DIHK Service GmbH signs new cooperation agreement with German Water Partnership e.V.
Berlin, 18.08.2022 – Dealing with water as a resource is becoming increasingly important both nationally and internationally. Climate change and scarcity of resources call for sustainable solutions, and the development and dissemination of green technologies in the water industry is thus becoming increasingly important. International cooperation and cross-border knowledge transfer are the basis for ensuring that technologies from Germany can also contribute globally to the sustainable and efficient use of the world’s water resources.
DIHK Service GmbH and German Water Partnership e.V. (GWP) have already successfully implemented joint projects as part of the Environmental Protection Export Initiative of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV). In order to further strengthen the cooperation, both partners have now concluded a cooperation agreement based on the Chambers for GreenTech project.
The aim of the now concluded agreement is to build on the already existing partnership and thus to further strengthen the international knowledge and technology transfer in the water sector as well as to make industry knowledge and networks of the German water industry available for projects at home and abroad. Through the cooperation, GWP and DIHK Service GmbH support German companies in identifying potentials in new markets at an early stage, in exploiting them and thus in disseminating innovative environmental technologies “Made in Germany” internationally.
Julia Braune (Managing Director, German Water Partnership e.V.) and Sofie Geisel (Managing Director, DIHK Service GmbH) after signing the cooperation agreement (from left to right) (c) DIHK / GWPSofie Geisel (Managing Director, DIHK Service GmbH), Bert Wibel (Project Manager, Chambers for GreenTech, DIHK Service GmbH) and Julia Braune (Managing Director, German Water Partnership e.V.) at the Haus der deutschen Wirtschaft (from left to right) (c) DIHK / GWP
About DIHK Service GmbH and German Water Partnership e. V.
DIHK Service GmbH is a project company of the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce and the German Chambers of Commerce Abroad. The aim is to promote topics that are of importance to the Chambers of Industry and Commerce and the German Chambers of Commerce Abroad within the framework of project formats funded by various federal ministries.
Since 2008, German Water Partnership e. V. and its approximately 300 members have been working to solve water and wastewater management challenges worldwide. International partnerships play a special role in this. Through close exchange and knowledge transfer on sustainable technologies, GWP thus contributes holistically to improving water supply and wastewater management worldwide.
In the framework of the German African Partnership for Water and Sanitation (GAPWAS), German Water Partnership e.V. (GWP) and the African Water Association (AfWA) organized a two-day online course on standardization in the water sector with Rüdiger Heidebrecht, former Head of Training & International Cooperation at DWA (Deutsche Vereinigung für Wasserwirtschaft, Abwasser und Abfall e. V.) and now Senior Consultant for WorldSkills Germany. Nearly 180 water professionals from Africa, Europe and the Caribbean made the training an interactive and instructive exchange for all participants, highlighting the challenge of deriving locally adapted standards from regional or even international norms, as well as that of coordinating between legal, technical, health and safety, and performance, training and education standards.
BMZ, through sequa GmbH, is funding the GAPWAS project, which started in November 2019, as part of the Chamber and Association Partnership Program. In the first phase of the project duration of three years, AfWA is to be strengthened through various measures, trainings, consultations, technical exchanges, etc. and thus enabled to improve the water management situation in Africa.
The close linkage of the project with the Regional Forum Africa at GWP gives interested companies from the German water sector direct access to an Africa-wide network and thus a platform to present products and services, deepen cooperation and initiate business.
The next event planned is the fourth German-African technical exchange “Ask the Experts” on August 30 – this time on the topic of desalination. “Ask the Experts” is a series of events initiated by GAPWAS that aims to create long-term relationships and regular exchange of technical expertise and lessons learned between GWP and AfWA members. Key topics are identified for each session, on which German and African experts give joint presentations and present their own findings, case studies and research results. In the discussion that follows, participants have the opportunity to exchange ideas and seek advice from the presenters and other stakeholders.
“Artificial Intelligence: Reshaping the Water Industry” is this year’s theme of the BLUE PLANET Berlin Water Dialogues on November 22, 2022, and is thus dedicated to artificial intelligence (AI) in the water sector in the area of conflict between politics, research and application. The internationally oriented event format is sponsored by the Environmental Protection Export Initiative of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) and the Berlin Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises.
