international water association international water association the international water association (iwa) is a nonprofit organization and knowledge hub for the water sector, connecting water professionals and companies to find solutions to the world's water challenges. the iwa is headquartered in london, uk, with a global secretariat based in nanjing, china, and a regional office in chennai, india. international water association (iwa)founded7 september 1999 (1999-09-07)typeprofessional associationfocussustainable water managementlocationlondon, united kingdomoriginsiwsa, iawqarea served worldwidemethodconferences, publications, interest groups, task forces, forumskey peoplediane d'arras; kalanithy vairavamoorthywebsitewww.iwa-network.org iwa has a membership comprising technology companies, water and wastewater utilities, and wider stakeholders in the fields of water services, infrastructure engineering and consulting as well as more than 10,000 individuals including scientists and researchers. iwa works across a wide range of issues covering the full water cycle, with four programmes (digital water, basins of the future, cities of the future, water and sanitation services) that work towards achieving the sustainable development goals and addressing the threat to sustainable water supplies posed by climate change. history the iwa has its roots in the international water supply association (iwsa), established in june 1947, and the international association on water quality (iawq), which was originally formed as the international association for water pollution research (iawpr) in 1962, formally constituted in june 1965, renamed international association of water pollution research and control (iawprc) in march 1982 and adopting iawq in may 1992. the two groups with separate causes, cultures, and working methods merged on 7 september 1999 to form the iwa, creating one international organisation focused on the full water cycle. in march 2015, aquarating was announced as the world's first rating agency for the water sector by establishing the international standard for assessing water and sanitation services provision, jointly developed by the inter-american development bank and the iwa. on 1 september 2016, the world bank and iwa announced the establishment of a partnership surrounding the reduction of water losses. scope flags at the entrance to the iwa world water congress & exhibition, september 2022, at the bella center copenhagen. the group's mission is to serve as a worldwide network for water professionals and to advance standards and best practices in sustainable water management. the association has four member types: individual, student, corporate, and governing members. there are about 10,000 individual and 500 corporate members, with governing members in approximately 80 countries. iwa publishing was established as the wholly owned subsidiary of the international water association (iwa) in 1999 to provide information services on all aspects of water, wastewater and related environmental fields. the publishing programme includes the source (the iwa membership magazine) and a broad range of peer reviewed journals (e.g. water science and technology, hydrology research and water research) alongside books, research reports, manuals of best practice, and online services. iwa annually hosts more than 40 specialist conferences and workshops on various aspects of water management. events organized by the iwa include the world water congress & exhibition (wwce) and the water and development congress & exhibition. there are four programs at the iwa: basins of the future(water security) cities of the future (urban metabolism, sustainable city) water and sanitation services(wastewater management) water policy and regulation wwce locations and dates editionnamedateslocationnotesrefs 11st iwa world water congress3-7 july 2000paris, france 22nd iwa world water congress15-19 october 2001berlin, germany 33rd iwa world water congress7-12 april 2002melbourne, australiatogether with the enviro 2002 convention & exhibition 44th iwa world water congress & exhibition19-24 september 2004marrakech, morocco 52006 iwa world water congress & exhibition10-14 september 2006beijing international convention center, beijing, people's republic of china 62008 iwa world water congress & exhibition7-12 september 2008austria center vienna, vienna, austria 72010 iwa world water congress & exhibition19-23 september 2010palais des congrès de montréal, montreal, canada 82012 iwa world water congress & exhibition16-21 september 2012busan exhibition and convention center, busan, south korea 92014 iwa world water congress & exhibition21-26 september 2014centro de congressos de lisboa, lisbon, portugal 102016 iwa world water congress & exhibition9-14 october 2016brisbane convention & exhibition centre, brisbane, queensland, australia 112018 iwa world water congress & exhibition16-21 september 2018tokyo big sight, tokyo, japan 122022 iwa world water congress & exhibition11-15 september 2022bella center copenhagen, copenhagen, denmarkdue to the covid-19, the congress was moved from 2020 to 2022 132024 iwa world water congress & exhibition