Strategic Partnership

• UNESCO Partnership
  Read More   
• W-SMART Research and Innovation Partnership
  University of Lille Read More
  CyI Read More

Purpose

The W-SMART Association was created at the aftermath of 9/11 under the leadership of the Commissioner of New York City Department of Environmental Protection. It involves private and public metropolitan water and wastewater utilities.

Its goal is to create an international experience sharing forum and promote collaboration among the member-utilities for upgrading their capabilities to ensure sustainable water safety and security with regard to terrorism, industrial and natural disasters.



The 4 main  objectives of the current program include:

1. Experience sharing workshops of members and strategic partners on emerging utilities’ challenges, including  lessons learned for capacity building strategies facing climate impacts;
2. Corporate crisis management training including experience sharing and expert support for  improving corporate’s guidelines as well as planning, execution, communication, and debriefing of corporate exercises for promoting a crisis management culture;
3. Research, development and  field demonstrations in utilities’ sites in collaboration with universities and research institutions for operator’s assessment of innovative solutions and smart monitoring systems, including participation in EU sponsored projects conducted with the leadership of the members and strategic partners;
4. Global solidarity initiatives with the leadership of the members to provide assistance to a third party facing an extreme event and/or crisis management challenges.

Recognized by UNESCO, in 2021 W-SMART has become an Official UNESCO Partner NGO.

Scope

Crisis Management Training

Crisis Management Exercises with W-SMART members as observers for exercises conducted by their Peers. Read More; Read More

Capacity Building Read More

• Experience sharing workshops.
• Training corporate core group of trainers.
• Review and upgrading of corporate crisis management guidelines and capabilities.
• Training for planning, execution, and debriefing of corporate-wide crisis management exercises with lesson learning.
  
  

Cybersecurity Read More; Read More

Crisis Management Exercise November 5 2019 CILE, LIEGE Read More

Global Solidarity Initiatives

Strategic Partnerships with International Aid Organizations, UNESCO-IHP,  Operators, Metropolitan Governments & Stakeholders in Vulnerable Regions facing Climate Challenges:

• Maputo. Sustainable Sanitation Initiative in partnership with IWA. Read More
• Civil Society Initiative cooperation between Palestinian and Israeli Mayors Read More; Read More; Read More.
  
  
• UNESCO-IHP “ECOMED” ACADEMY Network of Climate Response Capacity Building Center of Coastal Metropolises  Read More
• UNESCO-IHP “MAWAC” Alliance of Megacities for Water and Climate Read More