2nd term 2010
December 2010
UNESCO-IHP mourns the loss of Professor Iwao Kobori
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Professor Iwao Kobori, United Nations University (UNU) Senior Programme Advisor, one of Japan’s leading academics for drylands, an eminent pioneer and tremendously respected personality in water history research, passed away on 26 November 2010 at the age of 86. Former Professor at the Universities of Michigan State, USA and Meiji, Japan, Iwao Kobori was an unfaltering supporter of UNESCO-IHP and, in particular, of its endeavours in water history that he helped to establish as part of the programme of actions. He was also a founding member of the International Water History Association (IWHA). Among the large-scale initiatives Professor Kobori brought to life was the Sustainable Management of Marginal Drylands (SUMAMAD) Project, in collaboration with the UNESCO MAB-Programme.
UNESCO-IHP releases final report of the 19th session of the Intergovernmental Council
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Between 5 to 9 July 2010, the 19th session of the Intergovernmental Council of the International Hydrological Programme (IHP) was held at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. The session was widely attended, including by the 36 Member States that make up the Intergovernmental Council and, as observers, 40 other delegations from Member States, 10 governmental and non-governmental organizations, 5 U.N. organizations as well as 12 of UNESCO’s Category I and II water-related centres.
November 2010
G-Wadi Steering Committee member wins Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Water Prize
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Professor Soroosh Sorooshian, a member of the G-WADI steering committee, professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering and Earth System Science Departments at UC Irvine and close friend of UNESCO-IHP has been honored with the Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Water Prize, one of the most prestigious water prizes in the world, given out by Prince Khalid bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz, Assistant Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General for Military Affairs of Saudia Arabia.
Latest round of UNESCO-Keizo Obuchi fellowships for young researchers
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UNESCO is calling on young researchers from developing countries to apply for a series of grants under the UNESCO-Keizo Obuchi Research Fellowships Programme (UNESCO/Japan Young Researchers' Fellowships Programme) funded by Japan.
October 2010
UNESCO Director-General visits impacted areas of Pakistan floods
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The Director-General of UNESCO, Ms. Irina Bokova, accompanied by the Assistant Director-General for Natural Science, Acting Assistant Director General for External Relations and Cooperation, and the Director for the Division for Coordination of UN Priorities in Education, visited Pakistan on 31 August. Ms. Bokova and her team were joined by the Director of UNESCO’s Pakistan Office and by a high level delegation from the Government of Pakistan as they flew over disaster affected areas and visited one of the refugee camps in Nowshera. She was also briefed on flood conditions and on damages caused by the flood as well as on actions taken by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). Ms Bokova and her team met with the Prime Minister of Pakistan and also with the Director Generals of the agencies that participated in the intense discussions during the recently concluded science mission.
G-WADI announces establishment of secretariat at ICIWaRM
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During the 19th Session of the IHP Council, the Secretariat reported on the activities of the IHP Global network "Water and Development Information for arid lands (G-WADI)" programme, which aims to strengthen the global capacity to manage water resources in arid and semi-arid regions by building an effective global community that integrates relevant contributions from networks, centres, organizations and individuals. The G-WADI network, having been established as one of the priorities of IHP-VII (2008-2013) now promotes international and regional cooperation in arid and semi-arid regions worldwide.
September 2010
UNESCO-IHP loses two of its staunchest supporters
It is with the deepest regret that UNESCO-IHP conveys the loss of two of its most steadfast supporters with the passing of Former Irish Foreign Minister Professor James Dooge and Professor Igor Shiklomanov. Both will be truly missed within the water community.
July 2010
Director-General of UNESCO on the occasion of the Closure of 19th Session of IHP's Intergovernmental Council
On the occasion of the closure of the 19th session of the Intergovernmental Council of the International Hydrological Programme, the Director-General of UNESCO, Ms. Irina Bokova addressed Council. She started by highlighting many of the important initiatives that UNESCO is carrying out through its unique mandate to take on the water challenge from a holistic perspective, which addresses the topic through an interdisciplinary approach. Ms. Bokova emphasized the crosscutting nature of water, and its critical importance in achieving each of the eight MDGs, whether it's the battle against poverty or hunger, or ensuring universal education and gender equality.
UNESCO-IHP, UNESCO-IHE and the IWHA offer course on World History of Water Management
A 5-day short course on the "World History of Water Management" will be offered in September 2010, drawing both on historical experiences from different parts of the world and on experts from the International Water History Association (IWHA) and the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID). Many of the experts are involved in the UNESCO "History of Water and Civilization" project, and in the framework of cooperation among IWHA, UNESCO-IHP and UNESCO-IHE.