Managing Water for the City of the Future
Global CityWater Futures Summit
Learning Alliances for Change
Delft, The Netherlands, 7-10 October 2009
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Keynote speakers announced
Kala Vairavamoorthy
UNESCO-IHE SWITCH Scientific Director
"A SWITCH to More Sustainable Urban Water Management"
Prof K. Vairavamoorthy is Chair of Water Engineering at the University of Birmingham in the UK and also holds a Chair appointment at UNESCO-IHE. He is also a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers (UK).
His main expertise is in the area of: integrated urban water management; modelling and optimisation of urban water distribution systems; non-revenue water management; and protection of water supplies from contamination.
Prof Vairavamoorthy is the Scientific Director of SWITCH, an EU Integrated Project for Sustainable Urban Water Management, which is one of the largest EU research projects in the area of water.
Paul Reiter
International Water Association Executive Director
"Water in the City of the Future – Challenges and Opportunities for the Water Industry"
Paul Reiter is the Executive Director of the International Water Association – an organization that serves as the global network for water professional with approximately 10,000 members in 120 countries. He is a leading figure in international and regional water issues with nearly 30 years experience in utility project innovation and utility management in the areas of water, electricity and solid waste. Through this period he has worked as a utility leader, private consultant and as an association director.
Paul's experience in water has focused on sustainable urban water management including water resources optimization for human and environmental needs, water efficiency and reuse, urban drainage, and waters sensitive urban design. On the management side, Paul has been a leader in change-focused utility management and leadership, including the pioneering of innovative procurement methods for large scale capital projects in the US. Paul has co-authored two books, contributed many articles, and speaks throughout the world on the leading challenges facing the water sector including climate change adaptation and innovation in delivery of international support to water-related development assistance.
Margaret Pageler
ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability
"Local Government Challenges and Innovations"
Margaret Pageler is a former Seattle City Council President, now a state Judge of land use appeals. She serves on the international Executive Committee of ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability and is a member of the governing board of the World Water Council. Mrs Pageler served twelve years on Seattle City Council and was responsible for the city's hydropower, water supply, sewage and drainage services.
Representing ICLEI on the governing board of the World Water Council and participating on behalf of ICLEI at global water sector events, Margaret's goal is to ensure that the role of local authorities in dealing with the water crisis and with climate adaptation is recognized by the UN and by global agencies. Margaret spearheaded the Fifth World Water Forum outreach to local authorities and helped launch the Istanbul Water Consensus.
Stuart White
Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology, Sydney
"Different Cities, Different Needs, Different Paths to the Future"
Professor Stuart White is Director of the Institute for Sustainable Futures at the University of Technology, Sydney. He has worked in the area of sustainable urban water futures for over 20 years for a range of clients including utilities, government and community organisations in Australia and internationally. He is the joint co-ordinator of the International Water Association's Task Force on the International Demand Management Framework and is the Chair of Efficient2009, the bi-annual conference of the IWA's Specialist Group on Efficient Operation and Management to be held in Sydney in October 2009. Stuart has written and presented widely on sustainable futures and is a regular commentator on sustainability issues in the media.
Pireh Otieno
UN-HABITAT Nairobi Programme Officer
"Fostering Sustainable Urbanisation – The UN HABITAT Experience"
Mr. Pireh Otieno has over ten years experience and expertise in urban water and sanitation governance. He holds a Master of Arts Degree in International Studies from the Institute of Diplomacy and International Studies, The University of Nairobi.
He currently works as a Programme Officer in the Water, Sanitation and Infrastructure Branch of UN-HABITAT. He is responsible for formulating and implementing strategies for effective involvement of city-level stakeholders, including the urban poor and vulnerable groups, in the management of water and sanitation programmes. He is also responsible for overseeing the implementation of community-based training and capacity building activities aimed at improving community skills for operational management and maintenance of water and sanitation projects. Over the years, he has helped to strengthen operational structures of local governments and other service providers by creating a governance framework favorable for stakeholder engagement and partnership building in service provision.