Gabriel Eckstein,
IWRA President
For many people, the year starts in September as classes resume, so welcome to the academic course 2021-2022 that we start with renewed hopes and strength! Despite these good vibes, we should not forget the hardship that many countries and communities are going through in recent months. As indicated by the IPCC report, the climate crisis that we are witnessing caused by human activities continues to worsen.
We are all heartbroken by the suffering provoked by extreme weather events that have occurred in different spots around the world. These events constitute serious warnings that demand urgent change. At the core of the climate crisis, is water resources which determine well-being, development, displacement and eventually the survival of humanity. These resources, in light of global climate weather events are seriously menaced. Because of this, IWRA will be at COP 26 in Glasgow later this year to add our voice to others and to keep water on the climate change agenda.
I’m pleased to report that over the past three years, despite the pandemic, IWRA has continued to find more diverse and interesting ways of sharing practices, experiences, and connecting expertise from all parts of the world. IWRA is bigger and busier than ever. Our membership is growing significantly with the new membership structure now in place. We have more active members through task forces and working groups, and are sharing more knowledge than ever, through Water International, as well as through our new online conferences and master classes, webinars and policy briefs, and of course through the IWRA World Water Congress itself. This almost frenetic activity is largely a product of our enthusiastic membership who are represented by the IWRA Executive Board.
And on that subject, the current Executive Board mandate, and indeed my term as President, will finish by the end of this year. Now is the time for our members to choose the next President and Board. We have the largest list of candidates in memory, and all Silver and Gold members are invited and encouraged to log into the voting platform and cast their votes now. If you are a Bronze member and want to vote, all you have to do is upgrade your membership. All members eligible to vote will have already received their log-in information and have until the end of October to cast their votes. Read more about the incredible list of candidates here. The results will be announced in early November, slightly before one of our historic milestones: the 50th Anniversary of IWRA.
I look forward to seeing many of you at the XVII World Water Congress in Daegu, Republic of Korea in late November. We know that the effort required to get there is higher than usual due to the remaining travel restriction in place. However, we are working extra hard to ensure that no matter the method of your participation, you have a great experience.
