SWA Water Regulation Exchange
SWA Water
Regulation
Exchange
idra world congress 2026
SWA Water Regulation Exchange
Water regulation is at a turning point. The frameworks built through the 1990s and 2000s were coherent answers to the conditions of their time: relative water abundance, predictable supply, manageable infrastructure deficits, and confidence in independent regulation as a force for reform. Those conditions have changed. Scarcity, climate uncertainty, new technology, and increasingly diverse supply portfolios have placed real strain on regulatory models that were never designed for them.
As utilities meet demand from a mix of conventional, desalinated, reused, and demand-managed sources, regulators are no longer simply overseeing existing systems. They are helping shape how future water supplies are developed, financed, and secured.
Responding to that shift, the Saudi Water Authority (SWA), with the International Desalination and Reuse Association as Strategic Partner, The World Bank as Knowledge Partner, and with help from ACADES and ALADYRR has established the SWA Water Regulation Exchange. The inaugural one-day edition takes place on Sunday 1 November 2026, alongside the IDRA World Congress 2026, hosted by SWA in Riyadh from 1 to 5 November under the patronage of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA).
The Exchange brings together regulators, policymakers, utilities, and finance and industry leaders from the Americas, Europe, the Pacific, and the GCC. A framing address and foundation panel open the day, regional sessions examine how different systems are adapting, a dedicated session addresses the relationship between government, the private sector, and finance, and a closing synthesis converts the day’s discussion into a forward agenda for regulatory innovation.
“The Kingdom has built one of the world’s most advanced and integrated water systems, and with that comes a responsibility to share what we have learned.
The Water Regulation Exchange reflects Saudi Arabia’s commitment to strengthening international cooperation and bringing together the global regulatory community to exchange knowledge and advance the governance that underpins water security worldwide.”
His Excellency Eng. Abdullah bin Ibrahim Al-Abdulkareem
– President, Saudi Water Authority
The SWA Water Regulation Exchange focuses
on three integral themes:
Why approaches that once worked are proving harder to sustain.
What the growth of desalination and reuse means for the regulation of water and wastewater services.
From integration in principle to integration in practice.
SWA Water Regulation Exchange Agenda
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Sunday, 01 November: Pre-congress
09:00
09:15
09:30
10:30
11:30
12:30
13:30
14:30
15:30
16:30
16:50
Water Regulation Exchange
09:15 to 09:30
Welcome and Opening Remarks10:30 to 11:30
Session 2: North and South America — From Established Regulation to Integrated Water Systems11:30 to 12:30
Session 3: Europe and Pacific — Regulatory Compliance and Performance Monitoring in the Water Sector12:30 to 13:30
Session 4: Regulating for Water Security and Rapid Transformation Across the GCC Countries14:30 to 15:30
Lunch15:30 to 16:30
Session 6: Closing Session — From Global Lessons to a Regulatory Agenda for Water-Scarce Systems16:30 to 16:50
Launch of the Water Regulation Exchange09:15 to 09:30
Welcome and Opening Remarks
Welcome and Opening Remarks by SWA and Water Regulation Exchange Strategic Partner: IDRA
09:30 to 10:30
Session 1: Foundation Panel — The Changing Role of Water Regulation
Water regulation is at a turning point. Regulatory frameworks designed for an era of relative water abundance and predictable supply must now respond to scarcity, climate uncertainty, new technologies, and increasingly diverse water portfolios.
10:30 to 11:30
Session 2: North and South America — From Established Regulation to Integrated Water Systems
North and South America offer a diverse range of regulatory models, from mature utility regulation to rapidly evolving frameworks responding to water scarcity, climate pressures, and growing reliance on desalination and reuse.
11:30 to 12:30
Session 3: Europe and Pacific — Regulatory Compliance and Performance Monitoring in the Water Sector
A keynote address followed by a moderated discussion. European water regulation offers extensive experience in moving beyond establishing regulatory frameworks to measuring performance, ensuring compliance, and demonstrating regulatory impact.
12:30 to 13:30
Session 4: Regulating for Water Security and Rapid Transformation Across the GCC Countries
Opening remarks, presentations, and moderated discussion. The GCC is at the forefront of a fundamental shift in water regulation.
13:30 to 14:30
Session 5: Integration Between Government, the Private Sector and Finance (PPP)
Opening remarks followed by a moderated discussion. An extended dialogue bringing together distinguished leaders representing the three sides of the triangle: government officials from regulatory authorities and policy making entities, private sector executives responsible for operating and developing water reuse...
14:30 to 15:30
Lunch
15:30 to 16:30
Session 6: Closing Session — From Global Lessons to a Regulatory Agenda for Water-Scarce Systems
A moderated discussion around three lines of synthesis, conducted as a conversation rather than through presentations. Placed at the end of the day, this session does not add a further regional account.
16:30 to 16:50
Launch of the Water Regulation Exchange
Official launch of the identity and logo of the Water Regulation Exchange (WREx) conference, with the first edition to be held in Riyadh in 2027.