obras Sanitarias Sociedad de Estado (OSSE)
“We have dedicated ourselves to carrying out climate actions to face the enormous challenges that Climate Change poses for water companies like OSSE. With a lot of work, we have obtained financing and executed the infrastructure works within the Sustainable Management Master Plan with the support of the IADB.
We celebrate climate actions with our society and encourage companies in the sector to present themselves at IWA as we have done in 2022-2023. We have carried out exchanges with other companies and we are open to continuing with them since they have given us great satisfaction. Thanks IWA”
~ Carlos Alberto Katz, President of Obras Sanitarias Sociedad de Estado (OSSE) and Luis Alberto Mérida, Manager of Renewable Energy and Water Resources (OSSE)
Maynilad Water Services, Inc., Manila
Results of the 2023 Edition
The application window for the recognition programme closed in October 2023 with a total of 35 applications received from 18 low- and middle-income countries,* highlighting a broad outreach of the initiative. The applications represent a diverse array of utilities facing common yet unique challenges and solutions.
Following a robust review, 20 applications in total are being recognised as Climate Smart, based on the framework defined by IWA (i.e., the application submitted has been regarded sound and worth to be shared with the IWA community by majority of the jury). Out of these 20 applications, 10 were considered outstanding by the jury, as the actions presented are inspiring and ambitious considering their local context. One application has been given a special recognition for the outstanding climate smart actions in collaboration with utilities in the Ganges basin. Each application was reviewed by three different expert, independent jury members.
The results of the 2023 Climate Smart Utilities Recognition Programme are:
- Agua y Saneamientos Argentinos, Argentina (outstanding recognition)
- Baguio Water District, Philippines
- Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board, India
- Bayawan Water District, Philippines
- Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board, India (outstanding recognition)
- Ekurhuleni Water Care Company, South Africa
- Eswatini Water Service Corporation, Eswatini
- Ghana Water, Ghana (outstanding recognition)
- Guma Valley Water Company, Sierra Leone
- Karad Municipal Council, India (outstanding recognition)
- Khulna Water Supply and Sewerage Authority, Bangladesh
- Kisumu Water and Sanitation Company, Kenya (outstanding recognition)
- Maynilad Water Services, Philippines (outstanding recognition)
- Musoma Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Authority, Tanzania
- Nakuru Rural Water and Sanitation Company, Kenya (outstanding recognition)
- Namibia Water Corporation, Namibia (outstanding recognition)
- National Mission for Clean Ganga under Ministry of Jal Shakti, India (special recognition)
- National Water Supply & Drainage Board, Sri Lanka (outstanding recognition)
- Obras Sanitarias Mar del Plata, Argentina (outstanding recognition)
- Water Corporation of Odisha, India
Results of the 2022 Edition
The first edition of the Climate Smart Utilities Recognition Programme was launched in April 2022 and the recognition event formally took place during the IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition on 11-15 September 2022 in Copenhagen, Denmark.
The application window for the first recognition programme closed in July 2022 with 56 applications received from 34 countries and 2 territories, highlighting a truly global outreach of the programme.
The programme has received applications from utilities in Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Ethiopia, Fiji, France, Germany, Honduras, India, Italy, Macao, Malawi, Mexico, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Palestine, Peru, Philippines, Senegal, Somalia, Spain, Uganda, UK, USA and Yemen. The applications represent a diverse array of realities and contexts.
Following a robust review, 42 applications submitted by utilities will be recognised and celebrated through the IWA Climate Smart Recognition Programme. Find out more.
