SINGAPORE - Media OutReach Newswire - 16 June 2026 - The 11^th edition of the Singapore International Water Week (SIWW2026) opens today at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre and runs until 18 June 2026, convening global water leaders, experts, and practitioners to forge partnerships, drive innovation and take meaningful action to solve the world's most pressing water and climate-related challenges.

Centred on three key themes — Municipal Water Solutions, Industrial Water Solutions, and Coastal and Flood Resilience, SIWW2026 brings together 2,000 delegates, including 700 global leaders and 500 exhibiting companies, alongside 25,000 trade visitors expected over the course of the week. With more than 80 sessions, including roundtables and summits to discuss policies and strategies, workshops and forums to advance innovation, and the Water Expo to drive business partnerships, the plethora of activities reflect SIWW's growing importance as a global convening platform where ideas are translated into action.

Delivering the opening address, Guest-of-Honour Mr Gan Kim Yong, Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry, underscored that water is fundamental to the economy, society, and life itself — and in a world facing climate change and growing uncertainty, a matter of resilience. He called on the international water community to make collective progress across three fronts: investment, innovation, and international cooperation. Highlighting Singapore's recently completed Tengah Service Reservoir as a testament to long-term infrastructure planning, DPM Gan announced an initial S$12 million in Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2030 (RIE2030) funding to advance research and development of industrial water solutions for wafer fabrication and data centres — two of the most water-intensive sectors underpinning Singapore's economy. This is in addition to the S$85 million committed under RIE2030 for municipal water solutions, to advance water treatment, desalination, emerging contaminants, and sustainable operations.

During the Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize 2026 Award Ceremony, American microbiologist Professor Joan Bray Rose was honoured as the 2026 Laureate for her pioneering work in Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment (QMRA) — a science-based approach to safeguard the quality of drinking water and water for reuse. At the Ministerial Plenary that followed, H.E. Retno Marsudi, United Nations Secretary-General's Special Envoy on Water, delivered her keynote remarks, before Singapore's Minister for Sustainability and the Environment and Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations, Ms Grace Fu was joined by foreign dignitaries from Nigeria, the United Arab Emirates, and the People's Republic of China to discuss how governments can strengthen water security and translate vision into action under the theme "Water Governance for a Circular Economy: From Vision to Action for Prosperity and Resilience". The Ministerial Plenary was organised in collaboration with the World Bank Group.

Yesterday afternoon, ahead of the official opening of SIWW2026, 68 CEOs and senior executives of global water utilities and agencies participated in the Utilities CEO Roundtable for peer-to-peer learning and sharing of best practices. With the theme "How AI could reshape Water Utilities", discussions centred on the transformative potential of AI in reshaping water utilities and enhancing operational resilience. In the same morning, senior officials from nearly 30 cities, including Copenhagen, Rotterdam, Hong Kong, New York City, Antwerp, Dubai, Jakarta, Melbourne, Quezon City, Tokyo and Yokohama, participated in the Coastal and Flood Resilience Leaders Roundtable to share how cities can adapt their design to strengthen their flood resilience, and forge flood resilient communities.

SIWW2026 also serves as a key global marketplace, with the Water Expo featuring exhibitors from 35 countries and regions, organised by Messe München in cooperation with IFAT, world's leading trade fair for environmental technologies. Spanning six exhibition halls and 23,000 sqm of exhibition space, the Expo includes the largest Singapore Pavilion to date, with 88 exhibitors, and is expected to attract 25% more trade visitors than the previous edition. During the week, the Water Expo will see more than 50 product launches, 26 new project announcements, and 8 MOU and contract signings. Together with the event's business and networking platforms, the Expo reinforces Singapore's position as a global hub for water innovation and international business.

Enhancing Coastal and Flood Resilience

SIWW2026 places greater emphasis on coastal protection and flood management, building on the climate adaptation pillar introduced at SIWW2024. The event supports Go Green SG and Singapore's Year of Climate Adaptation, contributing to collective efforts towards a more sustainable and climate-resilient Singapore.

On 17 June, Minister Grace Fu will deliver a keynote address at the Coastal and Flood Resilience Leaders Summit, convening government, city, and industry leaders to share strategies and policies for protecting cities from climate change and sea-level rise. Ms Fu will present Singapore's latest efforts in this area, including the launch of the Coastal Protection Code of Practice to guide landowners and the industry in fulfilling their coastal protection obligations.


https://www.siww.com.sg
https://www.linkedin.com/company/siww/
https://www.facebook.com/siww.com.sg