The BLUE PLANET Berlin Water Dialogues is the global networking platform that brings together international stakeholders from research, business and politics in the field of innovative water management. The online conference provides a forum to discuss solution approaches for future-oriented and sustainable water resource management in light of the growing global challenges posed by climate change. This year’s edition on November 22 will therefore focus on the potentials and challenges of applying AI in the water sector. It will also highlight international best practices in the sector.
The digital event is aimed at an international audience, will be held in English and is free of charge for participants. For more information, visit www.blueplanetberlin.de and the social media channels.
From June 27 to July 1, German Water Partnership (GWP) in cooperation with the Delegation of German Business in Sri Lanka (AHK Sri Lanka) held the first German - Sri Lankan Water Week.
GWP spoke with Moldova's Minister of Environment about the biggest challenges in Moldova's water and wastewater sector: water reuse, agricultural irrigation, and industrial wastewater treatment, with a particular focus on sewage sludge treatment.
The traditional annual conference of the only association of the internationally oriented German water industry, German Water Partnership e.V., took place in Berlin on July 6. Under the heading “Water. Climate. Wandel.”, around 150 expert representatives from the German water industry, research and politics discussed current topics such as sponge city concepts, smart water, aquatic systems as well as innovative technologies for the success of the energy transition nationally and the increase of climate resilience worldwide.
The annual conference was opened by Dr. Bettina Hoffmann, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV). In her welcoming address, she referred to the upcoming further development of the national water strategy and emphasized the importance of the topic of water in the national as well as international context.
Getting change right: Germany needs new momentum
In an impressive speech, the Chairman of the German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE) and former Bavarian Environment Minister Dr. Werner Schnappauf emphasized the need for a transformation push. The economy and the environment must be brought into balance through far-reaching change, he said. This transformation would require a new dynamic in Germany, regardless of the possible risks.
The predominantly medium-sized membership of the network also expressed the wish during the conference that bureaucracy and formal hurdles in national as well as international tenders must be reduced in order to enable the use of innovative technologies in the first place and to promote new ideas and developments in the industry.
International network
International guests at the conference were the ambassadors of Egypt and Indonesia – two important partner countries of GWP. H. E. Khaled Galal Abdelhamid, Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt, referred to his country’s chairmanship of the UN Conference of Parties on Climate Change (COP 27) in November 2022 and highlighted the critical situation related to transboundary water resources management in the region.
H. E. Arif Havas Oegroseno, Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia, focused on the hosting of the 2024 World Water Forum in Bali and expressed the desire to intensify the traditional cooperation between Germany and Indonesia in the water sector ahead of this important conference.
Focus on water management issues of the future
The newly elected German Water Partnership board members Axel Böcker, Dorsch Gruppe, Ingo Hannemann, HAMBURG WASSER, Alexandra Ervenich, Mitsubishi Electric Europe BV, as well as Mike Busse-Lepsius from the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK) discussed in the panel WATER. CLIMATE. CHANGE. moderated by Gunda Röstel, GWP Chairman of the Board and GWP Managing Director Julia Braune, with lively participation from conference participants. Workshops and discussions highlighted future water management topics such as dealing with heavy rainfall events, aquatic systems in the growing business field of fish farming, and resilience of infrastructures against the backdrop of the consequences of climate change, thus bridging the gap to the topics of food and energy, especially in the form of hydrogen production.
Review: Session WATER.
Water-Energy-Food Nexus: How can the precious resource of water be used more efficiently, sustainably and safely to meet the global challenge of feeding a growing world population? This question was addressed by the participants in the WATER session. Dr. Rokia Goldmann from the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) presented the project Water and Energy for Food, which aims to promote climate-friendly, energy-efficient and water-saving innovations in food production.
Innovative solutions in the field of agricultural irrigation as well as trend-setting models from the aqua- and fishfarming sector have an enormous potential to secure a global and resource-saving food supply.
Christoph Urbschat, eclareon GmbH, gave an overview of national and international trends in the field of agricultural irrigation and Parssa Razavi, Irriport GmbH, spoke about the optimization potential of agricultural irrigation systems. The moderator of the session and head of the GWP Regional Forum China Prof. Dr. Martin Wagner, Technical University Darmstadt, gave an exciting insight into aquaculture systems and their future prospects for the German water industry.
A look at the business areas linked to the corresponding technologies shows that these hold enormous international growth potential not only for the German water industry, but moreover for numerous peripheral economic sectors!
