• More than a dozen countries join forces in Seville to accelerate desalination, water reuse, and climate-adaptive solutions amid mounting global drought pressures.
• Andalusia positions itself as Europe’s leading pioneer for water resilience, hosting the IDRA Colloquium with support from regional and city leaders.
• Seville Colloquium sets the stage for IDRA’s 2025 Reykjavik Summit and 2026 World Congress in Riyadh, before the Summit returns to Seville in 2027 advancing a new global water industry agenda for water security.

SEVILLE, SPAIN – June 2, 2025. As the world enacts ambitious new water reuse regulations and climate change intensifies global water stress, government leaders, industry pioneers, and policy experts gathered in Seville on June 1&2 for a high-level colloquium tackling one of the century’s most urgent challenges: securing water in an age of extremes.

Hosted by the International Desalination and Reuse Association (IDRA), the Seville Colloquium on Resilient Water Solutions brought together more than a dozen countries to share regulatory breakthroughs, technological innovation, and on-the-ground strategies for building water resilience at scale.

“The global water cycle is under stress, not in the future, but right now,” said Shannon McCarthy, Secretary General of IDRA. “Climate change is intensifying water scarcity, yet the tools to build resilience already exist; water reuse, desalination, and integrated resource planning. What’s missing is speed, scale, and stronger alignment between policy and investment. That’s what this Colloquium delivered: a clear signal that leaders from North Africa to Latin America, Europe to the U.S., are ready to act. Seville marks a turning point: from vision to coordinated global implementation, and we thank the president of Andalusia, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, and the Seville Mayor for their hospitality, and political will and commitment in helping to facilitate this change.”

Andalusia Emerges as a Model for Europe
The colloquium opened with remarks from IDRA and Andalusian Leadership; Hon. Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla, President of Andalusia, and Hon. Ramón Fernández-Pacheco Monterreal, The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development for Andalucía, and Hon. José Luis Sanz, the Mayor of Seville who jointly positioned Andalusia as a true pioneer of water-reuse and desalination in Europe, and a success story in policy innovation and implementation. With record droughts gripping southern Europe, Andalusia’s investments in treated wastewater reuse and desalination are positioning it as the continental leader in climate-adaptive water policy.

“For Andalusia, water is not simply a policy issue; it is a matter of survival, identity, and of future prosperity. That is why we have placed water resilience at the very center of our political and economic agenda,’ said President Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla during his opening address.

“We are proud to host this global colloquium in Seville, and to stand alongside IDRA in advancing global change in desalination, reuse, and innovation. Andalusia proves that water scarcity can be met with ingenuity, solidarity, and a sustained commitment to investment and science. This is our message to Europe and to the world: We cannot wait for rain. We must act now, together, to make every drop count,” he continued.

Minister Hon. Fernández-Pacheco said “It is an honor for Andalucía to host this international  colloquium and welcome leading voices in resilient water solutions. Water is central to our future – socially, economically, and environmentally –and in Andalucía, we are responding with action: accelerating investment, embracing reuse and desalination, and building a strategy grounded in anticipation, planning, and execution. From Seville, we reaffirm our commitment to innovation and collaboration as the foundation of water security for generations to come.”

Mayor Sanz commented, “Seville’s connection with water goes back to its very creation. We were born next to the Guadalquivir River, and this river has shaped our history and identity over the centuries. In our case, in Seville, we have experienced six years of scarcity that has put us in a state of emergency, and despite everything, it has been a success. A collective success. Because for the first time, there have been no power outages – this is down to EMESASA’s impeccable management.

North Africa and Latin America Share Bold Strategies
Senior officials from Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco outlined how national strategies are integrating desalination coupled with renewable energy and treated wastewater reuse into energy, agriculture, and urban resilience planning: from Egypt’s mega-scale reuse projects to Morocco’s national roadmap linking water reuse to long-term sustainability.

Latin American leaders from Chile and Brazil demonstrated how innovation and public-private cooperation are helping cities across the region reduce water vulnerability and increase supply reliability; even in areas facing urban growth and climate-driven scarcity.

Seville – Reykjavik – Riyadh – Seville
The Colloquium marked a key milestone on the road to Reykjavik for 2025, leading to IDRA’s flagship Reykjavik Summit in October 12-14 2025, hosted in Iceland  in conjunction with the Arctic Circle Assembly, under the theme: “Adaptation and Mitigation for a Sustainable Future.”

From there, IDRA will host the IDRA World Congress in Saudi Arabia in 2026, before returning for a Global Summit in Seville in 2027.

– ENDS –

About IDRA

The International Desalination and Reuse Association (IDRA) is a global non-profit organization dedicated to advancing sustainable water solutions through desalination, water reuse, and innovative water management practices. Established in 1973, IDRA connects a diverse network of professionals – including scientists, engineers, policymakers, and industry leaders – from over 60 countries.

IDRA holds consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (UN ECOSOC) and is a recognized partner of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) under the WASAG initiative. In November 2024, IDRA was granted official status with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Through international events, educational programs, and strategic partnerships, IDRA fosters collaboration and innovation to address global water scarcity challenges. The association advocates for the integration of desalination and water reuse into sustainable water resource management, aiming to ensure water security for current and future generations.

For more information, visit idrawater.org.