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The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) invites interested stakeholders to join a virtual workshop on October 7 to develop an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) International Workshop Agreement (IWA) on hydrological risks guidelines and relevant potential standards.
Climate change leads to an increase in hydrological risks, including floods, droughts, and water scarcities. According to the IWA invitation document from the Japanese Industrial Standards Committee (JISC), addressing these risks requires coordinated actions across sectors and borders, supported by internationally harmonized standards.
The proposed IWA builds upon the outcomes of the UN 2023 Water Conference and other global initiatives, and aims to analyze existing standards and identify potential gaps for future standardization work related to hydrological risk reduction, climate change adaptation, and resilient infrastructure.
Workshop Objectives
The purpose of the IWA is to:
conduct a comprehensive analysis of existing and potential standardization work on hydrological risks;
promote multi-stakeholder dialogue bridging public-private sectors, scientific communities, and international organizations; and
identify gaps and opportunities for new standards to strengthen resilience and sustainable management of water-related disasters.
The expected outcomes of this IWA include, but are not limited to: streamlined guidance documents for addressing hydrological risks under climate change; proposals for new standards to be developed by relevant ISO Technical Committees; and recommendations building on discussions from the 2023 UN Water Conference and other international initiatives.
What is an IWA?
An IWA is a type of document that is developed with direct participation of stakeholders outside of the traditional ISO country representation system to enable players to negotiate in an open workshop environment. After the IWA workshop, text will be edited and published.
Registration Information
U.S. stakeholders planning to attend the IWA workshop should notify ANSI at ISOT@ansi.org by the September 5 registration deadline. Access more information about the IWA workshop via the invitation.