The presentations of the WATER. session are available here.
Review: Session CLIMATE.
The consequences of climate change are being felt globally. In the session CLIMATE. the focus was on the city of the future, which has to face multiple challenges. Why can Sponge Cities be an answer to the advancing climate change? Angeli Büttner, KLIMA.connection, who also moderated the session, presented concepts and possibilities in her impulse.
GWP members Stefanie Feurstein and Anne Sintic, Hydrotec Ingenieurgesellschaft für Wasser und Umwelt mbH presented the use of simulation models for heavy rainfall prevention and forecasting and Dr. Issa Hansen, SEBA Hydrometrie presented a practical example: the application of an innovative flow measurement method using the example of a Sponge City project in Beijing/ China. Dr. Ursula Schließmann, Head of Department Environmental Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering at the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB and newly re-elected GWP board member presented design potentials of sponge city solutions in the complex urban structure based on two examples.
You can access the presentations of the session CLIMATE. here.
Review: Session CHANGE.
The resource water is unique and irreplaceable. Under the keyword “Blue Economy” it is considered as an economic factor. In addition to the classic fields of fishing or drinking water production, green hydrogen is moving into focus. In order to secure our energy needs against the backdrop of the current crisis, we have to break new ground. Is hydrogen part of a sustainable solution? What do current concepts look like? Which partners are available to support the German water industry? Together with the Agency for Economics & Development (AWE), GWP explored the topic from different angles in the session CHANGE, looking at financing, economic potential and the ecological dimension.
Moderated by Carolin Welzel (AWE), Josh Ling, Asian Development Bank (ADB) gave an insight into “ADB’s support to Healthy Oceans and the Blue Economy”, followed by an introduction to hydrogen by Dirk Niemeier, PwC Germany. Dr. Daniel Frank, DECHEMA raised the question of the potential for a green hydrogen industry in Namibia. DECHEMA is investigating this in a project together with local stakeholders. Gero Böhmer, Wilo Group presented a reference project for sustainable hydrogen production at the campus in Dortmund and Mathias Stief, PWT Wasser- und Abwassertechnik GmbH took a critical look at the buzzword resilience in water management and infrastructure projects.
The presentations of the session CHANGE. are available here.
We would like to thank all speakers and guests for their participation and the exciting presentations, insights and impulses that once again made our annual conference an exciting and varied industry meeting of the international water industry.
The annual general meeting of German Water Partnership took place on July 5 again in presence on site in Berlin. With almost 100 members attending, the first physical general meeting after two pandemic years – held on the climate-neutral seminar ship Orca ten Broke – enjoyed great popularity. In addition to the information of the board and the management about the recent activities of the association and resolutions for the fiscal year 2022 / 2023, the regular election of the GWP board for the next four years was on the agenda this year.
New faces on the board – Gunda Röstel confirmed as chair of the board
15 candidates had stood for election to the Board of German Water Partnership and were unanimously confirmed via an open list election . This means that the board is again staffed with the maximum number of members until 2026 and a representation of the entire diverse membership of GWP in the board is guaranteed.
The board of German Water Partnership for 2022-2026 introduces itself:
DR. MICHAEL BECKEREIT, Managing Director, DWI Deutsche Wasser International, Hamburg.
Michael Beckereit studied civil engineering and earned his doctorate with a thesis on the costs of anaerobic wastewater treatment. After managing positions at Eurawasser, Berlin, and the Essen-based Emschergenossenschaft, Lippeverband, among others, he spent 13 years managing the Hamburg waterworks.
Since 2017, he has acted as a special representative of the management of Tilia GmbH in Leipzig and has been managing director of DWI Deutsche Wasser International since 2019.
Dr. Michael Beckereit is a founding member and long-standing member of the board of German Water Partnership.
AXEL BÖCKER, Member of the Management, Dorsch Holding GmbH, Frankfurt/Main//General Manager Dorsch Emirates – Dubai/U.A.E.
Axel Böcker studied civil engineering as well as factory planning in postgraduate studies. Until the takeover by RSBG SE in 2016, Axel Böcker was a shareholder of the Dorsch Group. Until today, he acts as managing director of Dorsch Emirates, based in Dubai. In addition to his membership in the Chamber of Engineers in Hesse and the Society of Engineers in the United Arab Emirates, he is also a long-standing member of the Arab-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry Ghorfa, a member of the Foreign Trade Committee of the Frankfurt Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and a member of the Qatari German Partnership.
