INBO World Basin Summit 2026

The INBO World Basin Summit was held from June 16 to 19, 2026, in Brazil, at the invitation of the Rio de Janeiro State Secretariat for the Environment and Sustainable Development (SEAS).

After Marrakesh and Bordeaux, Rio de Janeiro hosted this major international event dedicated to Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) at the basin level, formerly known as the INBO World General Assembly.

The aim of this summit is to bring together IWRM stakeholders from around the world to share experiences, tools, and best practices deployed at the basin level.

It brought together 400 participants, from 48 coutnries, representing national and transboundary basin organizations, national, regional and local administrations, technical institutions, UN agencies and international financial institutions.

The program of the World Basin Summit spanned four days.

The first day of the Summit (Tuesday, June 16) was dedicated to workshops. Topics addressed included: basin governance, inter-sectoral coordination, alignment of water resource management policies with coastal and marine management policies (“blue economie”), and the interface between science and water resource management policies.

Here is an overview of the program:

Here is a detailed overview of the program for Tuesday, June 16:

In addition to INBO and SEAS, the Summit’s main partners include:

• the Ministry of Integration and Regional Development (MIDR),
• the Brazilian Association of Regulatory Agencies (ABAR),
• the Brazilian National Water and Sanitation Agency (ANA),
• the State Institute of the Environment (INEA),
• the Fluminense Forum of River Basin Committees (FFCBH),
• the Brazilian Network of Basin Organisations (REBOB),
• the Association for the Management of Water Resources in the Paraíba do Sul River Basin (AGEVAP),
• Águas do Rio.

The event took place in:

• Museu do Amanhã
• Museu de Arte do Rio (MAR)

Simultaneous interpretation was provided in the four official languages of the Summit: French, English, Spanish, and Brazilian Portuguese.

Workshops from 9:30am to 11:10am

• Peer-to-Peer Project presentation: INBO project to support river basin organizations and facilitate peer-to-peer exchanges, conducted in cooperation with ANBO
• Integrated Sediment Transport Management in River Basins (IAHR)
• Integrated Water Governance in Metropolitan Regions in Brazil: The Link between Water Resource Management and the Regulation of Sanitation Services for Water Supply Resilience

Workshops from 11:20am to 1pm

• Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Workshop – Latin American regional module of the educational program dedicated to governance and nature-based solutions
• Digital Transformation for River Basins: Road to Bari and the 42nd IAHR (International Association for Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research) World Congress
• Governance of Integrated Water Resources Management in Brazil: Four Decades of Cooperation Between Brazil and France on River Basin Management

2:30pm to 5:30pm :  3 workshops on “Sharing experiences about drought management and water resources allocation”

• Interactive Workshop 1: Case study on water security and governance in the metropolitan regions of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, followed by interactive discussions
• Interactive Workshop 2: Drought planning and water resources allocation in Central Asia, Austral Africa and Latin America
• Interactive Workshop 3: Case study on negotiated water allocation in semi-arid contexts: the Ceará State (Brazil), in dialogue with experiences from African and other regions

Water resources management at basin level for water security in Brazil

Moderation: Ms. Renata Maranhão, Deputy Superintendent, National water and sanitation agency (ANA), Brazil

Speakers:

• Mr. Giuseppe Serra Seca Vieira, National Secretary for Water Security, Ministry of Integration and Regional Development (MIDR), Brazil
• Ms. Camila Viana, President, Water Agency of the State of São Paulo (SP Aguas), Brazil
• Ms. Ana Asti, President, Committee for the Integration of the Paraíba do Sul River Basin (CEIVAP), Brazil
• Mr. Rodrigo Hajjar Francisco, Vice President, Brazilian Network of Basin Organizations (REBOB), Brazil

High level panel in preparation of the 2026 UN Water Conference’s Interactive Dialogue (d) “Water for Cooperation”: peer-to-peer exchanges to build capacities on basin management

Moderation: 

• Ms. Lucia de Strasser, Environmental Affairs Officer, Secretariat of the UN Water Convention
• Mr. Edouard Boinet, Head of project for international cooperation, International Office for Water (OiEau), Secretariat of INBO

Introduction from Finalnd, co-chair of the 2026 UN Water Conference’s Interactive Dialogue (d) “Water for Cooperation”: Mr Antti Rautavaraa, Special Envoy for Water, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Finland

Panelists:

1. Mr. Valder Ribeiro de Moura, Vice-Minister of Integration and Regional Development (MIDR), Brazil
2. Mr. Adjei Kenneth Gilbert, Minister of Works, Housing and Water Resources, Ghana
3. Mr. Hugo Morán Fernandez, Secretary of State for the Environment, Ministry for the Ecological Transition (MITECO),  Spain
4. Ms. Barbara Pompili, Ambassador for the Environment, Former Minister, France
5. Ms. Busadee Santipitaks, Chief Executive Officer,  Mekong River Commission (MRC)
6. Mr Manuel Barreno Rodrigo, Head of the National Water Authority (ANA), Peru
7. Mr. Seilbek Nurymbetov, Chairman of the Committee for Water Resources Regulation, Protection and Use, Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, Kazakhstan
8. Ms. Marjeta Jager, Deputy Director-General, Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA) , European Commission 

Session 1 – From data to action: modernizing water resources monitoring for resilient basin management

Introduction: Mr. Hugo Morán Fernandez, Secretary of State for the Environment, Ministry for the Ecological Transition (MITECO), Spain

Moderation: Mr. Tom Soo, Executive Director, International Association for Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research (IAHR), Spain

Keynote speaker: Ms. Rathna Kewal, Climate Change & Sustainable development Coordinator, Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (OTCA)

Panelists:

