The XIX World Water Congress, organized by the International Water Resources Association (IWRA), was held from December 1–5, 2025, in Marrakech, Morocco. The event brought together water experts, researchers, policymakers, and professionals from over 100 countries to exchange knowledge, showcase groundbreaking research, and develop actionable solutions toward water security and sustainability.
Under the theme “Water Governance, Financing, and Planning During Uncertainty: 1.4 Water Governance at All Levels” Bea Marie Medina, an MS student at the Environment Monitoring Laboratory (EML), presented a poster and delivered a lightning talk entitled “Water access in the Philippines: Is Water upheld as a Human Right?” which examined the implementation and enforcement of water policies from the national government down to the barangay level in Bantayan Island, Cebu.
Dr. Robert Michael DiFilippo and Bea Marie Medina (left) and Bea in front of her poster (right).
Dr. Robert Michael DiFilippo, co-author of the poster and faculty-in-charge of EML, also attended as a member of the IWRA Islands Water Task Force and participated in the organizational meeting for the upcoming Islands Water Congress, scheduled for December 9-11,2026, in Jamaica. The theme of the Conference is Resilient Islands, Securing Water for Sustainable Development in a Changing World.