Axel Böcker is a new member of the board of German Water Partnership since 2022.
DIPL.- ING. (FH) MICHAEL DRECHSLER, Managing Partner, UFT Umwelt- und Fluid-Technik Dr. H. Brombach GmbH, Bad Mergentheim
Michael Drechsler studied civil engineering, water management and cultural engineering with a focus on urban water management. He first worked as a project engineer and has held various positions at UFT Umwelt- und Fluid-Technik Dr. H. Brombach since 1998, since July 2017 as managing partner. He is a member of the general assembly of the Heilbronn-Franken Chamber of Industry and Commerce and chairman of the sponsoring group of the IHK-Wirtschaftsjunioren Regionalgruppe Main-Tauber as well as of several DWA technical committees or working groups in the field of construction and soil waste.
Michael Drechsler is a new member of the board of German Water Partnership since 2022.
ECKARD EBERLE, CEO Business Unit Process Automation, Siemens, Karlsruhe, Germany
Eckard Eberle studied electrical engineering and automation technology. Eberle started his career in 1992 at Siemens Energy as a project manager in engineering. After holding positions as a sales engineer and sales manager in the power plant division and as a partner at Siemens Management Consulting, Eberle was appointed head of the Control Components business unit in 2008.
From 2011 to 2014, Eckard Eberle was CEO of Industrial Automation Systems at Siemens, and since 2014 he has been CEO of the Process Automation Business Unit at Siemens in Karlsruhe.
Eckard Eberle has been a new member of the board of German Water Partnership since 2022.
ALEXANDRA ERVENICH, Corporate Account Manager Water, Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V., German Branch, Ratingen
Alexandra Ervenich studied Roman languages and literature as well as contemporary Japanese studies and set the course for an international orientation of her professional activities at an early stage. She has been working for Mitsubishi Electric since 1994. Since 2011, she has been Corporate Account Manager Water in the Factory Automation business unit of Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V. Since Mitsubishi Electric joined the German Water Partnership in 2011, she has been actively involved in the association, with a particular focus on the Arab world, especially Egypt. From 2016 to 2019, Ms. Ervenich was deputy head of the RF Egypt/Jordan, since September 2019 she is head of the RF North Africa & Jordan.
Alexandra Ervenich is a new member of the board of German Water Partnership since 2022.
PROF. DR.- ING. SVEN-UWE GEISSEN, Head of Department, Technical University of Berlin
Sven-Uwe Geissen is a professor at the TU Berlin in the Department of Environmental Process Engineering. In addition to his work at the TU Berlin, he is currently a board member of the German Water Partnership, chairman of the IndustryWater section of the VDI ProcessNet platform, and vice chairman of AQUANET Berlin Brandenburg. His research focuses on industrial water management, treatment and recycling, sludge treatment and utilization, desalination, resource recovery, concentrate management and treatment, and plant modeling and simulation.
Sven-Uwe Geissen is a member of the German Expert Council for Environmental Technology and Infrastructure and a long-standing member of the board of German Water Partnership.
Ingo Hannemann, who holds a degree in engineering, joined the MVV Energie Group after holding positions in municipal infrastructure management as well as strategy and organizational development, where he held various management positions. In 2009, Hannemann took over as head of the Energy-Water-Wastewater Technology Division at Stadtwerke Osnabrück AG and as managing director of ESOS Energieservice Osnabrück GmbH. He has been technical managing director at HAMBURG WASSER since 2018. Since 2021, he has assumed the role of Spokesman of the Executive Board at HAMBURG WASSER.
Ingo Hannemann is a member of various committees of industry and trade associations and has been a new member of the board of German Water Partnership since 2022.
GEORG HUBER, Chairman of the Management Board, HUBER SE, Berching.
Georg Huber was employed in various positions at Huber Technology in France, Singapore and the USA from 1993 to 1997, and from 2002 at Hans Huber AG as Sales Representative Region Latin America. From 2006 he was Head of Finance at Hans Huber AG, from 2008 Chief Financial Officer and Chief Human Resources Officer at HUBER SE and from 2010 Chairman of the Management Board of Huber SE, furthermore member of the Board of Trustees of the Huber Technology Foundation since 2011.
