Explore the Special Sessions and Workshops Received for the 42nd IAHR World Congress — Call Still Open Until 1 November 2026
Preparations for the 42nd IAHR World Congress, to be held in Bari, Italy, from 28 June to 2 July 2027, are moving ahead at pace. Following the strong response to the call for special sessions and workshops, IAHR is pleased to share an overview of the proposals received to date, so that interested participants can explore the sessions already on the table — and be inspired to add their own.
Special Sessions Received
The proposals received so far span the Congress theme "Driving Change Management in the Era of Digital Water and Global Transition" and its three strategic pillars, from climate adaptation and nature-based solutions to digital twins, hydropower and coastal resilience.
Pillar A: Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation
Theme A-1:
SS-06 Integrated Flood Risk Management from Science to Practice
SS-08 Digital Twin of Detailed River Basin Morphology and Hydraulic Structures for Advanced Basin Management
SS-12 Advances and Guidelines for Water Resources Management: Adaptation Under Evolving Climate
SS-27 Buoyancy-Driven Flows
SS-32 Integrated Water Resilience in Arid Regions: Diversified Portfolios, Digital Systems, and Adaptive Governance
Theme A-2:
SS-01 Ecohydraulics: Biophysical Interactions in Natural and Engineered Aquatic Systems
SS-03 AI and Data-Driven Ecohydraulics: Monitoring, Modelling, and Design
SS-14 Nature-Based Solutions for Upstream Catchments and Small Streams
SS-15 Nature-Based Solutions for Urban Areas
SS-16 Nature-Based Solutions for Large Rivers
SS-17 Nature-Based Solutions for Coasts and Estuaries
Theme A-3:
SS-33 Binding Without Erasure: River Monitoring, Plural Evidence and Environmental Obligation in Transboundary Governance
Pillar B: Water Engineering and Energy, Ecological and Digital Transition
Theme B-2: Water engineering for inland water bodies
SS-05 Advances in Monitoring Extreme River Flows Across the Hydrologic Spectrum
SS-09 Ice Processes in Inland and Transitional Waters
SS-10 Sediment Transport and River Training in Alluvial Rivers: Current Understanding and Open Challenges
SS-21 Plastic Transport in Rivers: Connecting Empiricism and Modelling
SS-26 Advances in Environmental Fluid Mechanics
SS-31 High-Fidelity 3D CFD and CFD–DEM Methods for Predictive Bed Morphodynamics
Theme B-3: Water engineering and society
SS-25 Water Security in Latin America: From Local Experiences to the Construction of a Regional Metric
Theme B-4: Irrigation, drainage and pollution control
SS-11 Advances in Marine and Freshwater Outfall Systems: Innovations in Modelling, Design, and Environmental Protection
Theme B-5: Water engineering for water infrastructures
SS-04 Transient Flows in Hydraulic Systems
SS-13 Scour around Hydraulic and Coastal Structures
SS-19 Hydraulic Challenges of Ageing Infrastructure
SS-20 Fundamental Flow Hydraulics at Hydraulic Structures
SS-28 Digital Empowerment of Whole-Process Water Allocation
Pillar C: Improving Resilience Against Water Hazards and Disasters
Theme C-1: Climate Change Mitigation and Hydraulic-Infrastructure Resilience
SS-18 Digital Ecohydraulics for River Resilience: Integrating Remote Sensing, Machine Learning, and Advanced Modelling
SS-22 Resilience against Climate Change in the Asia-Pacific Region
SS-23 Intelligent Early Warning Systems: Machine Learning Integration for Hydrometeorological and Tsunami Hazard Management
SS-29 Digital-Intelligent Empowerment of Flash Flood Disaster Prevention
SS-30 Debris and Driftwood Accumulation at Hydraulic Structures
Theme C-2: Urban Water Cycle, Industrial Water and Water Treatment
SS-07 Theory and Applications of Smart Water Networks
SS-24 From Scarcity to Smart Management: Solutions for Intermittent Water Supply Systems
Theme C-3: Deltas, Coastal and Maritime Engineering
SS-02 Ecohydraulics in Coastal and Riparian Zones as Critical Interfaces under Change
More Info About the Special Sessions
Workshops Received
The proposals received so far span the Congress theme "Driving Change Management in the Era of Digital Water and Global Transition" and its three strategic pillars, from climate adaptation and nature-based solutions to digital twins, hydropower and coastal resilience.
