The Climate Smart Utilities Recognition Programme is currently accepting applications for its 2024 edition, which will take place from August 11–15, 2024, at the IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition (WWCE) in Toronto, Canada. Applications are solicited from water and sanitation utilities worldwide.

The recognition programme gives Climate Smart participants in the water industry a chance to be acknowledged and exchange best practices. It promotes cross-border cooperation and information sharing. Financial incentives for Toronto will be given to six delegates from the top utilities in the Achiever and Entrant categories.

Utilities can use their applications to evaluate how they are doing on the Climate Smart journey and to assess how they stack up against a variety of metrics and standards that define the perfect Climate-Smart Utility for each pillar.

The Recognition Programme was introduced for the first time in 2022 at the IWA WWCE in Copenhagen, Denmark. The second edition was held in Kigali, Rwanda, during the 2023 IWA WDCE. The third edition is scheduled for August 11–15, 2024, at the IWA WWCE in Toronto, Canada.

Xylem is the engine powering the 2024 edition.

The goal of this initiative is to encourage utilities and other stakeholders to adopt a more Climate Smart mindset and to focus on three interrelated pillars of action: mitigation, adaptation, and leadership. The program's primary objectives are to:

Raise awareness through webinars, the sharing and publication of pertinent articles and research, the invitation of utilities and IWA members to exchange best practices through Climate Smart Stories, and the use of a resource-rich website.
Motivate action by describing the perfect Climate Smart utility as IWA has provided in the Guidance Framework. Moreover, IWA facilitates peer-to-peer communication via its website and Community of Practice gatherings.
Honour and disseminate the ongoing effort; this helps raise awareness among the important transition stakeholders and spurs action.