Guidelines for Bids XV th IWRA World Water Congress Document: version 2 updated on 12 January 2010

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1 Guidelines for Bids XV th IWRA World Water Congress Document: version 2 updated on 12 January 2010 IWRA is pleased to invite candidatures to organise and host the XV th IWRA World Water Congress which shall be held in The guidelines set out below aim to provide potential candidates with information and guidance on how to submit a bid. About IWRA IWRA is an international, non-governmental, non-political, non-profit, educational and development oriented association. It has been consistently recognised and respected as a leading advocate in advancing the understanding and management of water resources worldwide since its establishment in The members of IWRA are from all parts of the world and represent every profession and academic discipline involved in the sustainable management of the world s water resources. IWRA aims to build and strengthen partnerships and mechanisms to address water resource problems worldwide. Its unique role is to serve as a bridge in providing information and networking people and organisations across geographical, disciplinary, sectoral and professional boundaries. The Association strongly endorses and promotes water resources education and research based on sound scientific, social and ethical principles, worldwide and for all sectors of society. In brief, it seeks to be international, interdisciplinary, and interesting. Specifically, the Association aims to: Provide international, regional and national fora for water resources issues; Enhance the quality of knowledge used for decision-making; Promote cutting-edge research that improves understanding of water resource issues and policy options; Improve global access to water-related information; Facilitate exchanges of information and expertise between countries and professions; and Network with complementary organisations. IWRA activities to achieve these aims include: Sponsorship of the triennial World Water Congress; Publication of Water International, the official journal of the Association (from 2008, copublished with Taylor & Francis); Co-sponsorship of major conferences, symposia, seminars, workshops and training courses; and Maintenance of an interactive website. The Executive Office of IWRA is located at Montpellier in France. Its Editorial Office is based in Tokyo, Japan. For more information about IWRA, please visit:

2 About the World Water Congress The World Water Congress is an event that is held every three years under the auspices of the International Water Resources Association (IWRA) in different cities around the world. The next Congress will take place from September in Porto de Galinhas, the first time that the congress will take place in Brazil. The central theme is Adaptive Water Management: Looking to the Future. The objective of the World Water Congress is to provide a meeting place to share experiences, promote discussion, and to present new knowledge, research results and new developments in the field of water sciences around the world. For almost four decades the World Water Congresses have been excellent events for the identification of major global themes concerning the water agenda; and for the bringing together of a large cross-section of stakeholders for the development and implementation of decisions in the field of water. Over the last thirty years, the debates and discussions about global water issues have become increasingly important in scientific, professional and inter-governmental forums. The United Nations has overseen several conventions regarding water problems such as biodiversity, desertification and the Kyoto protocols. The Millennium Development Goals (MDG) have been established in order to plan, evaluate and harmonise development policies around the world. Water has been identified as a cross-cutting issue across the different Objectives and Goals of the MDGs. These conventions, meetings, engagements and debates arise from the shared knowledge and perspectives of the state, usage, key questions, future challenges and potential solutions in the field of fresh water resources. Despite the importance of this knowledge and a strong awareness of the issues, the world is still confronted with water resources issues that are characterised by: ever more significant water shortages; an incapacity to offer universal access to safe drinking water; a global deterioration in water quality; diminishing financial means for water resources development; a growing vulnerability to climate change and extreme natural events; fragmented water management systems; and international legislation that is not well adapted to the resolution of trans-boundary conflicts. It is established that action must be taken at the local level. However, concerted efforts are also essential parallel to this at the regional and global level in order to achieve a significant and sustainable impact. Previous World Congresses 1 st World Water Congress Venue: Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. Date: September, 1973 Theme: Importance and Problems of Water in the Human Environment in Modern Times. II nd World Water Congress Venue: New Delhi, India Date: December, 1975 Theme: Water for Human Needs. III rd World Water Congress Venue: Mexico City, Mexico. Date: 23 April, 1979 Theme: Water for Human Survival. IV th World Water Congress Venue: Buenos Aires, Argentina Date: 5 9 September, 1982 Theme: Water for Human Consumption: Man and his Environment. V th World Water Congress Venue: Brussels, Belgium Date: 9 15 June, 1985 Theme: Water Resources for Rural Areas and their Communities. VI th World Water Congress Venue: Ottawa, Canada Date: 29 May 3 June, 1988 Theme: Water for World Development. VII th World Water Congress Venue: Rabat, Morocco Date: May, 1991 Theme: Water for Sustainable Development in the 21st Century. VIII th World Water Congress Venue: Cairo, Egypt Date: May, 1994 Theme: Satisfying Future National and Global Water Demands. IX th World Water Congress Venue: Montreal, Canada Date: 1 6 September, 1997 Theme: Water Resources Outlook for the 21 st Century: Conflicts and Opportunities. X th World Water Congress Venue: Melbourne, Australia Date: Mars, 2000 Theme: Sharing and Caring for Water. XI th World Water Congress Venue: Madrid, Spain Date: 5 9 October, 2003 Theme: Water Resources Management in the 21st Century. XII th World Water Congress Venue: New Delhi, India Date: November, 2005 Theme: Water for Sustainable Development, Towards Innovative Solutions XIII th World Water Congress Venue: Montpellier, France Date: 1 4 September, 2008 Theme: Global Changes and Water Resources

