22 Member States elected to IHP Council

The 34^th session of the UNESCO General Conference elected the following Member States to the 22 seats to be filled on the IHP Intergovernmental Council: Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, China, Finland, Germany, Ghana, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Netherlands, Oman, Paraguay, Peru, Russian Federation, Senegal, Sudan, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and the United Republic of Tanzania.

More about the new Council composition

UNESCO’s Chairpersons of the Six Scientific Programmes release Joint Statement

The Chairpersons of the six intergovernmental and international scientific programmes (ISPs) of UNESCO (IBSP, IGCP, IHP, IOC, MAB and MOST) met in Paris on 22-23 October 2007. A Joint Statement was issued to the Director-General and to the 34^th session of the General Conference, which recommended, among others, to strengthen the leading contribution of the ISPs to United Nations-wide initiatives, such as UN-Oceans, UN-Water and UN-Energy, the follow-up of the Copenhagen Summit on Social Development, the Johannesburg Summit on Sustainable Development, the production of World Water Development Reports, and the development of tsunami early warning systems.

Read more [PDF format]

Great Man-Made River Prize awarded to two centres in the United States of America

Mr. Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO, has awarded this year’s Great Man-Made River International Water Prize to a research team composed of specialists from the Centre for the Sustainability of semi-Arid Hydrology and Riparian Areas (SAHRA) at the University of Arizona, and the Centre for Hydrometeorology and Remote Sensing (CHRS) at the University of California, Irvine.

The Prize was awarded on the occasion of the World Science Day for Peace and Development, on 10 November 2007 at the Hungarian Parliament in Budapest.

Read more

International Symposium on New Directions in Urban Water Management releases Paris-2007 Statement

Organized by UNESCO on 11-14 September 2007, the International Symposium on New Directions in Urban Water Management released the Paris-2007 Statement. The Statement, the conclusions of the Symposium, puts forth recommendations for addressing urban water issues in a sustainable and innovative way.

The Symposium brought together 200 participants from 50 countries, representing researchers, decision makers, urban water managers, NGO representatives and students. During the Symposium, over 70 presentations were given.

The objective of the Symposium was to bring together leading international urban water management experts to discuss new concepts, approaches and technologies for dealing with urban water problems, exchange ideas about new directions in urban water management and present outputs of the IHP-VI Urban Water Management Programme.

Symposium website
Paris-2007 Statement [PDF format – 36 KB]

UNESCO organizes workshop on “The Strategic Role of Water in the Alleviation of HIV/AIDS and Poverty in the SADC Region”

UNESCO, in collaboration with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the UNESCO Chair at the University of the Western Cape and the Africa Water Issues Research Unit (AWIRU) are organizing a workshop on “The Strategic Role of Water in the Alleviation of HIV/AIDS and Poverty in the SADC Region” on 26-29 November 2007 in Pretoria, South Africa.

The objectives of the workshop will be to facilitate an understanding of the essential role that water plays in the spheres of HIV/AIDS, poverty and sustainable livelihoods, to create an enabling environment where young minds can directly engage with experts in their field, and to promote sustainable development strategies. Furthermore, it also aims to highlight the impact that policy can have on the alleviation of poverty and the provision of better services to those groups, such as people living with HIV/AIDS, which are the most vulnerable in Southern African societies.

It is expected that the outcomes of the workshop would be to build capacity among students and those working in the water, HIV/AIDS and poverty sectors, strengthen networks between different sectors and share information/expertise.

Read more [Word format]

5^th Governing Board Meeting of the Regional Centre on Urban Water Management convening in Tehran

The 5^th Governing Board Meeting of the Regional Centre on Urban Water Management – Tehran (RCUWM – Tehran), under the auspices of UNESCO, will be held in the Ministry of Energy, Tehran, 24 November 2007 at the level of ministers/representatives from different countries including Tajikistan, the Sultanate of Oman, Kuwait, India, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Egypt, Syria, Yemen, Pakistan, Lebanon and Germany, as well as representatives from international governmental and non-governmental organizations including The International Water Academy in Norway, The International Water Association in England, UNESCO-IHE in The Netherlands and UNESCO.

According to the agreement signed between the Government of I.R. Iran and UNESCO, the Centre’s Governing Board, which is chaired by the Minister of Energy, I.R. Iran, is the highest decision making constituent of this centre and due to the framework cited in the agreement, the Governing Board meets in ordinary session once per annum to investigate the activities carried out and to approve the programs and projects for the coming year.

A meeting with the Minister of Energy and a tour to the Water Projects and facilities are amongst other side events of this meeting.

