World Water Week 2020 is Cancelled Due to COVID-19

STOCKHOLM,April 6,2020 -- World Water Weekassembles over 500 co-convening organizations and 4,000 participants frommore than130 countriesin Stockholmevery year.This world-leadingconference onwaterisnowcancelleddue to the global spread of COVID-19 and the measures taken by national and local authorities to contain the spread of the disease. World Water Weekwas due to take place 23-28 August 2020 in Stockholm.

World Water Week is organized by Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI)and has been held annually since 1991.However,theorganization hasdecided to cancel this year's conferenceaftercloselymonitoring the spread of COVID-19 around the world.Given that the COVID-19 outbreak has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO),holding a major event like World Water Week would pose a critical threat to the health of visitors and would result in an unacceptable risk of spreading the disease.

The decision wastaken formally by the Board on March 31. SIWI's Executive Director,Torgny Holmgren,states:"We are,as always,committed to serving our community in the best possible way.Organizing the world's leading conference on water comes with big investments in time and money for everyone involved.We believe that an early decision is better than a wait-and-see-approach – foreveryone."

GabrielaSuhoschi,Director for World Water Week & Prizes,says:"We truly appreciate the support and commitment from our community towards World Water Week 2020 and this year's theme'Water and Climate change: Accelerating Action'.We areconsideringhowwe can incorporatethe content developed for this yearinto World Water Week 2021."

In addition to hundreds of sessions,a recurringhighlight of World Water Weekisthe presentation ofthe world's most prestigious water award,theStockholm Water Prize,during aroyal prize ceremony. As recently announced,the 2020 awardgoes toDr John Cherry for discoveries that have revolutionized our understanding of groundwater vulnerability.SIWI is nowexploring how Dr John Cherrywill be celebratedat World Water Week 2021.

World Water Week is also the stage for the finals of the international competition,Stockholm Junior Water Prize 2020.Communication about how the finals are to be organized will be released in due course.

Note to Editors

www.WorldWaterWeek.org

www.Siwi.org

Contact:

Henrika Thomasson,SIWI

+46-720-506-002

henrika.thomasson@siwi.org