The Global Consortium for Wastewater and Environmental Surveillance for Public Health (GLOWACON), established in March 2024 in Brussels, is a global consortium that unites partners from various sectors and countries to advance wastewater and environmental surveillance (WES) within public health systems. This initiative emerged following the first international event in Frankfurt in November 2023 and a series of academic papers advocating for the creation of an International consortium dedicated to wastewater surveillance for public health. The European Commission's Health Emergency and Response Authority (DG HERA), the Commission's Joint Research Centre, and the Gates Foundation spearhead this initiative, collaborating with an international alliance that includes the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), public health services, and donor organizations.

GLOWACON seeks to create a safer and healthier world by promoting the use of WES in public health systems. WES provides critical insights into disease transmission, spreading dynamics, environmental contamination, and potential health risks. By integrating human, animal, and environmental data, WES serves as an early warning system for emerging pathogens and environmental hazards. This OneHealth approach is embedded into how this tool works and also the reason why it is supported by the World Water Council and has been referred to in the UN Water Conference in 2023 in New York.

The mission of GLOWACON is to establish a global network for WES, lead the community of practice, and foster public-private partnerships and knowledge-sharing among stakeholders. This mission supports the development and deployment of innovations in WES for informed public health decision-making. Its objectives can be summarised as follows:

• Establish and maintain a global network for WES implementation.
• Lead the community of practice in WES.
• Stimulate partnerships between public and private stakeholders.
• Support the application of WES to emerging health threats.
• Share and align methods, protocols, and innovations in WES.
   

GLOWACON achieves its objectives by providing global access to relevant documents and tools, sharing data and information securely, and facilitating collaboration among members. Working groups focus on specific areas to drive progress, while international conferences and workshops offer platforms for research sharing and learning. Training and capacity-building activities enhance members' skills in WES, and global research and development needs in WES are identified and promoted.