07 Nov 26th International River Symposium CEO Update

As we enter the final quarter of 2024, the team and I would like to thank you for your support this year. Together we have worked hard to continue our journey toward a sustainable future, and we thought it was timely to reflect on this year’s actions for rivers and share our excitement and plans for 2025.

Driving practical action through our focus areas of people, ideas and impact, we have worked alongside our global network of partners to clean up rivers, accelerate SDG 6, and generate thought leadership on the most pressing issues facing our waterways.

After careful consideration by the International River Foundation (IRF) Board, it was agreed to shift the 26th International River Symposium (IRS) to next year, to take place from 8-10 September 2025. We will informally kick off the symposium a few days earlier during Riverfire, Brisbane’s favourite night of fireworks honouring the river, scheduled for sunset on Saturday 6 September 2025.  Please save the date for the 26^th IRS and mark your calendars for an unforgettable night of community celebrations. 

We are delighted to bring the world-renowned symposium home to where it all began in Brisbane, re-aligning with the Brisbane Festival, a celebration of Brisbane’s river and iconic landmarks. We look forward to welcoming you to the river city of Brisbane to join us in exchanging knowledge and fast-tracking solutions towards practical action for rivers around the world.

The team have been hard at work transforming the symposium and for the first time, this year, we will introduce a series of online satellite events leading into the IRS. The first satellite event will take place on Thursday 28 November from 2-4 pm (AEST) exploring the topical theme of ‘Olympic Rivers, Restoring Urban Waterways and Creating a Legacy for Future Generations’. I am excited to share that registration is now open. Thank you to Benjamin Raigneau, Head of Sanitation and Water for the City of Paris, who will lead the conversation and take us through the ecological transformation and learnings from the Seine River.

We look forward to engaging with you on the world’s most important river impact topics through our satellite event series and at the 26^th International River Symposium in Brisbane in September 2025. Together, we can accelerate the world’s transition to healthy and resilient rivers for future generations.