About the Congress
Welcome to the International Water Resources Association’s (IWRA) 1st Islands Water Congress, a high-level event organised in collaboration with a different island host every two years. For the first edition, we have partnered with the Faroese Geological Survey (Jarðfeingi) and we will be gathering in Tórshavn from 4 to 6 September 2024.
We decided to do things a little bit differently for this Congress series.
- Every two years we organise the event with a host islands (Faroe Islands for the 2024 first edition).
- The event focuses (also) on a concrete issue that is relevant for that island, but equally of interest to a global island audience. Within the wider Congress themes of Administration, Collaboration and Innovation, regulation will be the concrete issue to look out for in 2024.
- The Congress will put forward information towards dealing with the issue mentioned above (regulation) by means of a variety of practical tools jointly agreed with the host island nation (Faroe Islands for the 2024 first edition).
- Such tools will be co-developed with Congress participants and organisations linked to the International Scientific Committee (ISC). After the event, they will be shared with host island policy makers and stakeholders and with wider global island audiences.
By organising a Congress every two years on different islands, IWRA will develop a body of learning that will boost freshwater opportunities and advance solutions to freshwater challenges. Where such body of learning is relevant to non-island audiences, good practices will be shared accordingly.
The First edition of the IWRA Islands Water Congress will focus on Administration, Collaboration and Innovation.
| Themes | 1. Administration of Freshwater on Islands | 2. Collaboration in the Administration of Freshwater on Islands | 3. Innovation in the Administration of Freshwater on Islands |
| Sub themes | (1a) concept of freshwater administration on islands | (2a) different actors who partake in the administration of freshwater on islands | (3a) innovation that improves freshwater administration processes (hard and soft innovation) |
| (1b) the role of regulation in the administration of freshwater on islands | (2b) need for such actors to collaborate in the administration of freshwater on islands | (3b) innovation that better captures the value of freshwater on islands |
By “administration”
we mean the different processes necessary to capture, process, deliver, use and dispose of freshwater on islands.
By “collaboration”
we refer to the need to identify and bring together all stakeholders involved in the processes of the administration of freshwater on islands.
By “innovation”
we we mean novel instruments,
systems and technologies that improve freshwater administration
