GWOPA Assembly of Members

Format: In-person and online
Date: Sunday, 17 May 2026
Time: 14:00–17:00 local time (GMT+4)
Venue: World Urban Forum, Baku Olympic Stadium, Heydar Aliyev Avenue 323, Baku, Azerbaijan
Room: One UN Room B
Languages: English, with interpretation into Arabic, French and Spanish

Pre-events

Time Agenda Location
11:00 – 12:00 World Urban Forum Joint Opening of the Assemblies Dialogue Room B
12:00 – 13:00 Lunch break
13:00 – 14:00 World Urban Forum Service Providers stakeholder group session One UN Room B
 

Assembly of Members

Time Agenda Session description
14:00 – 14:30 Opening Session The Assembly Opening chaired by the GWOPA Assembly Chair Ms. Rose Kaggwa (National Water and Sewerage Corporation of Uganda), will feature keynote speakers Ms. Anaclaudia Rossbach, UN-Habitat Executive Director, and Ms. Retno L.P. Marsudi, UN Special Envoy on Water. Mr. Sebastian Herold, Senior Policy Officer, Energy, Urban Development, Mobility, German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and Mr. Tahir Khalilov, Chairman of the Board, "United Water Supply Service of Large Cities" LLC, Azerbaijan State Water Resources Agency, will deliver welcome remarks. 
14:30 – 15:00

Agenda item 1
17 years of strengthening utility capacities;

State of the Global Water Operators' Partnerships Alliance;

2026–2029 Strategy

 Learn more and get updated with an overview of GWOPA, the evolution of the WOP movement globally driven by the Alliance, and the forthcoming 2026-2029 Strategy drawing on years of championing peer-to-peer solidarity partnerships between water and sanitation operators. The Assembly will also welcome and endorse the new GWOPA Steering Committee followed by an open Q&A session.
15:00 – 15:45 Agenda item 2
Operationalizing the GWOPA 2026–2029 Strategy
 		 As the 2026–2029 Strategy will guide the collective path of the Alliance, members will reflect in working groups on their contributions to its implementation over the coming years. Members will identify their roles in advocating for, improving and scaling up the Water Operators' Partnership practice toward achievement of SDG6, in the final years of the 2030 Agenda.
15:45 – 16:00 Tea / Coffee Break
16:00 – 16:45 Agenda item 3
Roadmap to 2026 UN Water Conference
 		 In preparation of the 2026 UN Water Conference, this session will mobilize an effective collective effort by GWOPA Members and Partners, in highlighting the crucial role of water and sanitation utilities and Water Operators' Partnerships at the historical event in Abu Dhabi in December 2026. 

A panel of representatives of local governments, utilities, UN programmes and organizations will exchange on how to create synergies to convey our common messages towards the 2026 UN Water Conference.
16:45 – 17:00 Agenda item 4
Way Forward and Engagement at WUF13
Conclusion and wrap-up		 The World Urban Forum in Baku, directly following the Assembly, is a strategic moment to raise the profile of water and sanitation utilities as key urban development partners in lead up to the 2026 Water Conference. 

GWOPA Members will be guided through the WUF programme to highlight opportunities to showcase and advocate for utilities and WOPs, and through the messages to convey as representatives of the whole Alliance.