28 April–1 May 2026, Aswan, Egypt
Rivers in Transition, being held in Aswan (Egypt) in April 2026, will be the River Cities Network’s second face-to-face international convocation, following its inaugural event in Bangkok in November 2023. While the first meeting was held to consolidate the network and to plan its development, the Aswan event has been designed to address the way rivers across the planet are experiencing a range of transitions arising from human interventions and broader patterns of Anthropocene climate change, including global warming and sea level rise.
Call for participation and submission »
Participation with presentation
Researchers from RCN’s international network are invited to present on various aspects of riverine transition including – but not limited to – changes in littoral zones, changes in water quality, social and political disputes and resolutions concerning shared waterways, riverside rehabilitation initiatives, and the increasing recognition of the rights and/or ‘personhoods’ of rivers. All presentations will need to be delivered in person as the event will not be available for online participation.
Limited financial support will be available for accepted presenters. We kindly ask RCN team members with access to their own funding channels to utilize those channels, allowing us to better support the team members with fewer funding resources. Accepted presenters will be eligible for funding that can include complimentary accommodation for the duration of the convocation and a (partial) travel grant (amounts to be confirmed). There will be a section in the proposal submission form where submitters can apply for travel funding. Please note that more than one member of an RCN group can propose a presentation to the conference – and several members can propose a joint presentation – but there will only be financial support available to one person per RCN group. RCN team members wishing to attend but not present are welcome but will receive no financial subsidy for accommodation or travel.
Guidelines for members of RCN groups who wish to present at the meeting:
- Propose a presentation on a topic related to the Rivers in Transition theme by submitting a max. 400-word proposal (including keywords).
- Accompany the proposal with a max. 250-word bio of the proposed presenter.
- Submit their proposals latest by 15 November 2025 via the form on the IIAS website by selecting attendance "with a presentation and possible publication".
- The proposal can be presented in a language other than English. Should the presenter wish to do so, please 1) submit the proposal title and abstract in English and indicate the presentation language in the form; and 2) provide the organizers an English language translation of the full paper before 1 April 2026, so the paper can be circulate to other attendees.
- The selection results will be announced before the end of the year.
Post-event publications
RCN members can choose between two types of publications, or both:
Publication type 1:
Collated proceedings of peer-reviewed presentations
All presented papers will be given the opportunity to be included in a collated proceedings, published as an open access pdf document available through the RCN website and partners’ websites (i.e. no printed version will be produced). All texts will be a maximum of 3000 words long. Speakers who presented in another language than English, may choose to submit their text in the language they presented in or English. When submitting a text in another language than English, an abstract in English should be provided. All papers will be peer reviewed.
Call for co-editors
The collection will be edited by Philip Hayward (strategic advisor to RCN and adjunct professor at the University of British Columbia) in collaboration with two RCN network researchers who wish to be mentored in editing skills, as volunteers. Any RCN members wishing to perform this role should contact Philip Hayward (phayward21c@gmail.com) by 15 November 2025 and include details of their publication experience and relevant skills.
Anticipated publication date: October 2026
Publication type 2:
Edited Volume
There will also be an edited volume of English language chapters on the theme of Rivers in Transition written by RCN team members that will be published in print as a book. There will be 12 Chapters of approximately 5000-6000 words in length, plus an Introduction and Preface. This volume is open to those who have had papers accepted for presentation at Aswan and RCN members who were not able to attend the event but who have relevant topics to propose. Any inquiries or expressions of interest in the edited volume should be directed to Philip Hayward (phayward21c@gmail.com).
Anticipated publication date: early to mid-2027
Participation without presentation
RCN members also have the option to participate in the Aswan convocation in April 2026 without submitting any proposals for presentation and/or publication. In that case, they will be expected to fund their own accommodation and travel expenses to Aswan. Please fill in the form on the IIAS website by selecting attendance "without a presentation".
How to apply
Please apply through the form on the IIAS website here.