Building Water Resilience

The Water Forum – An Fóram Uisce is pleased to invite you to Building Water Resilience — a conference connecting policy, action and communities, taking place on Thursday 12th November 2026 at the Tullamore Court Hotel, Co. Offaly.

As Ireland holds the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the conference will bring together leading voices from Ireland and Europe to examine how the new European Water Resilience Strategy can be translated into practical action in Ireland.

The conference will open with a keynote address by Professor Henk Ovink, Executive Director of the Global Commission on the Economics of Water and former Special Envoy for International Water Affairs for the Netherlands. Henk will explore how the way we value water shapes decisions about climate, development, investment and long-term planning.

He will be joined by Veronica Manfredi, Director for Zero Pollution, Water Resilience and Green Cities at the European Commission. Veronica leads the Commission’s work on water resilience and will share a European perspective on the new Water Resilience Strategy, its ambitions and what its implementation will mean in practice. Representatives from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage will bring the Irish perspective, exploring what the Strategy means for Ireland and the decisions needed to put it into action.

We will also hear from experts delivering projects on the ground, including nature-based solutions, river restoration and drinking water source protection. The final session will explore how we can connect people with water and support them to take an active role in protecting and restoring their local waters, including through Catchment Community Fora and citizen science.

The conference will bring together people from across water policy, research, industry, and communities to share experience and discuss how we can build a more water-resilient Ireland.

Book your place now using this link here