Conference / Workshop

Conference / Workshop

This conference is the 13th in a series of conferences and celebrates in 2020 the 50 years anniversary of this great event. The first conference of the specialist group was held in Vienna and the anniversary conference will come back to this venue during a perfect time of the year – not only with respect the expected weather in Vienna but also because of the finalisation of the upgrade of one of Europe's largest wastewater treatment plants, the Vienna main wastewater treatment plant.

The conference will focus on all aspects of the design and operation of large wastewater treatment plants including economic topics. It will also discuss research and technology for nutrient removal and recovery approaches. It will bring together operators, designers and consultants on one side with researchers, university teachers, life cycle analysis (LCA) specialists, developers, technology and equipment providers on the other side.

Special emphasis will be given to active participation of young water professionals. The conference will provide a forum for ideas and opinion exchange and for sharing practical experience spanning the whole range from design and operation of large wastewater treatment plants to concepts of wastewater management in “Cities of the Future”. The scientific programme will be accompanied by a poster session. The poster session will provide a lively forum for discussion and idea exchange between conference participants and poster authors.

Conference / Workshop

Despite great progress in extending water and sanitation services globally, our world is currently facing more, and more urgent, challenges around water security than ever before. We are still far from reaching the SDG 6 (and other water-related) goals on water supply and sanitation. The insecurity and risks associated with water scarcity, flooding, storm surges and sea-level rise are increasing. The combined forces of climate change and growing water demand propelled by economic growth could see the world tip from a predominantly water-abundant place, to one that is predominantly water-scarce by 2045. At the same time as the urgency increases, new investments and policies must navigate deeper regulatory, financial and political complexity and provide answers for a future that brings growing uncertainty.

In this 6th International Symposium on Knowledge and Capacity in the Water Sector, IHE Delft, the African Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank, OECD, the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, Cap-Net/UNDP, Deltares, the UNHABITAT/Global Water Operator Partnership Alliance, Rand Water and others will convene leaders in the water profession and beyond to explore what the future is likely to bring and how new developments in implementation science can help us to act by strengthening institutional capacity. By bringing together key stakeholders to consider the most pressing challenges and emerging solutions in the field, the Symposium aims to identify and improve upon the concepts, priorities, strategies and tools to develop institutional capacity and share knowledge at a global scale for addressing these challenges. The Symposium will help outline the core skills, knowledge and attitudes the world’s water professionals and the institutions will need, and to build clear commitment to identify and act on concrete multi-stakeholder actions.

The Symposium aims to build on the concepts of capacity development and move towards an implementation science. Though most countries now dispose of policies, laws and plans, their effective implementation remains the systemic challenge. Implementation science is commonly defined as the study of strategies and methods to promote the embedding into routine practice of interventions that have proven effective, with the aim of enhancing overall water security.