• Ms. Andrea de Oliveira Germano, Head of the Hydrology Department, Geological Survey, Brazil 
• Mr. Nestor Niyonzima, Executive Director, Nile Basin Initiative (NBI)
• Mr. Andrew McConville, Chief Executive,  Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA), Australia
• Mr. Xavier Lazzaro, Limnologist, Binational Autonomous Authority of Lake Titicaca (ALT)
• Mr. Miguel Polo Cebellán, President, Júcar River Basin Authority (CHJ), Spain

Conclusion: Mr. Nabil Ben Khatra, Executive Secretary, Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS)

Session 2 – City-Basin dialogue for water security: reconciling urban, coastal and rural developments

Introduction: Dr. Marie Thérèse Itongo, Secretary General, International Congo-Oubangui-Sangha Basin Commission (CICOS)

Moderation: Ms. Maria Aparecida Vargas, Secretary, Integration Committee of the Paraíba do Sul River Basin (CEIVAP), Brazil

Keynote speakers: Ms. Ana Asti, Under-secretary of Water resources and Sustainability, Secretariat of Environment and Sustainability (SEAS), State of Rio de Janeiro and President of the Committee for the Integration of the Paraíba do Sul River Basin (CEIVAP), Brazil 

Panelists:

• Mr. Vinicius Benevides, President, Brazilian Association of Regulatory Agencies (ABAR), Brazil
• Mr. Oudomsack Philavong, Director General of the Department of Water Resources, Lao PDR
• Ms. Maria Amakali, Acting Deputy Executive Director for Water Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform (MAFWLR), Namibia
• Mr. Yofre Ramon Mendoza Zambrano, President, Basin Councils (COCU), Ecuador
• Mr. Heikki Mäkinen, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Lake Vesijärvi Foundation, Finland

Conclusion: Mr. Enrique Guardo, Director of Management,  Joint Commission of the Parana River (COMIP) 

Session 3 – Healthy waters, resilient basins: bringing consistency to water and biodiversity policies

Introduction: Ms. Busadee Santipitaks, Chief Executive Officer, Mekong River Commission (MRC)

Moderation: Mr. Turo Hjerppe, Ministerial Adviser, Ministry of the Environment (MoE), Finland

Keynote speaker: Ms. Elodie Galko, Director General, Adour-Garonne Water Agency (AEAG), France

Panelists:

• Ms. Marie Ikemoto, Undersecretary for Climate Change and Biodiversity Conservation, Secretariat of Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) of the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• Dr. Emma Liwenga, Executive Director, Lake Tanganyika Authority (LTA)
• Mr. Mu Dongjing, Senior Engineer, Haihe River Water Conservancy Commission (HWCC), Ministry of Water Resources, China
• Mr. Jorge Urbina, Executive Secretary, Trinational Commission of the Trifinio Plan (CTPT)
• Ms. Audrey Bardot, President of the Rhine-Meuse Basin Committee, Rhine-Meuse Water Agency (AERM), France

Conclusion: Ms. Rita de Cássia Guimarães Mesquita, Secretariat of Biodiversity, Forests and Animal Rights, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, Brazil

Session 4 – Climate change adaptation at basin level: controlling floods and droughts

Thematic introduction:

• Mr. Hervé Gilliard, Delegate for External and International Relations, Loire-Bretagne Water Agency (AELB), France
• Mr. Rafael Piovezan, President, Piracicaba, Capivari and Jundiaí River Basins Consortium, Brazil
• Mr. Sergio Razera, President Director, Agency of the Piracicaba, Capivari and Jundiaí River Basins, Brazil 
• Ms. Marina Mendonça Costa de Assis, Advisor to the Executive Director, Association for Water Management in the Paraíba do Sul River Basin (AGEVAP), Brazil

Panelists:

• Ms. Ana Paula Fioreze, Superintendent of water and socioeconomic studies, National water and sanitation agency (ANA), Brazil 
• Ms. Coletha U. Ruhamya, Deputy Executive Secretary, Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC/EAC)
• Dr. Wang Zhihui, Deputy Chief Engineer of soil and water conservation research, Yellow River Conservancy Commission (YRCC), Ministry of Water Resources, China
• Ms. Adriana Reséndez, Mexican Commissioner, International Boundary and Water Commission between Mexico and the United States (CILA/IBWC)
• Mr. Steven Vinckier, Water resilience expert, Flanders Environment Agency (VMM), Belgium

Conclusion: Ms. Adriana Bocaiuva, Coordinator, Fluminense Forum of Hydrographic Basin Committees (FFCBH), Brazil

Session 5 – Circular water economy for basin resilience: diversifying the “water mix” with non-conventional resources

Introduction: Ms. Elodie Galko, Director General, Adour-Garonne Water Agency (AEAG), France

Moderation: Ms. Moema Acselrad, Superintendent, Secretariat of Environment and Sustainability, State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Keynote speaker: Mr. Mohammed Boutayeb, Secretary General, Bouregreg and Chaouia Hydraulic Basin Agency (ABHBC), Morocco

Panelists:

• Mr. Emilio Real Llanderal, Head of Technical Section, Jucar River Basin Authority (JRBA), Spain
• Mr. Tércio Dantas Tavares, Director of Operations, Ceará Water Resources Management Company (COGERH), Brazil
• Mr. Fatih Türkmendağ, Head of Department for Water Law and Policy, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Turkey 
• Mr. Comfort Molosiwa, Executive Secretary, Orange-Senqu River Commission Basin (ORASECOM)
• Mr. Luis Alan Garcia Carrasco, Head of Sustainable Water Use, Secretariat of Rural Development, Government of the State of Chihuahua, Mexico

Conclusion: Ms. Lamia Lehtihet, Director General, National Agency for Integrated Water Resources Management (AGIRE), Algeria