For five days this September, Bordeaux was all about water, not wine: The International Water Association met there for a back-to-back Strategic Council Meeting, Board of Directors Meeting, and General Assembly Meeting. Almost tt the same time, the Young Water Professionals of Kosovo achieved official YWP Chapter status with the IWA. We toast their milestone with a glass of – hm… Water? Or Bordeaux?

Those in the know, please skip the first two paragraphs: IWA, the International Water Association, does on a global scale wat the IAWD does in the Danube region, acting a knowledge hub for the water sector, connecting water professionals and companies to find solutions to the world's water challenges. From its global secretariat in London, UK, the IWA serves a worldwide member network of about 10,000 individual and 500 corporate members, with governing members in approximately 80 countries, and working across a wide range of issues covering the full water cycle, working to advance standards and best practices in sustainable water management.

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.

The IAWD has a longstanding, very productive cooperation with the IWA, among them a Memorandum of Understanding regarding active support for the IWA's Young Water Professionals initiative and cooperation in the field of knowledge sharing.

Accordingly, the Danube region was very well represented when the IAWD met on 12-16 September in Bordeaux. IAWD President Walter Kling, SHUKALB Executive Director and IAWD Association Development Manager Elisabeta Poci, and Doru Popa, Finance Director of our member utility Apa Brasov attended.

The schedule was tightly packed with a General Assembly Meeting that saw the election of Hamanth Kasan as IWA President for the term 2024-2026, a three-day Board of Directors Meeting, and a Strategic Council Meeting, chaired by Walter Kling, and dealing, among many other concerns, with the renewal of the Council and incoming members that will be announced in October this year.

Mr. Kling reports that there is vivid interest in scheduling a visit and meeting of the IWA Board of Directors in the Danube Region in 2024: “We are currently working to make it happen, and are very grateful for our member Apa Brasov's cooperation and support in this issue.”

If toasts were made during the event's social occasions, at least one must have gone to the Young Water Professionals of Kosovo, who proudly announced their newly achieved status as an official National Chapter of the IWA's Young Water Professional initiative which aims to raise awareness and interest in career paths in the water sector and works to establish a network of young professionals in water supply and wastewater treatment facilities.

Those who attended this year's Danube Water Conference in Vienna will vividly remember the presence and engagement of Young Water Professional members on and off the stage.

In their typical, highly professional communication style, YWP Kosovo took to LinkedIn to celebrate their success: “This marks a significant milestone for us, as our affiliation with the International Water Association opens doors to many benefits. With IWA's guidance, we will shape our plans and activities, establish global connections with fellow chapters, gain insights into their initiatives, foster interaction, and unlock opportunities for engagement with experienced IWA members and leadership.”

Which brings us back to the IAWD/IWA Memorandum of Understanding focusing strongly on support for the Young Water Professionals. In this regard, we can announce that early in October, based on the exchanges at the Danube Water Conference, YWP Kosovo will travel to Prague for a study visit with the Czech YWP chapter. We will report on that. Stay tuned.