From Kigali to Toronto to Bangkok: Data Pioneers Driving Global Benchmarking
Published on Oct 27, 2025
Benchmarking has long been recognised as a powerful driver of utility performance improvement. When combined with international exchange, its impact multiplies. That is the vision behind the IWA & NewIBNET Data Pioneers Initiative, launched in 2023 and is now heading into its third edition.
In Kigali (2023), the first group of utilities took the stage at the IWA Water & Development Congress to share what it means to compare performance globally and learn from peers. In Toronto (2024), the momentum grew as a second cohort of Data Pioneers exchanged insights with water professionals from every continent at the IWA World Water Congress. Now, the initiative is preparing for its next destination: Bangkok (2025), which host the IWA Water & Development Congress & Exhibition this December.
More Than Numbers
Benchmarking is not only about tracking figures. It is about turning data into dialogue and using comparison as a catalyst for action. With NewIBNET, the World Bank’s free global benchmarking platform, utilities, associations, and regulators can assess:
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) such as service coverage, efficiency, non-revenue water, and financial sustainability.
Management Practices (MPs), providing insights into governance, planning, and operational approaches.
This combination enables organisations to understand their own performance, compare with peers, and identify areas to improve. “Gathering data and comparing it on a truly global level is a great way to learn,” reflected one of last year’s Data Pioneers from Kosovo.
Building a Community of Practice
The added value of the IWA & NewIBNET partnership is that benchmarking results do not remain on a dashboard; they become part of professional dialogue at the world’s most influential water gatherings.
In Kigali, participants discovered they were “not alone” in facing persistent challenges and learned directly from colleagues who had already found solutions.
In Toronto, Data Pioneers shared how comparative insights from NewIBNET dashboards helped shape their approaches to issues like non-revenue water, digitalisation, and customer service.
In Bangkok, a new group of pioneers will carry this conversation forward, strengthening a global community of practice around benchmarking.
By linking data services with international convening, IWA and NewIBNET are aiming to evolve benchmarking from an internal reporting exercise into a platform for mutual learning and innovation.
Why This Matters
Evidence from across sectors shows that benchmarking is a proven tool for improving performance:
Comparative data reduces information gaps and highlights where change is needed.
Time-series data builds organisational learning and shows progress over years.
Peer exchange accelerates the uptake of innovations by showing what works in practice.
Transparency strengthens accountability with regulators, policymakers, and customers.
The Data Pioneers Initiative puts these insights into practice, ensuring that benchmarking is not just about numbers, but about people and their impact on their daily business: providing safe and sustainable water and sanitation services.
Join the Data Pioneers in Bangkok
Utilities, associations, and regulators can become part of the 2025 Data Pioneers Initiative by submitting their 2024 KPI data and Management Practices self-assessment to NewIBNET by 20 October 2024.
Those who provide data for multiple years (2023, 2022, 2021) will not only benefit from richer benchmarking results but will also increase their chances of being selected.
The selected pioneers will receive fully sponsored participation packages (including travel, accommodation, and full conference registration) to join the IWA Water & Development Congress in Bangkok.
A Shared Vision
For both IWA and NewIBNET, this collaboration is more than rewarding data sharing. It is about showcasing benchmarking as a catalyst for transformation and creating opportunities for water professionals to connect across regions and disciplines.
From Kigali to Toronto, and now to Bangkok, the voice of Data Pioneers is growing stronger. Together, we are building a global community committed to improving water and sanitation services through benchmarking, learning, and exchange.