IAHR organises the session Innovative Engineering for Sustainable Development during Singapore Water Week last 20 June, in partnership with the Public Utilities Board of Singapore. As a milestone event towards the 2025 IAHR World Congress; the session explored the challenges, solutions and emerging knowledge of scientists, city authorities and practitioners.  Focussing primarily on coastal resilience, the session explored the real world issues such as faced by the UK Enviroment Agency, Singapore or New York, engineering solutions and approaches that need to take into account system-wide interactions, as well as sharing the latest experiences from around the world on emerging and nascent engineering research and approaches. The 2025 IAHR World Congress will accelerate knowledge sharing and exchange in June next year in Singapore.  The Congress is actively calling for stakeholders across the entire water cycle to become actively involved in the programme.

In the picture (left to right) Philippe Gourbesville (IAHR President), Mark Fletcher (Global Water Leader, Arup), Laurian Farrell (Deputy Commissioner, New York City, Department of Environmental Protection), Joanne Wines (UK Environment Agency), Hyoseop Woo (IAHR Vice President), Cheng Ann Tan (Executive Vice President, DHI Group), and Adrian Law (Chair of the International Scientific Committee).

 Session description and participants 

Water engineering and innovation underpins and impacts almost every aspect of our lives. It arises options and solutions for improved policy settings, economic growth, as well as physical, social, and environmental well-being while striving for global water security. As countries accelerate the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, the most critical and costliest solutions all involve water infrastructure, technologies, and innovations. This session tackles the most challenging problems that keep national water leaders awake at night, and the transformative forces, innovations and practical options from practice and research that comprise the solutions for a sustainable future. This includes coastal resilience, solutions under climate uncertainty, digital transformation, water for the energy transition, food security and nature. 

Moderator: Mark Fletcher, Global Water Lead, Arup 

Speakers: 

• Philippe Gourbesville, IAHR President 

• Adrian Law, National University Singapore, Chair International Scientific Committee, 2025 IAHR World Congress 

• Tan Cheng-ann, Executive Vice President, Marine/Coastal/Environmental, DHI 

• Hyoseop Woo, Gwangju Institute of Science and Engineering 

• Laurian Farrell, Deputy Commissioner, New York City Department of Environmental Protection 

• Joanne Wines, UK Environment Agency

This session is a milestone event on the road to the 41st IAHR World Congress, co-hosted with PUB, and to be held in Singapore in June 2025.