3 Who is eligible to bid? IWRA currently has members spanning a wide range of professions and academic disciplines involved in the sustainable management of the world s water resources. They represent a diversity of sectors from public agencies, research institutions, private sector, non-government organisations to government authorities. IWRA uses the same inclusive approach towards bid candidates. All disciplines, sectors or geographic areas with an interest in quality scientific knowledge in the field water are encouraged to submit candidatures. Candidates must simply be legally registered entities that are able to prove their capacity through the bid process to host a high quality scientific event. How to apply? It s a 5 step process Step 1. Send a Letter of intent to host and organise the XV th IWRA World Water Congress to the IWRA Executive Office by post: IWRA Executive Office Domaine de Lavalette 859 rue Jean-François Breton Montpellier Cedex 5 France and by iwra@verseaudeveloppement.com The letter must be produced on the bidding organisation's letterhead and signed by the appropriate authority. The letter shall be short and concise as it is not meant to constitute the full bid. It should provide a very brief description of the bid including at a minimum the following information: Estimated dates; Congress location and facilities; Scientific expertise and logistical capacity Proposed central theme(s); and Partners involved. An electronic or paper version of the letter must be received by the IWRA Executive Office by the end of 13 March 2011 (GMT). Step 2. The received letters shall be evaluated by an IWRA Congress taskforce and accepted bidders shall be requested to submit full bids. All bidders will be notified by 31 March 2011 of the response to their letter of intent.

4 Step 3. Only accepted bidders will then be invited to submit full bids. These full bids must include the following information: 1. Official Proposal: Letter from the President (or equivalent) of the organisation proposing to host the Congress; and produced on the organisation's letterhead. 2. Detailed Proposal: Summary of proposed date and venue Reasons why the Organisation bidding for the Congress is a logical choice Description of the Organisation leader and partners bidding for the event including experience in water related activities, the organisation s financial situation (turnover, balance) over the last 3 years; and the organisation s logistical capabilities Scientific and organisational essentials. Including but not limited to: the names and backgrounds of scientific of technical institutions that will be involved in the organisation of the Congress; the proposed Congress central theme and sub-themes and the rationale behind them. Proposed timetable with key milestones and dates Description of Congress facilities (including but not limited to plenary sessions, concurrent sessions, office rooms, meeting rooms, web access, interpreter facilities etc ) Facilities for exhibitor stands Hotel and lodging facilities Congress promotion Technical Visits Activities for general public regarding water issues (cultural, awareness raising etc..) if applicable Recreation and cultural activities for Congress participants Entrance into the country visa requirements, accessibility and local transport etc. 3. Financial Considerations: Solid financial basis and preliminary budget Proposition regarding guaranteed contribution to IWRA Description of how the budget shall be raised Notes: - the budget must include travel, accommodation and registration costs for at least 6 IWRA members during the Congress; and for at least 3 IWRA members one year prior to the Congress. - the entire funding for the organisation of the Congress is the responsibility of the bidder (and/or their partners). IWRA shall not be exposed to any financial losses incurred through the organisation and/or hosting of the XV th World Water Congress. 4. Facilities and Background Information (brochures, photos, plans, etc.) on: Information on the Exhibition and/or Congress Centre to be used Congress infrastructure Tourist Office information 5. Contact details of the bidding organisation and contact person Bidders must detail their responses in clearly marked sections corresponding to each of the above points. The full bid must be sent to the IWRA Executive Office in physical form by post and in electronic form by . An electronic or paper copy of the full bid must be received by the end of 20 June 2011 (GMT).

5 Step 4. The received bids shall be evaluated by the IWRA Congress taskforce with possible follow up and clarification. All bidders will be notified during the July/August 2011 period. The official selected host for the XV th IWRA World Water Congress will be announced in July/August Step 5. The selected candidate will be requested to attend the XIV th edition of the IWRA World Water Congress which will be held in Porto de Galinhas, Brazil from September This will be an opportunity to experience the XIV th Congress, meet key stakeholders and announce the XV th Congress. Summary of Key Dates 13 March 2011 Deadline for Letter of Intention 31 March 2011 Responses to accepted candidates 20 June 2011 Deadline for Full Bid July/August 2011 Notification of selection results to candidates September 2011 Announcement during XIV th IWRA World Water Congress in Brazil Some Background Information More information about IWRA Congresses can be found at: The internet site of the XIII th Congress in Montpellier in 2008: Scientific report of the XIII th World Water Congress: The upcoming XIV th edition of the World Water Congress in Brazil: Questions? The IWRA Executive Office is happy to field any questions on the Call for Bids for the XV th IWRA World Water Congress. Please contact: IWRA Executive Office Domaine de Lavalette 859 rue Jean-François Breton Montpellier Cedex 5 France Telephone: +33 (0) Facsimile: +33 (0) office@iwra.com