Georg Huber has been a member of the board of German Water Partnership since 2014, of which he has been the managing director since 2017.
MICHAEL KERSTING, Business Development Manager, Hermann Sewerin, Gütersloh, Germany.
Michael Kersting has been responsible for international business development at Sewerin since 2014, preparing the company’s entry into little to undeveloped markets. He began his professional career in 1991 at Miele & Cie. KG and moved to Hermann Sewerin GmbH in 2006 as Area Sales Manager. In this position, he was responsible for the regions of Southeastern Europe, the Arabian Peninsula, Spain, Latin America and Africa.
At German Water Partnership, in addition to his role as a member of the board, he heads the Africa and Latin America regional forums and has been on the association’s executive board since 2018.
DR. MICHAEL KUHN, Managing Partner, KUHN, Höpfingen, Germany
Michael Kuhn studied supply engineering and industrial engineering. After a first professional station in an engineering office for wastewater technology, he joined KUHN GmbH, which he has headed in partnership as managing partner since 1997. He has been an officially recognized expert in water management since 2021. He is a member of the board and the advisory board of the DWA and a member of the DIN committee on wastewater treatment plants.
Michael Kuhn has been a member of the board of German Water Partnership since 2018.
DR.-ING. SHAHROOZ MOHAJERI, Managing Partner, inter 3, Berlin
Shahrooz Mohajeri is managing partner of the research and consulting institute inter 3 in Berlin. His work focuses on economic and institutional-entrepreneurial aspects in the water sector. The environmental engineer with a PhD advises national as well as international organizations in the MENA region with a focus on Iran. He has been a member of GWP since its foundation and is responsible for various tasks.
Shahrooz Mohajeri is member of the board of German Water Partnership, head of the Regional Forum Iran, mind sponsor for the Regional Forum Africa and the Working Group Agricultural Irrigation as well as association representative in the GIZ Working Group Water/Wastewater/Waste.
After graduating as a chemical engineer (FH), Anja Rach worked for several years in the industrial coatings market segment in the application technology sector, focusing on international sales and sales management (authorized signatory). In 2003 she founded her own engineering office and consulted various companies nationally and internationally. The path from paint technology to water/wastewater was steered via filtration.
Anja Rach has been a member of the board of German Water Partnership since 2014.
GUNDA RÖSTEL, Authorized Representative GELSENWASSER, Dresden//Commercial Director SE Dresden
Gunda Röstel has a degree in special education and worked first as a teacher and later as a school principal. After her political engagement as party leader of Bündnis 90/Die Grünen (Alliance 90/The Greens), she has been working in the energy and water industry since 2000. With her position as authorized signatory of GELSENWASSER AG, managing director of the subsidiary Stadtentwässerung Dresden GmbH as well as in various supervisory board functions of the EnBW Group, she has many years of operational as well as cross-divisional professional experience in this sector. In addition, she has headed the economic committee of BDEW for many years, is a member of the extended technical board and a member of the federal board. Furthermore, she has been active for more than 10 years as Chairwoman of the University Council of the University of Excellence TU Dresden.
Gunda Röstel is a co-founder of German Water Partnership and has been Chairwoman of the Board since May 2017. She is also a member of the German Council for Sustainable Development, the National Hydrogen Council of the German Federal Government, the Innovation Advisory Council of Saxony and the Advisory Council HZwo.
DR.-ING. GERD SAGAWE, Management Consultant, Dr. Weber and Partner, Frankfurt/Main
Gerd Sagawe is an independent management consultant in the partner network of Dr. Weber & Partner GmbH Beratung für Strategie-, Geschäfts- und Personalentwicklung (Consulting for Strategy, Business and Human Resources Development) and support for the establishment and further development of corporate units and teams in water, wastewater, energy and environmental technology in Frankfurt/Main. He studied chemical engineering and received his doctorate from the Faculty of Energy and Economics at the University of Clausthal. From 2003, he was responsible for EnviroChemie GmbH as a board member, managing director and authorized signatory.
Gerd Sagawe is involved in board positions in the VDMA (German Engineering Federation), in the members’ council of the Entrepreneurs’ Association of Southern Hesse and in DECHEMA/VDI (ProcessNet – Industrial Water Section). He is head of the Working Group on Industrial Water Management and a member of the board of German Water Partnership.