In addition to the special sessions, the Organising Committee has already collected three workshop proposals from the community, all planned for Sunday, 27 June 2027, ahead of the Congress opening:
• Practical Aspects of Hydraulic Design for Water Pipelines — Transient Flows Working Group (TFWG)
• Machine Learning Approaches for Hydrologic Modelling and Data Quality Assessment — TC Climate Change Adaptation
• Masterclass — Nature-based Solutions for Flooding and Water Management Resilience in a Changing Climate — WG on Nature-based Solutions
The Call for Special Sessions Is Still Open
The proposals received so far span the Congress theme "Driving Change Management in the Era of Digital Water and Global Transition" and its three strategic pillars, from climate adaptation and nature-based solutions to digital twins, hydropower and coastal resilience.
There is still time to contribute: the call for special sessions remains open until 1 November 2026. If you are considering convening a session aligned with the Congress themes and special-session topics, IAHR encourages you to submit your proposal without delay.
All the information, including the Proposal Form and the list of Congress topics and special sessions, can be found on the 42nd IAHR Congress Website.
Nexts Steps: Abstract Submission
The proposals received so far span the Congress theme "Driving Change Management in the Era of Digital Water and Global Transition" and its three strategic pillars, from climate adaptation and nature-based solutions to digital twins, hydropower and coastal resilience.
The next milestone is the call for abstracts, which remains open until 15 January 2027. Authors are encouraged to plan their submissions early and take advantage of the Early Bird registration opportunity. Full details, including the Abstract Template, can be found on the 42nd IAHR Congress Website
Participate in the 2027 John F. Kennedy Student Paper Competition: The competition recognises conference papers from undergraduate and postgraduate students on the basis of written and oral presentations at the IAHR World Congress. The 17th edition of the competition will take place in the frame of the 42nd IAHR World Congress. To apply for the 2027 edition, please make sure to submit your abstract for the 42nd IAHR World Congress by 15 January 2027.
During the Congress: Understanding Privilege and Equity in the Water Sector
The Special Session "Understanding Privilege and Equity in the Water Sector" will be held during the 42nd IAHR World Congress. A participatory Diversity, Equity and Inclusion event convened by IAHR's DEI Task Force, the EPD Committee, the Local Organising Committee and the YPD.
This event invites the full spectrum of IAHR members to explore equity in the water sector - not only in water distribution, but also in access to opportunities, participation and professional belonging across geographies, genders, ages and educational backgrounds.
It is open to all attendees and is designed as a supportive, respectful and inclusive space for researchers, practitioners, leaders, students and organisers at every career stage. No prior DEI experience or preparation is required.
The session begins with an introduction to its purpose, the Privilege Walk method and shared ground rules for respect and confidentiality. Participants then take part in an accessible walking activity, followed by facilitated small-group reflection on access, opportunity and belonging in professional contexts, fieldwork and institutions. A plenary share-back closes the session by translating insights into practical ideas for teams and organisations. More info
Event details:
Duration: 90 minutes
Group size: aproximately 30-40 participants
Format: guided walking activity, small-group debrief and plenary closing
Date and time: to be announced
We look forward to receiving your proposals and to welcoming the international water community to Bari in 2027.
Related
Call for Abstracts for the 42nd IAHR World Congress!
Call for Special Sessions Now Open for the 42nd IAHR World Congress
Road to Bari
42nd IAHR Congress Website
IAHR Task Force on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion