The 2021 Danube Water Conference “Building a Resilient and Water Secure Danube Region” will be convened on October 18-20 followed by Business Meetings on October 21 (by invitation only).
Given the continuous insecure situation due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Danube Water Conference, which is the flagship event in the frame of the Danube Water Program, will be held virtually. The Conference will provide an international forum with the objective to share lessons learned and to discuss approaches on how to build a resilient and water secure Danube Region. The event will continue to focus on the water services sector, while also expanding the scope to the broader water management agenda with experts and representatives from the region and beyond.
The Conference Management Platform Swapcard
Keeping in mind the ever-growing webinar fatigue, we have decided to introduce a new type of virtual event, hosted on the leading-edge digital conference management platform Swapcard -- this is not your average webinar. At the virtual Danube Water Conference, you can customize your schedule and create a personalized profile for networking with participants, panelists, and exhibitors.
Pick and choose what is relevant to you! Join an exciting two-track conference covering water security and water supply and sanitation services. Spend three inspiring afternoons attending short, crisp sessions in a variety of engaging session formats. Sit down with colleagues in the virtual space for safe 1-on-1 networking and take a tour of exhibitor booths. Enjoy a nearly real-life conference experience without having to leave your chair.
Registration
Employing latest virtual conference technology comes at a cost, and we thank our corporate partners who help us to make this meeting possible and keep admission fees affordable. We are able to offer you the three-day ticket for €80, with a 35% discount for IAWD members. If, for any reason, you would like to join the Conference, but the registration fee prevents you from doing so, please reach out to us (office@danube-water-program.org) and we will try our best to accommodate on an exceptional basis.
For speakers and panelists the registration fee will be waived.
Both IAWD members and speakers/panelists will receive a Discount Code via email, which shall be applied during the registration process.
Registration is now closed! If you wish to join the conference on a last minute basis, please drop a note at schilling@iawd.at!
Presentations
2021 Danube Water Conference:
Opening Session
18 October, 12:30 - 13:30
Welcome words
Mr. Winston Yu, Practice Manager, Water Practice, Europe and Central Asia, World Bank, US
Welcome words
Mr. Walter Kling, IAWD President, Austria
Welcome words
Ms. Elisabeth Gruber, Director for International Financial Institutions, Austrian Federal Ministry of Finance, Austria
Keynote "Building a Resilient and Secure Water Sector – Needs and challenges ahead"
Dr. Kala Vairavamoorthy, CEO, International Water Association, UK
Feedback on Keynote
Dr. Monika Weber-Fahr, Senior Advisor, World Bank, Austria
Feedback on Keynote
Mr. Jiri Paul, Managing Director, VAK Beroun, Czech Republic
Taking the pulse:
A Water Security Diagnostics for the Danube Region
18 October, 14:00 - 15:15
World Bank Water Security Initiative
Mr. Raimund Mair, Senior Water Resources Management Specialist, World Bank, Austria
A Water Security Diagnostics for the Danube Region
Dr. Taher Kahil, Research Group Leader, International Institute for Applied System Analysis (IIASA), Austria
World Bank analytical work as a basis for reform and investment decisions
Mr. Simon David Ellis, Program Leader, Western Balkans CMU, World Bank, Austria
Roundtable:
Explore the D-LeaP tools for efficient water services
18 October, 14:00 - 15:15
Knowing your data and knowing your assets - the Utility Benchmarking Program
Dr. Katerina Schilling, Communication and Program Manager, IAWD, Austria
Knowing your data and knowing your assets - the Asset Management Program
Dr. Petros Kolovopoulos, Executive Director, Hydro-Comp Enterprises, Cyprus
Droughts and climate change:
An increasing threat, is the Danube Region prepared?
18 October, 15:45 - 17:00
Toward a more drought resilient Danube region: outcomes of the Danube Drought Workshop
Ms. Sabina Bokal, Senior Program, Global Water Partnership CEE, Slovakia
Future of water in agriculture in the Balkans – the Irrigation and Drainage Eco(system) Approach
Dr. Ranu Sinha, Irrigation and Drainage Specialist, World Bank, US
Reliability and climate resilience of water supply in Croatia’s coastal areas
Mr. Stjepan Gabric, Senior Water Supply and Sanitation Specialist, World Bank, Croatia
Roundtable:
How the Utility Management Training supports you to become a Utility of the Future
18 October, 15:45 - 17:00
Fostering a management culture in the water service sector - the Utility Management Training
Mr. Radoslav Russev, UMT program developer, Bulgaria
Utility of the Future - Igniting transformation in water and sanitation utilities
Mr. Camilo Lombana Cordoba, Senior Water and Sanitation Specialist, World Bank, US
Plenary Session
Innovative technology for Water Security
19 October, 12:30 - 13:45
Digital water – key water management tool for 21st century
Prof. Vladan Babovic, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Singapore
Israel experiences in developing and implementing innovative technology in WSS
Mr. David Balsar, General Manager of innovation and ventures Mekorot Israel National Water Company
Corporate innovation acceleration and competitive environment in the water sector
Ms. Leona Aslanova, CEO, Innovation Starter Box, Bulgaria
Using online UV/VIS spectroscopy to monitor the raw water quality of the Viennese water supply
Mr. Christoph Wagner, Chief Innovation Officer, S-can GmbH
Do you speak Danubian?
Breaching new communication paths for promoting the water sector in the Danube region
19 October, 12:30 - 13:45
Elevator Pitch: Do you speak Danubian?
Mr. Konstantin Ivanov, Regional Coordinator, Global Water Partnership (GWP) Central and Eastern Europe, Slovakia
Plenary Session:
Smart Utility Management for resilient water service provision
19 October, 14:15 - 15:30
The Trial Reservoir: Driving a Revolution in Technology Adoption to aid Resilient Water Service Provision
Dr. Piers Clark, Chairman, Isle Utilities, UK
Transboundary water cooperation:
Progress and emerging challenges
19 October, 14:15 - 15:30
How the UNECE Water Convention supports transboundary water cooperation in the Danube region and worldwide
Ms. Sonja Koeppel, Secretary of the Water Convention, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)
The draft 3rd international River Basin Management Plan for the Danube River Basin
Ms. Edith Hödl, Permanent Secretariat, International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR), Austria
The draft 2nd international Flood Risk Management Plan for the Danube River Basin
Mr. Igor Liska, Permanent Secretariat, International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR), Austria
Ask me Anything:
Everything you wanted to know about water
19 October, 16:00 - 17:00
Panelist
Mr. Gustavo Saltiel, Lead Water and Sanitation Specialist, World Bank, US
Stakeholder consultations:
Water Security Diagnostics
19 October, 16:00 - 17:00
Water Security in the Danube Region
Mr. Raimund Mair, World Bank, Austria
Plenary Session:
Fostering an innovation culture to support utility modernization
20 October, 12:30 - 13:45
Innovation needs in the water service sector
Ms. Andrea Gysin, Thames Water, UK
Plenary Session: Integrating Green and Grey Infrastructure for Water Security and Climate Resilience
20 October, 12:30 - 13:45
Green and Grey, a new generation of infrastructure to tackle the challenges of water security and climate resilience
Mr. Klaas de Groot, World Bank
Harnessing nature for sustainable water resources management
Ms. Irene Lucius, WWF Central and Eastern Europe
Natural solutions for rural wastewater treatment
Dr. Günter Langergraber, University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Austria
Plenary Session: Cooperation as key to sustainable water services
20 October, 14:15 - 15:30
Is cooperation the key to sustainable water services?
Mr. Daniel Bruderer, State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, Switzerland
Example of Montenegro
Mr. Dusan Raicevic, Mayor of Bar and NALAS Vice President, Montenegro
Roundtable:
Second year of COVID-19 crisis - Impacts and mitigation measures in the WSS sector
20 October, 14:15 - 15:30
Covid-19 crisis impact on WSS sector in Danube River Basin - summer 2021 findings
Mr. Ivaylo Kastchiev, Bulgaria
Impact of Covid-19 on LGUs and PUCs in the Western Balkan region
Mr. Hari Shutoski, German Society for International Cooperation GmbH (GIZ)
2021 Danube Water Conference:
Closing Session
20 October, 16:00 - 17:00
Can we build a resilient and water secure Danube region?
Mr. Winston Yu, World Bank, US
Institutional Partners