DR.-ING. URSULA SCHLIEßMANN, Head of Business Field Environment and Climate Protection, Head of Department Prototype Development and Construction, Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB.
Ursula Schließmann studied process engineering at the University of Stuttgart and received her doctorate there in 2009. Until 2001, she was a research associate in the Department of Membrane and Process Technology at the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB, Stuttgart. From 2001 to 2006, she was a research associate at the Institute of Interfacial Process Engineering IGVT, University of Stuttgart, before moving to the Department of Environmental Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering at Fraunhofer IGB.
Ursula Schließmann is a member of the board of German Water Partnership e.V. and deputy head of the AK Innovation and Science Cooperation.
We look forward to working with her and wish her every success in her work on the board of German Water Partnership.
Many thanks for your board activities
With the election of the new GWP board for the next four years, we say goodbye to the long-standing board members Hubertus Soppert, Richard Vestner and Hans-Joachim Werner, who did not stand for re-election this year – thank you very much for your commitment to the board of German Water Partnership!
As a founding member of GWP, Hubertus Soppert was an active member from the very beginning and has been part of the board since 2008. He showed his commitment in the Regional Forum Gulf States and in the context of countless events and delegation trips. The constant expansion of the network and the cultivation of contacts in the political arena are among his merits. We say thank you and wish Hubertus Soppert all the best in his well-deserved retirement!
Dr. Richard Vestner, also a GWP member since 2008, has been a member of the board for the past eight years. Most recently active in the management of the North America Regional Forum on the side, his focus was on the topic of digitalization. His accomplishments include the Water 4.0 brochure and his strong online presence for GWP. As an advisory board member of the BLUE PLANET Berlin Water Dialogues, he provides important input: in 2021 on Smart City and currently on the topic of artificial intelligence in water management. Mr. Vestner, we say thank you and wish you every success in all the new challenges ahead!
Hans-Joachim Werner was a GWP board member since 2014 and in this function he made a strong case for the representation of SMEs, among other things. We think of numerous GWP-Days in Turkey and the multiple presentation of the GWP-Award to young talents. Unfortunately, he could not be present personally at the official farewell during the 18th General Assembly. We would like to take this opportunity to thank him once again and are pleased that Hans-Joachim Werner will remain with the GWP network as head of the Regional Forum Turkey!
Impressions of the 18th General Meeting of German Water Partnership
GWP Seminar Ship Conference. Copyright: ProjectImages / Daniel Hinz
GWP Seminar Ship Conference. Copyright: ProjectImages / Daniel Hinz
GWP Seminar Ship Conference. Copyright: ProjectImages / Daniel Hinz
GWP Seminar Ship Conference. Copyright: ProjectImages / Daniel Hinz
GWP Seminar Ship Conference. Copyright: ProjectImages / Daniel Hinz
GWP Seminar Ship Conference. Copyright: ProjectImages / Daniel Hinz
GWP Seminar Ship Conference. Copyright: ProjectImages / Daniel Hinz
GWP Seminar Ship Conference. Copyright: ProjectImages / Daniel Hinz
GWP Seminar Ship Conference. Copyright: ProjectImages / Daniel Hinz
GWP Konferenz im Seminarschiff.
Copyright: ProjectImages / Daniel Hinz
GWP Konferenz im Seminarschiff.
Copyright: ProjectImages / Daniel Hinz
GWP Konferenz im Seminarschiff.
Copyright: ProjectImages / Daniel Hinz
GWP Konferenz im Seminarschiff.
Copyright: ProjectImages / Daniel Hinz
GWP Konferenz im Seminarschiff.
Copyright: ProjectImages / Daniel Hinz
GWP Konferenz im Seminarschiff.
Copyright: ProjectImages / Daniel Hinz
GWP Konferenz im Seminarschiff.
Copyright: ProjectImages / Daniel Hinz
GWP Konferenz im Seminarschiff.
Copyright: ProjectImages / Daniel Hinz
GWP Konferenz im Seminarschiff.
Copyright: ProjectImages / Daniel Hinz
GWP Konferenz im Seminarschiff.
Copyright: ProjectImages / Daniel Hinz
GWP Konferenz im Seminarschiff.
Copyright: ProjectImages / Daniel Hinz
GWP Konferenz im Seminarschiff.
Copyright: ProjectImages / Daniel Hinz
GWP Konferenz im Seminarschiff.
