To better understand the existing challenges and solutions around water management, IWRA is looking for no more than twenty (20) rapporteur (between the ages of 18 to 35) who will help ensure the smooth running of Congress sessions and who will be tasked with providing summary reports on the different Congress sessions, including regular and special sessions, plenaries, and discussions throughout the week. Rapporteurs can be students or young professionals with skills that will be invaluable for distilling the content of the various sessions and panels. Rapporteurs will be the decisive instrumental part of the reporting and conclusions process.

What Does It Mean to Be an IWRA World Water Congress Rapporteur?

Rapporteurs will oversee reporting on the content of the Congress. This content will then be used to develop daily summaries that will feed the daily Newsletter of the Congress and will also form the basis for the Congress Final Report. Rapporteurs will be divided in three categories:

1. The Reporters Team
2. The Editors Team, and
3. The Newsletter Team

Rapporteurs will be allocated 2-3 sessions per day and will draft a summary during the sessions using a template and finish them on the same day. All summaries are saved on a central drive, and the Editorial Team will work on them as they arrive, asking for clarifications and ensuring a consistent level of quality. In addition, some reporters will also be asked to conduct short interviews of attendees, speakers, or VIPs when time allows. Some summaries and interviews will be picked by the Newsletter Team who will work closely with the Congress Secretariat to publish the daily newsletter the following morning. All members of the Rapporteur programme can also be social media ambassadors (tweet, post, interview – their activities can be discussed with their supervisors who can set up daily priorities). There will be four supervisors, half from the ISC and half from IWRA Executive Office. They are responsible for managing rapporteurs’ Reporters Team, Editors Team, and Newsletter Team.

Awards and Benefits

• Rapporteurs will receive free registration to the XVIII World Water Congress, including:
  • Full access to the Congress
  • Complementary lunches and dinners（including Gala Dinner）
  • An invitation to join day field trips within Beijing after the Congress
• Rapporteurs will be given a 12-month Silver Membership to IWRA
• Rapporteurs will receive a certificate recognising their contribution to the XVIII World Water Congress on the final day.
• Rapporteurs will be acknowledged in the Congress Report

Terms and Conditions

• Rapporteurs will not receive any form of remuneration from the Congress organisers
• Travel and accommodation expenses will be the individual responsibility of each rapporteur
• The selected participants should reflect a diverse geographical representation and gender balance
• Rapporteurs’ candidates must be 18 years old before September 1st, 2023, and must have both a valid passport and any required visa for the period of travel
• Rapporteurs must be willing to be recorded and have their names, images, and videos used to promote both the Congress and IWRA
• Rapporteurs must waive all claims they may have against IWRA or any other person that may arise as a result of travel to and participation in the World Water Congress

Application Qualification

• Candidates should be between 18 and 35 years old and be proficient in English.
• Candidates should have good knowledge in at least one water topic and ideally enrolled in a university level water area of study.
• Knowledge of Mandarin is desirable but not essential
• Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed by IWRA Executive Office and the XVIII Congress Secretariat.
• Once selected, candidates will undergo dedicated online training by IWRA Executive Office to prepare them for their Rapporteur role at the Congress.

To apply, candidates for consideration to be a Rapporteur must provide the following:

1. Candidates should send their application to congress@iwra.org (IWRA Executive Office) and copy WWC18th@163.com (XVIII Congress Secretariat), using the subject “Application Rapporteurs XVIII World Water Congress”
2. The email body must be a short motivation letter (<250 words), where the applicant can mention what category of rapporteur s/he is more interested in, as well as the applicant’s favourite sub-theme(s) in the Congress Thematic Framework.
3. The applicant must provide a short CV (< 2 pages) as well as one writing sample (article, paper) as a proof of their English proficiency.
4. A reference letter (one page) with letterhead, logo and signature is required.

All materials should be sent via email before December 31st, 2022, to congress@iwra.org and copy WWC18th@163.com

IWRA Executive Office and Congress Secretariat will review the applications and notify the candidates by 31 February 2023. Once selected, the candidates for Rapporteurs will be given a deadline by which to send confirmation of their ability to travel to the Congress, as well as evidence of a valid passport, or stay in China. After the confirmation is received by IWRA Executive Office and Congress Secretariat, selected rapporteurs can book their flights and accommodations to come to the Congress. A letter of invitation from the Congress organisers will be provided for any visa requirements. A few weeks before the Congress, all selected rapporteurs will receive a welcoming package including more detail on roles and responsibilities and a first online meeting will be organised to get to know the team and to answer remaining questions.