Success in Bangkok at the 2025 IWA Water and Development Congress & Exhibition

IWA’s 2025 Water and Development Congress & Exhibition (WDCE) came to a successful conclusion in Bangkok, Thailand, last week. Running from 8–12 December, it drew record delegate numbers around a comprehensive programme focused on the needs and interests of low- and middle-income countries. Co-organised with the Asian Institute of Technology and with key partners including the Asian Development Bank, South Africa’s Water Research Commission and the World Bank, it brought together around 1700 delegates and 200 exhibitors from around the world and featured highlights such as a High-Level Summit, announcement of the IWA Water and Development Awards, and launch of ADB’s 2025 Asian Water Development Outlook report.

A focus on low- and middle-income countries
The event was built on an extensive programme of 100+ technical sessions and workshops spanning concerns and emerging solutions of particular relevance to low- and middle-income countries. Sanitation was particularly prominent across the week, highlighting how utilities, governments, researchers, and solution providers are advancing practical solutions. Another key topic was digital technologies, for which sessions explored the use of digital tools—including data platforms, decision-support systems, smart operations, and AI analytics—to improve service delivery, resilience, and equity. Peer-to-peer learning and south–south cooperation were also showcased as critical drivers of rapid, context-appropriate adoption.

Keynote Speakers and High-Level Panels
Through the week, eight keynote speakers provided strategic insights on the future of water, sanitation, and climate resilience:

• Jay Bhagwan, Water Research Commission, South Africa
• The Rt. Hon. Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Abang Haji Abdul Rahman Zohari bin Tun Datuk Abang Haji Openg, Premier of Sarawak, Malaysia
• Yvonne Magawa, ESAWAS, Zambia
• Roshan Shrestha, Gates Foundation
• Fan Zhang, The World Bank
• Min Yang, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
• Kate Medlicott, World Health Organization
• Joel Goldenfum, Scientific Committee on Adaptation and Climate Resilience, Brazil

Panel discussions followed, bringing together utility leaders, policymakers, and innovators to discuss key themes, such as water and sanitation regulation, advancing the global water and health agenda, and addressing continental water crises.

Special Forums

The week featured a mix of forums and summits to drive forward specific agendas. Along with the Land to Sea Forum, the Water Efficient Sanitation Solutions Forum, and the Emerging Water Leaders Forum, the Bangkok event staged:

• High-Level ASEAN Summit: Brought political leaders and policymakers together to discuss regional water security, urban service delivery, and flood management. The Bangkok Communiqué set out shared commitments to strengthen resilience, align regional action, and foster innovation and investment for sustainable water futures.
• International Water Regulators Forum: Focused on the critical role of regulators in building climate-resilient water and sanitation systems. Discussions emphasised the need for empowered, independent, and data-driven regulation to drive reform, enable investment, and respond effectively to climate and financial challenges.
• Inclusive Urban Sanitation (IUS) Forum: Reaffirmed Citywide Inclusive Sanitation (CWIS) as the leading framework to achieve SDG 6.2 in urban areas. Forum discussions highlighted strengthening evidence, integrating climate resilience into planning, expanding professional capacity, and mobilising diversified financing to accelerate urban sanitation.
• Utility Leaders Forum: Provided a platform for utility executives to explore scaling innovations beyond pilots, advancing decentralised and community-based models, improving financial sustainability, and fostering utility-to-utility collaboration. Emphasis was placed on service quality, resilience, and long-term public value.

Young Water Professionals at the Forefront
Young Water Professionals (YWPs) played an active role in sessions, poster presentations, and mentoring activities, with special contributions also in the event Closing Ceremony. The Emerging Water Leaders Forum offered a full day of dialogue, World Café discussions, panel conversations, and networking to strengthen leadership capabilities, share experiences, and build global connections. Their energy and innovation highlighted the importance of investing in the next generation of water leaders.

Recognising Excellence and Leadership

• 2025 IWA Water and Development Awards: Celebrated individuals making transformative contributions to water and sanitation in low- and middle-income countries:
  • Evan Thomas – Award for Research: For pioneering research, technology, and enterprise integration to advance sustainable water security.
  • Meera Mehta – Award for Practice: For transforming water and sanitation governance and financing across India.
  • Jay Bhagwan – Award for Practice: For advancing non-sewered sanitation innovation through South Africa’s SASTEP programme, setting new standards for safe, climate-resilient off-grid sanitation.
• Best Poster Awards: Recognised outstanding applied research and practice: Mooyoung Han, Pragyan Nayak, Masaaki Kitajima, Sabrina Rashid Sheonty, Elorm Noel Kwamivi, Maria Wirth.
• IWA Climate Smart Utility Recognition: Special recognition was given to three of the 18 utilities celebrated in the 2025 Climate Smart Utilities Recognition Programme, with those demonstrating particular leadership in climate adaptation and resilience being: Air Selangor (Malaysia), Laguna Water District (Philippines), Gandhidham Municipal Corporation (India).

Exhibition and Innovation Showcase
Around 200 exhibitors presented technologies and solutions supporting sanitation improvements, digital transformation, climate resilience, and operational efficiency, fostering knowledge exchange and partnerships among delegates and exhibition-only visitors, with the exhibition floor also hosting a busy Business Forum programme.

A Collective Achievement
The IWA 2025 Water and Development Congress & Exhibition brought together global and regional stakeholders to support the advance of solutions for low- and middle-income countries. Key partners included co-organiser, the Asian Institute of Technology, principal strategic partner Asian Development Bank, strategic partners World Bank Group and Water Research Commission, sponsors Comcore, Zhongyuan EP, Angel and Ming Hing Waterworks, plus local partners Metropolitan Waterworks Authority, Metropolitan Electricity Authority, Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, Bangchak, and TCEB.

Visit the Congress website for more information: https://waterdevelopmentcongress.org/ 

See pictures at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/iwawater/albums/ 

See the highlight videos: