The International Water Resources Association’s World Water Congress 2015 will be held in Edinburgh, Scotland on 25-29 May in cooperation with the Scottish Government.

Both developed and developing countries are confronted with the urgent need to support the increasing water-related demands of growing populations and of the energy, industrial and agricultural sectors, as well as to respond to environmental concerns with sources of water that are scarce, over-exploited or too polluted for the intended uses. In spite of its relevance in terms of security, water is often not regarded as a key determinant for development, absent from many political agendas. This congress seeks to explore Global Water as a resource for economic, social and environmental development.

The IWRA has consistently used all the avenues that are available to it to promote generation, synthesis, application and dissemination of knowledge. The 15th World Water Congress and Exhibition that will be held in Edinburgh, Scotland, 25 to 29 May 2015, and that will be hosted by the Scottish Government, will be a continuation of this trend.

The XVth World Water Congress will provide a platform for open discussions and debates among scientists, practitioners and policy makers from both developed and developing countries and from different disciplines and sectors. In collaboration with Scotland ́s Water, the IWRA Congress will promote in-depth discussions on the complexity of water policies, management, development and governance practices at the local, national, regional and global levels in a rapidly changing world as the fast evolving global landscape is driving decisions in the sectors ́ policies, performance and prospects.

The sub-themes of the congress will include those on:

• global challenges for water governance
• revisiting water paradigms
• non-conventional sources of water
• Valuing water: monetary and non-monetary dimensions
• water allocation among competing uses and users
• management of water resources
• key vulnerabilities and risks
• water law at the national and international levels
• transboundary river basins and shared aquifers – the end of the conflict discourse?