Program description and covered topics

Local municipalities play an important role for the water services sector. Their decisions and role in governance has a direct impact on the daily business of water utilities. It includes decision making in a variety of complementary areas – control over a utility as a business unit, approval of investment plans and tariff proposals, setting service levels, appropriate management of public assets, stewardship of water as a natural resource. In order to make informed choices, authorities need to grasp how utilities perform and how they interact with asset owners, regulators and other stakeholders. In addition, there are wider expectations from water operators related to environmental preservation, climate adaptation, and public-health responsibilities, to name a few.

The one-week course on Utility Governance Program (UGP) aims to build awareness in utility governance processes, including financial, organizational, regulatory and business aspects.

Throughout the course a team of practitioners and guest speakers shares practices and opinions that are instrumental in building a framework for supervising and supporting a local water utility. The UGP will showcase selected examples in building governance mechanisms such as the development of regulatory models, establishing contractual models, setting up asset registers and evaluating the registered assets, developing service levels and structuring business plans around them. These examples will come from selected utilities, local authorities and other relevant stakeholders from various countries in the Danube region that have managed to advance their utility-governance processes.

Target audience

With a specific target audience, the UGP is conceptualized for representatives of local authorities (municipalities) and/or regional administrators who are directly or indirectly involved in the corporate governance of water utilities. This includes municipal councilors, mayors and deputy mayors, administrative staff in departments responsible for WSS planning, non-executive directors in utility boards and related roles. Representatives of utility companies themselves, particularly when paired with their municipal counterparts, are encouraged to join.

Learning Goals

Develop a deeper understanding of the water utility business with the purpose of taking informed governance decisions

Navigate the stakeholder environment in which water operators function

Get introduced to specific management techniques and tools (such as investment programs and asset registers) that are both a tool for the water companies but also an instrument for political stakeholders, municipal and regional authorities to strategically plan the development of public assets and services

Review regulatory and contractual models applicable to the water supply and sanitation sector

Promote an open dialogue between utility operators and authorities involved in governance processes

Participation in the UGP

The first in-person delivery of the UGP will take place in the week of 17 February 2025 in Timisoara, Romania. The course will last one week, and participants are expected to join in person to maximize their learning and overall experience of the program. Travel and accommodation costs have to be covered by the applicants themselves. IAWD with the support of RCDN+ can cover the registration fee for participants from Western Balkan countries. For this first roll-out, participants from these countries will be prioritzed for access to the UGP. 

How to apply 

Please download the Application Form to register for the Utility Governance Program.

Deadline for applications is 15^th of January 2025. 

Are you interested in joining the program, but not yet sure if it is the right choice for you? You would like to join but still have some questions about the program? Drop us an email art office@iawd.at to schedule a personal virtual meeting with us to disucss the program in detail and all options to join.