6th WOP Congress

— About

UN-Habitat’s GWOPA convenes the global water and sanitation utility community at the 6^th Global WOPs Congress in Bonn, Germany, on 27-30 October 2025.

Water and sanitation service providers today face numerus pressing challenges: rapid urbanization, increasing climate-related risks, financial constraints, resource depletion and growing inequalities in access to basic services. Ensuring resilient, inclusive and sustainable water and sanitation services has never been more critical.

Now more than ever, only through collaboration can we tackle these challenges effectively. Water and sanitation operators must work together, sharing experiences, learning from one another, and strengthening their collective capacity to build thriving, water-secure cities.

The 6th Global WOPs Congress, convened by the Global Water Operators’ Partnership Alliance (GWOPA)/UN-Habitat, will bring together stakeholders from around the world to exchange knowledge, inspire action, and enhance the power of Water Operators’ Partnerships (WOPs) in addressing these urgent challenges.

A call for engagement to co-create the programme will be launched end of May 2025.

Who will be at the Congress

This biannual, global gathering
will welcome:

Public water and sanitation utilities of all shapes and sizes and from all continents

Community, cooperative and private water and sanitation operators

National and international water and sanitation associations

Non-Governmental Organizations and Civil Society Organzations

Municipal and National Governments, including their development cooperation agencies and regulators

Financial institutions

Workers and trade unions

United Nations organizations and other international platforms/network organizations

Research and
learning institutions

What makes the WOPs Congress different?

United by solidarity

Water Operators’ Partnership and other not-for-profit peer support exchanges will take center stage.

The Congress is a moment for the GWOPA network and new partners to come together around a shared commitment to helping each other.

Diversity

The Congress is convened by the Global Water Operators’ Partnerships Alliance – a diverse network largely made up of public water and sanitation operators along with their partners.

Participation is free of charge and open to all organisations and individuals with an interest in sustainable water and sanitation.

A focus on operator staff

WOPs support operator staff to do their job better and they are happening all over the world.

The Congress will bring together hundreds of operator staff to tell their stories, learn from each other and inspire individual and collective action.

Moving towards sustainable access for all

The WOPs Congress has been designed in close consultation with a Congress Taskforce (public operators, WOPs facilitators, donors and civil society organisations) to ensure it shines a light on real actions, impact, and opportunity to increase progress on Sustainable Development Goal 6.

— Logistics

General information

Contact

unhabitat-gwopa@un.org

gwopa.unhabitat.org/wop-congress

+49 228 815 2373

Registration

Registration will be open in June 2025.

Venue

World Conference Centre Bonn

Platz der Vereinten Nationen 2 53113 Bonn, Germanyat

+49 (0) 228 9267-0

Before you arrive in Bonn

Information on Bonn

You can learn about Bonn on international.bonn.de and Bonn-region.de

Passport and Visa Information

If, as a delegate or participant entering Germany, you come from a country out of the European Union (EU citizens may enter with their national identity card), you must have a valid passport and, depending on your country of origin, a valid visa.

Travel Insurance

It is advised that you have travel insurance that would cover your stay in Bonn. GWOPA will not take responsibility for the medical, accident, and travel insurance, for compensation for death or disability, for loss of or damage to personal property, and for any other costs or losses that may be incurred during travel time or the period of participation.

Accommodation

There are many hotels available in Bonn, offering various prices. You can book a hotel room via this link - Bonn und Region - 6th Global WOP Congress (bonn-region.de). Every guest who books a hotel room via this link will automatically receive a free ticket for local public transport, which is valid for the entire duration of your booking (day of arrival up to and including the day of departure) and is valid on the entire VRS network. If you arrive at Cologne/Bonn-Airport, please be aware that a rapid-bus supplement will be charged for the airport bus (ticket machine or cash inside).

Currency

The currency used in Germany is Euro (€). Therefore, carrying cash is highly recommended to make your travels easier within Germany. While credit cards are becoming more widely accepted, some Kleiner Saals and shops still only accept German EC Cards, and you may need to pay in cash on several occasions.

At the Global WOPs Congress venue

Wi-Fi and adapters

Wi-Fi will be provided in the conference venue.

The adapters used in Germany are 220V sockets. We suggest you bring Type C adapters to use your electronic devices.

Security

To guarantee the safety of all conference attendees, the organizers enforce security measures in all conference areas: You must wear your badge at all times inside the venue. It is strictly prohibited to lend your badge to another participant. It’s advisable to carry some form of identification with you at all times; you need to present your ID when entering the conference venue.