As part of IWA’s mission to empower Young Water Professionals to contribute to sustainable water management, a new IWA Young Water Professionals (IWA YWP) chapter was officially established in Brazil in February 2025. This IWA YWP chapter will be the country’s go-to network, boosting connections for YWPs and a platform to support equal opportunities and quality career development. As a voluntary network, the Brazil chapter is open to all water professionals aged 35 or below who are enthusiastic, dedicated, and passionate about water-related issues. Here, Luan Oliveira, Chair of YWP Brazil, presents some key points about the chapter.
Q: What was the motivation for setting up an IWA YWP Chapter in Brazil?
The motivation for establishing an IWA YWP Chapter in Brazil lies with our goal to strengthen the engagement of young professionals in the water sector, fostering knowledge exchange and collaboration with international peers. Brazil faces complex water challenges similar to those of other countries in the Global South. A national YWP Chapter enables greater South-South and North-South cooperation, supporting the achievement of the Agenda 2030, SDG 6 and its cross-cutting links with climate resilience, health, and equity. Through this network, Brazilian YWPs can connect with global initiatives, share innovative approaches, and learn from countries with comparable realities. The Chapter also aims to empower the local YWP community, enhance their visibility within IWA, and guide them on how to get involved in working groups, events, and leadership opportunities. Ultimately, it builds a stronger bridge between local expertise and global action in support of sustainable water management.
Q: How will the chapter contribute to the empowerment of YWPs to contribute to the national water agenda of Brazil?
The Brazil YWP Chapter will contribute to the national water agenda by building an active network of young professionals across the country, fostering collaboration among peers from diverse regions. It will promote regular capacity-building activities, including virtual trainings to ensure broad participation and in-person technical visits to strengthen professional ties. The Chapter will also organise joint events with other YWP Chapters to promote internationalisation and exchange of experiences in sanitation, hydrology, and water resources management. By consistently sharing opportunities for involvement in professional associations, conferences, and collaborative projects, the Chapter aims to guide YWPs toward greater engagement in the sector. Through improved training and exposure to different international contexts, Brazilian YWPs will be better equipped to contribute innovative and informed solutions to national challenges, ultimately supporting a stronger, more inclusive, and sustainable water agenda for Brazil.
Q: What are your aims and objectives for your chapter, and what activities do you plan to do?
The goal of the IWA & ABES YWP Brazil Chapter is to foster continuous skill-building and leadership development for Brazilian young water professionals within an international context, addressing current and future sector needs. Our objectives include proposing, supporting, and publicising both in-person and virtual events such as seminars, congresses, technical visits, and short courses to encourage knowledge exchange and networking. We aim to strengthen professional development by facilitating connections between IWA-YWP and ABES-JPS communities, encouraging participation in national and international events like the ABES Congress, Brazil Water Week, and IWA Congresses. We will also nominate representatives for youth forums, coordinate joint actions with other Chapters, especially from Portuguese-speaking countries, and conduct annual surveys to understand YWPs’ profiles and interests. Planned activities include hosting at least one event annually (e.g., webinars, trainings, site visits), maintaining active communication channels through newsletters and social media, and producing annual work reports to ensure broad engagement and visibility.
Meet the founding committee of the IWA YWP Brazil Chapter
Luan Oliveira, Chair, Researcher, Rio de Janeiro State University
Luan Oliveira is an undergraduate Sanitary and Environmental Engineering student. He brings four years of volunteer experience in the sanitation sector and is the National Coordinator of the Stockholm Junior Water Prize. Currently, Luan works for Aegea Saneamento, the largest private sanitation concessionaire in Brazil, serving over 38 million people. His role involves managing a crucial project for the depollution of Guanabara Bay through the implementation of dry-weather collectors in the Rio de Janeiro metropolitan region.
Rayssa Jacob, Vice Chair, Researcher, Rio de Janeiro State University
Rayssa Jacob is a Sanitary and Environmental Engineer with a professional focus on basic sanitation, particularly decentralised domestic wastewater treatment solutions for remote areas. She currently works in the internal inspection coordination team at CREA-RJ and is a Ph.D. student in Sanitary Engineering at the Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ), where she conducts research as a member of the BIOTEMA research group. Rayssa also serves as the National Secretary-General of the Young Sanitation Professionals (JPS) program at ABES and is an active member of the Brazil Chapter of the Young Water Professionals (YWP) as a Vice Chair, promoting youth engagement in the water and sanitation sector.
Daphne Calazans, Treasury, Researcher, Federal University of Santa Catarina
Environmental Engineer from Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. Currently developing her master’s at Joint Erasmus Mundus master programme in Flood Risk Management (FRM). She has also been working in water resources consulting specially in the mining and hydroelectrical industry.
Aline Paiva, Secretary, Researcher, Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul
Agricultural Engineer from the State University of Mato Grosso do Sul (UEMS). MSc in Natural Resources from the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul (UFMS) and PhD in Water Resources and Rural Sanitation at UFMS and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU). She has been working at Superintendence for the Development of the Midwest – SUDECO on university-business-government integration with sustainable rural development projects.
Marina Batalini de Macedo, Adjunct Professor, International Relations Officer, Federal University of Itajuba
Marina is a professor at the Federal University of Itajubá, in the field of Water Resources Engineering. Her main areas of expertise include flood and water resources management, nature-based solutions for urban drainage, climate change mitigation and adaptation, hydrological modeling, and water geopolitics. She serves as a representative of civil society and academia on the Rio Grande River Basin Committee, is a member of the International Water Association (IWA) Young Water Professionals Steering Committee, and is an Associate Editor of the Hydrological Sciences Journal. She holds a postdoctoral degree in Public and Environmental Health from the School of Public Health at the University of São Paulo, a PhD and MSc in Hydraulic and Sanitation Engineering from the São Carlos School of Engineering at the University of São Paulo, and a BSc in Environmental Engineering from the Federal University of Uberlândia.
If you have questions regarding the IWA YWP Community, please contact Isabela Espindola, IWA Membership Engagement Senior Officer.
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