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The Planning Committee of the 2026Colorado WASH Symposium is excited to announce that theSymposium will be an in-person event heldonMarch 12th & 13th, 2026.
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2026Symposium Theme - The Future of WASH
- Sovereignty and Justice: colonial legacies, neocolonialism, gender/sexual orientation, anti-racism
- Climate Resilient and Adaptive WASH: climate change, disaster risk reduction, systems strengthening
- WASH in Hard-to-Reach Areas: “last mile” communities, conflict areas and refugee camps, environmental disasters, humanitarian-development nexus
- Availability and Accessibility: non-household WASH, focus on vulnerable populations, menstrual hygiene management, WASH in HICs
- WASH in Changing Contexts: economic/political landscapes of international development, approaching end of SDGs, innovative financing and policy, emerging technologies, artificial intelligence
Purpose
(i) Bring experts in the WASH sector as speakersto highlight promising global approaches to selected topics
(ii) Feature exciting, recent work in the WASH sector of students, professors, researchers, development practitioners and social entrepreneurs from Colorado
Mission
The intent of the Colorado WASH Symposium is to provide a platform for sharing and expanding collective knowledge in the field of water, sanitation, and hygiene in both domestic and international contexts. The symposium brings together leaders and WASH practitioners in social enterprises, the private sector, NGOs, academia, and development agencies. The Colorado WASH Symposium is deliberately small and intimate - designed around in-depth conversations and unrushed sessions where each individual’s contribution is valued.
Inclusion and Accessibility
The 鶹Ƶ is committed to providing equal access to individuals with disabilities. If you are planning to attend this event and require accommodations, please contact washsymposium@colorado.eduno later than 7 days before the event. We will make all reasonable efforts to fulfill requests submitted after the deadline.
Colorado WASH Symposium:A Brief History
In 2012, a small interdisciplinary group of students interested in issues in the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector applied for a small Engineering Excellence Fund grant to support a panel discussion on WASH. With their enthusiasm, the panel discussion grew to a two-day symposium with speakers from the World Bank, FHI 360, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and ahost of local businesses and NGOs engaged in WASH activities. The event attracted over 140 participants, from different backgrounds and disciplines, and fostered provocative debate and collaboration between important players within the WASH sector.
The WASH Symposium is stillcoordinated by studentsat CU-Boulder, and continues to grow in popularity with WASH professionals from around the world.
Special Thanks
We are grateful to all of our sponsors for helping to put on this special event. However, we would like to give special recognition to the Engineering Excellence Fund,Mortenson Center in Global Engineering and Resilience, and the Environmental Engineering Program. This event is only possible due to their continuedgenerosity and belief in the visionof ourstudents.