Copyright: ProjectImages / Daniel Hinz
GWP Konferenz im Seminarschiff.
Copyright: ProjectImages / Daniel Hinz
GWP Konferenz im Seminarschiff.
Copyright: ProjectImages / Daniel Hinz
GWP Konferenz im Seminarschiff.
Copyright: ProjectImages / Daniel Hinz
GWP Konferenz im Seminarschiff.
Copyright: ProjectImages / Daniel Hinz
The traditional annual conference of the only association of the internationally oriented German water industry, German Water Partnership e.V., took place in Berlin on July 6. Under the heading “Water. Climate. Change.” the participants took a critical look at the future of national and international water management.
Berlin, 08.07.2022 – For the German water industry, the realignment of the climate policy objectives of the new German government, the flood disaster in the Ahr Valley and the current threat of drought in Brandenburg, the topics of climate change, sustainability, digitization and the need for innovation, are coming into even sharper focus than before. At this year’s annual conference of the German Water Partnership e.V., around 150 representatives of the German water industry, research and politics discussed topics such as sponge city concepts, smart water, aquatic systems as well as innovative technologies for the success of the energy transition nationally and the increase of climate resilience worldwide.
The annual conference was opened by Dr. Bettina Hoffmann, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV). In her welcoming address, she referred to the upcoming further development of the national water strategy and emphasized the importance of the topic of water in the national as well as international context.
Getting change right: Germany needs new momentum
In an impressive speech, the Chairman of the German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE) and former Bavarian Environment Minister Dr. Werner Schnappauf emphasized the need for a transformation push. The economy and the environment must be brought into balance through far-reaching change, he said. This transformation would require a new dynamic in Germany, regardless of the possible risks.
The predominantly medium-sized membership of the network also expressed the wish during the conference that bureaucracy and formal hurdles in national as well as international tenders must be reduced in order to enable the use of innovative technologies in the first place and to promote new ideas and developments in the industry.
International network
International guests at the conference were the ambassadors of Egypt and Indonesia – two important partner countries of German Water Partnership e.V. H. E. Khaled Galal Abdelhamid, Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt, referred to his country’s chairmanship of the UN Conference of Parties on Climate Change (COP 27) in November 2022 and emphasized the critical situation related to transboundary water resources management in the region.
H. E. Arif Havas Oegroseno, Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia, focused on the hosting of the World Water Forum 2024 in Bali and expressed the wish to intensify the traditional cooperation between Germany and Indonesia in the water sector in the run-up to this important conference.
Focus on future water management issues
Workshops and discussions highlighted future water management topics such as dealing with heavy rainfall events, aquatic systems in the growing business field of fish farming and resilience of infrastructures against the backdrop of the consequences of climate change, thus bridging the gap to the topics of food and energy, especially in the form of hydrogen production. The contributions from the membership of German Water Partnership e.V. demonstrated the broad diversity of expertise in the network. Julia Braune, Managing Director of German Water Partnership e.V., was impressed: “This time, as never before, our annual conference was dominated by the growing concerns of German SMEs in view of the effects of the war in Europe, the shortage of skilled workers and an increasing scarcity of resources. Nevertheless, there is a strong will to take on these challenges and create solutions with innovative technologies and in solidarity with international partners to master the necessary change.”
About German Water Partnership e.V.
German Water Partnership e. V. and its approximately 300 members have been working since 2008 to find solutions to water and wastewater management challenges worldwide. International partnerships play a special role in this. Through close exchange and knowledge transfer on sustainable technologies, GWP thus contributes holistically to the improvement of water supply and wastewater management worldwide.
Contact for the press:
Rebekka Neef
German Water Partnership e.V.
Reinhardtstrasse 32
D-10117 Berlin
neef[at]germanwaterpartnership.de
030 300199-1227
www.germanwaterpartnership.de
Mike Busse-Lepsius, Gunda Röstel, Julia Braune, Dr. Bettina Hoffmann, Dr. Werner Schnappauf, at the GWP Annual Conference 2022, Photo: GWP /ProjectImages
Dr. Werner Schnappauf, Chairman of the German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE), GWP Annual Conference 2022, Photo: GWP / ProjectImages
Dr. Werner Schnappauf, Gunda Röste, H. E. Khaled Galal Abdelhamid, Julia Braune at the GWP Annual Conference 2022, Photo: GWP / ProjectImages
H. E. Khaled Galal Abdelhamid at the GWP Annual Conference 2022, Photo: GWP / ProjectImages
Panel discussion of the GWP Annual Conference 2022, Photo: GWP / ProjectImages
H. E. Arif Havas Oegroseno at the GWP Annual Conference 2022, Photo: GWP / ProjectImages
Docked on IFAT Munich 2022, GWP conducted a fact-finding mission for a South American delegation as part of the Market Development Program (MEP), funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK).
