UNU's International Network on Water, Environment and Health (INWEH) is a research and capacity-development centre contributing to the resolution of global water problems, particularly in the developing world. INWEH was established in late 1996, with financial support from the Government of Canada, and is headquartered at McMaster University, in Hamilton, Canada. INWEH advocates the need for integrated capacity development as an essential prerequisite for integrated water resource management. It establishes training centres and under-takes collaborative, demand-driven projects on river basins, urban water systems and marine coastal waters in support of initiatives in Africa, the Middle East and Latin America.

Projects to date have included the development of a Lake Malawi water-shed decision-support model; establishment of a water quality monitoring programme for Lake Victoria; groundwater pollution assessments in Jordan and the Gaza Strip; a nitrate pollution (blue-baby syndrome) study in Syria; design and implementation of a sustainable wastewater biosolids programme in northern Mexico; and development of a global curriculum for the UN Water Virtual Learning Centre.

Areas of expertise: Water management capacity

Media contact:
Max Bond
External Affairs Officer
53-70, Jingumae, 5-chome
Shibuya-ku
Tokyo 150-8925, Japan
Tel: +81-3-3499-2811
Fax: +81-3-3499-2828
E-mail: mbox@hq.unu.edu