IWI World Canals Conference

Groningen, Netherlands September 19-24, 2011	Organisers of the 2011 conference were the National Heritage Department and the provinces of Groningen, Drenthe and Friesland, supported by the Dutch Foundation for Recreational Waterways SRN. A full 4-day programme of conference sessions and site visits attracted about 200 delegates. The conference concluded with adoption of the Groningen Declaration supporting governance of European waterways as shared heritage justifying careful attention to the operating requirements of canal and waterway users (both commercial and recreational navigation) (Report pending.) http://www.worldcanalsconference2011.nl
Rochester, September 19-24, 2010	The New York State Canal Corporation, Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor Commission, Canal Society of New York State, the City of Rochester, Monroe County, Bergmann Associates, and PIANC-USA welcomed nearly 400 delegates to the World Canals Conference on 19 to 24 September 2010. Since 2000 when the Greater Rochester area first hosted this conference, there have been magnificent accomplishments in the canal corridor, bristling with new initiatives, new developments, new vessels, and new ideas. New canal developments, parks and boater amenities have been completed on the Erie Canal (Cornhill Landing and Brooks Landing in Rochester, plus new developments in Brockport, Spencerport, Palmyra, Newark) and older ones expanded (Fairport, Pittsford, Macedon). http://www.wccrochester.org/ More than 500 people attended the special 'Dinner in the Ditch' in the former canal bed across the 1842 Broad Street aqueduct. In the Grasso-Zimmerman project, the superstructure (arches and roadway) would be stripped so that the canal can be reinstated across the Genesee River.
Serbia, September 21-27, 2009 Bezdan Lock, currently being restored, giving access to the 600km of canals and canalised rivers in Vojvodina	The Vojvodina Assembly, the Public Water Management Company Vode Vojvodine and Danube Propeller have invited professionals and advocates of inland waterways to register for the 22nd World Canals Conference in Serbia on September 20-27 2009, covering plenary sessions in Novi Sad and tours to the Iron Gate and Vojvodina waterways. The conference was supported by IWI and by other organisations in Serbia, including the Geographical Institute 'Jovan Cjivic'. The overall theme was raised awareness and improving the economic performance of inland waterways, especially in Eastern Europe and Asia, two world regions which have not previously been covered by this annual event. It was a unique opportunity to discover the diversity of the inland waterway heritage of the Middle Danube Region. 'East and West will meet'. This is one of the ideas conveyed by the conference logo. Participants are expected from China, which is preparing its bid for the Grand Canal to become a World Heritage site, and Korea, where an important new canal is being built.
Kingston, Ontario, Canada, September 14-17, 2008	The 2008 conference featured Canada's Rideau Canal, highlighting canal management, stewardship and heritage presentation issues. The Rideau Canal and its Kingston Fortifications are unique national historic sites built for strategic military purposes at a time when Great Britain and the USA vied for control of the North American continent. The Rideau Canal was constructed from 1826-1832. It is the most outstanding surviving example of a slackwater canal system in the world and one of the first designed for steam-powered vessels. It was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2007. The waterway extends 202 km (125 miles) linking communities from Kingston to Ottawa, Canada's Capital. Conference delegates enjoyed the opportunity to visit both ends of the Rideau Canal and saw several unique features along its length. "Promoting the WCC" was the title of the leading article in IWI's Newsletter dated January 2008. http://www.worldcanalsconference.org/
Liverpool, UK, June 13-15, 2007	Liverpool celebrated its 800th anniversary in 2007 and was the European Capital of Culture in 2008. The 2007 conference immediately preceded the Mersey River Festival, which took place from 15th to 18th June. Holding the conference in Liverpool was particularly appropriate given the transfer of ownership and operation of Liverpool's historic South Docks from English Partnerships to British Waterways. http://www.worldcanalsconference.org/
	Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA, September 12-15, 2006 Organised by the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor (Hugh Moore Park) and the National Canal Museum, on the theme "Industry to Recreation: Greening the Coal Canals".
	Trollhättan, Sweden, August 22-27, 2005 The 2005 conference was a six-day event, organised by the Association of Swedish Canal Authorities. Full report is available on the organiser's web site http://www5.auderis.se/wcc2005/

Brussels, October 4-8, 2004

Exhibition and Symposium on inland waterways at the European Parliament
From Limerick to Kiev : waterways for tomorrow's Europe

The week-long exhibition in Brussels on October 4-8, 2004 contributed to promotion of the benefits of inland navigations throughout Europe. A symposium on October 6, formally opened by Ms Karla Peijs, addressed the particular issues of the smaller waterways, for which no formal international framework for planning and development has been established to date. The event was promoted by a consortium of interested organisations: Alliance Internatuonale de Tourisme, European Boating Association, European Recreational Marine Industry Group, DBA - The Barge Association and IWI. For further information e-mail info@inlandwaterwaysinternational.org.