Annual Review 2011 - IWA

Spotlight on
International YWP Conference, Budapest,
Hungary, 10-13 July 2012
In 2012, the YWP International conference will take place in
Budapest, where 250 delegates are expected to come together
to provide a forum for young researchers and professionals
working in water and wastewater research, technology and
management to present their work and meet their peers from
all over the world.
www.iwa-ywpc.org
Young Water Professionals
Providing professional development and
networking opportunities to young professionals
and students under the age of 35 is critical to
sustaining capacity in the water sector. The IWA
Young Water Professionals Programme, in its
seventh year of operation, is the Association’s
flagship initiative for recruiting and retaining the
next generation of water professionals.
2011 Activities
• The programme continued to grow in size and
increase its activities worldwide, with national/regional
Young Water Professionals Conferences organised in the
UK, Romania, Spain, South Africa, Kazakhstan, The
Netherlands and Uganda.
• Eight Young Water Professionals workshops were
organised in Germany, Amsterdam, India, Singapore,
Sweden, Japan, Malaysia and The Netherlands.
• In August, the fourth edition of the IWA Career guide:
a world of opportunities was published. This publication
comprises a collection of articles and biographical profiles
aimed at attracting students and young professionals into
a career in the water sector.
• Two issues of the Young Water Professionals Newsletter, a
popular IWA publication, were distributed across the
world, providing a great opportunity to interact with other
YWPs, advertise a YWP event, or share opinions on waterrelated
matters.
Future Areas of Growth for the YWP Programme
The first ever YWP committee meeting was held from 21
to 22 September in Vienna. Ten committed YWPs met to
carve out roles and responsibilities for the YWP committee
and for committee members. In addition to introducing the
committee to the IWA institutional structure, the committee
also discussed progress made to date (2010 to 2011) and
the way forward in executing a new and exciting work plan
for 2012 and beyond.
The YWP programme is growing both in size and name,
with representation across the globe eager to set up
national chapters in their home countries, organise
conferences in their regions, and interact more with other
YWPs in their regions. As a result of these developments,
the IWA and the YWP Committee have committed
themselves to supporting the expansion of such regional
activities by creating guidelines for the establishment of
national chapters and governance procedures.
YWP activities will have more focus in the regions, with
nominated regional representatives acting as the regional
‘voice’ of YWPs at the IWA organisational level. These
regional representatives will be involved and informed
about regional/national YWP events and will represent the
IWA YWP Programme committee in the region.
The YWP committee also sees a need for more YWP
involvement in the IWA’s Specialist Groups (SGs), with
specific coordination for the committee’s plans in the SGs.
Already, there are SGs that are making enormous strides in
building the capacity of young professionals by including
us in their management committees and initiating other
innovative ways to help YWPs obtain more experience,
exposure and mentorship.
IWA recognises the continued and valuable contribution of
xylem and CH2M Hill for their generous financial support
and participation in the programme, without which many
of these activities would not be possible.
For more information about the YWP programme, contact
Frances Lucraft at frances.lucraft@iwahq.org
19