The 25-strong delegation with high-ranking representatives of the public as well as the private sector of the water and wastewater industry from the four target countries Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador and Peru was able to gain exciting insights into the performance of German companies for one week. The connection to the leading trade fair enabled a direct exchange with many German companies.
The trip started first with an information and presentation event, where the participants received important information around the institutional framework of the trip as well as an insight into the German water and wastewater sector. Supplemented by company presentations, the delegation was thus able to gain an initial overview of existing solutions ‘Made in Germany’. This first impression was deepened by numerous booth visits, among others to sub-exhibitors at the GWP joint stand. A special highlight of the trip were the three visits to reference plants in the Munich area, where the participants could see state-of-the-art German technologies live in operation. For many of the delegates it was their first IFAT, and for some it was their first visit to Germany, but they all agreed on one thing – it won’t have been their last.
Read also the article about the information trip in Peru Vision.
An Uzbek delegation of representatives from private companies in the water and wastewater sector and state authorities visited German companies in Bavaria and at IFAT Munich as part of the market development program for SMEs, sponsored by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK).
In coordination with the Delegation of the German Economy for Central Asia (AHK Central Asia) GWP had prepared a varied program, which focused on arranging suitable contacts to German companies tailored to the interests of the delegation participants. Interested German companies presented themselves at a half-day conference and met with Uzbek representatives. Likewise, numerous suppliers took advantage of the opportunity to present themselves to the delegation in elevator pitches during two extensive tours of the stand and to invite them to the stand for bilateral talks. In addition to other networking opportunities – such as the Orange Hour sponsored by Dorsch-Gruppe at the GWP joint stand – the Uzbek buyers and multipliers got to know the GWP member SEBA Hydrometrie on a trip to Kaufbeuren at its headquarters – including a visit to a reference plant. The delegation also received a warm welcome at the local waterworks and was given comprehensive information about drinking water production in a small Bavarian town. Another on-site visit took the delegation to the Oberschleißheim wastewater treatment plant: Here, GWP members Aerzener Maschinenfabrik and Rudolf Messner Umwelttechnik presented the individual treatment stations and explained the measures taken to achieve a 50 percent increase in the plant’s energy efficiency. The GWP office would like to sincerely thank all participants for their participation and contribution to a very successful information trip.
Not only the great interest in getting to know the delegation, but also the extremely positive feedback from both sides makes it clear: Uzbekistan has potential and is an increasingly interesting target market for the German water and wastewater sector. The Regional Forum EECCA will therefore continue to deal intensively with the country – interested members are cordially invited to the next meeting on 04.07.2022 in Berlin.
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DIPL.- ING. (FH) MICHAEL DRECHSLER, Managing Partner, UFT Umwelt- und Fluid-Technik Dr. H. Brombach GmbH, Bad Mergentheim
ALEXANDRA ERVENICH, Corporate Account Manager Water, Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V., German Branch, Ratingen
PROF. DR.- ING. SVEN-UWE GEISSEN, Head of Department, Technical University of Berlin
INGO HANNEMANN, Technical Managing Director, Hamburger Wasserwerke GmbH
GEORG HUBER, Chairman of the Management Board, HUBER SE, Berching.
DR. MICHAEL KUHN, Managing Partner, KUHN, Höpfingen, Germany
DR.-ING. SHAHROOZ MOHAJERI, Managing Partner, inter 3, Berlin
DIPL.- CHEM.- ING ANJA RACH, Senior Sales Manager Water, BRENTWOOD, Hürth, Germany
GUNDA RÖSTEL, Authorized Representative GELSENWASSER, Dresden//Commercial Director SE Dresden
DR.-ING. GERD SAGAWE, Management Consultant, Dr. Weber and Partner, Frankfurt/Main
DR.-ING. URSULA SCHLIEßMANN, Head of Business Field Environment and Climate Protection, Head of Department Prototype Development and Construction, Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB.