UNESCO-IHP’s Ecohydrology Programme supports The Brisbane Declaration

The Brisbane Declaration, claiming that Environmental Flows are Essential for Freshwater Ecosystem Health and Human Well-Being, presents summary findings and a global action agenda that address the urgent need to protect rivers globally, as proclaimed at the 10^th International Riversymposium and Environmental Flows Conference, held in Brisbane, Australia, on 3-6 September 2007. Key findings ranged from stating that water flowing to the sea is not wasted to flow alteration imperils freshwater and estuarine ecosystems.

Brisbane Declaration [PDF format - 55 KB]

WWAP seeks Deputy Coordinator

The World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP), in preparation for the release of its 3^rd United Nations World Water Development Report (WWDR3), is seeking a Deputy Coordinator.

The Deputy Coordinator will be responsible for the development of strategies and plans for WWAP, the development and publication of the WWDRs and implementation of strategies and action plans for the networking, advocacy, public relations and promotion of WWAP and the WWDR, amongst other duties.

The position will require the candidate to hold an advanced university degree, preferably at the Doctoral level in Engineering or Science (earth, environment, geography) with a specialization in water sciences. The candidate should also have between 10 and 15 years responsible, relevant experience of which 5 to 7 will be at the international level.

The closing date for the position is 18 December 2007.

More information

WWAP seeks Administrative Officer

The World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP) is seeking an Administrative Officer. Under the overall supervision of the Coordinator of the WWAP Secretariat, the Administrative Officer will assist the Coordinator in carrying out administrative, financial and budgetary actions necessary to ensure the efficient administration of the WWAP Secretariat.

The position will require the candidate to hold an advanced University degree in Business Administration, Accounting, Economics or related field, as well as 4 to 7 years of professional relevant experience in administration, of which at least 2 years must be in UNESCO or other UN agency.

The closing date for the position is 3 December 2007.

More information [PDF format - 52 KB]

Sustainable Management of Sediment Resources: Sediment Management at the River Basin Scale

Sediments are a natural part of aquatic systems and they are essential for the hydrological, geomorphological and ecological functioning of those systems. For society they are important and represent an important resource. However, due to the ever increasing use of river catchments, sediments need to be managed in a balanced and sustainable way. Sediment Management at the River Basin Scale reviews some of the key requirements and challenges facing scientists, river basin managers, and policy makers for sustainable sediment management at the river basin scale, and puts forward important recommendations.

Read more/To order

Hydrological Modeling in Arid and Semi-Arid Areas

Arid and semi-arid regions are defined as areas where water is at its most scarce. The hydrological regime in these areas is extreme and highly variable, and they face great pressures to deliver and manage freshwater resources. However, there is no guidance on the decision support tools that are needed to underpin flood and water resource management in arid areas. UNESCO initiated the Global network for Water and Development Information for arid lands (G-WADI), and arranged a workshop of the world's leading experts to discuss these issues. This book presents chapters from contributors to the workshop, and includes case studies from the world's major arid regions to demonstrate model applications, and web links to tutorials and state of the art modelling software. This volume is a valuable reference for researchers and engineers working on the water resources of arid and semi-arid regions.

Read more

How does the work you do at UNESCO help you achieve your career goals?
UNESCO’s mandate opens an unusually large horizon of challenges and opportunities for constant learning. Obviously, it is very rewarding to encounter people of many different backgrounds, disciplines, and cultures, and to work on joint projects. And being able to contribute in your job to the UN principles, more peaceful and equitable, sustainable and ethically sound development, is very satisfying. I am coordinating IHP’s History of Water and Civilization Project (HWC). The core of this project is a benchmark reference book series on the interrelationship between humanity and water, and the link between human society and nature already interested me during my studies. HWC also stands for a whole process of publications, conferences, educational and awareness raising actions which bring the historical and cultural aspects of water management to the fore. Coordinating these activities provides for many different experiences from analytical tasks to communications, and never gets boring!

Why is the connection between water and civilization important to you? To UNESCO?
In fact, this connection is of primordial importance to all: without the organized use and management of water, no civilization would exist. Water has been central to human societies since prehistoric times, both as a vital resource and as a threat. With civilization’s growing spiritual and material complexity, interactions with water became more complex; and more invasive, too. We have now reached a point where global civilization —unequally, though— is impacting the hydrological cycle so as to change it, endangering our and many other species’ existence. I come from an industrialized region of Germany, the Ruhr basin, an affluent to the Rhine. There, one quite feels the impact of more than 150 years of industry and urbanization. But the situation has much improved over the past 25 years due to technical solutions, political, economic and socio-cultural reasons, altogether already constituting a history in itself. Especially in poorer countries, technological fixes alone, thought to advantageously replace traditional water management, are often socially and ecologically less sustainable. There are historical warnings: civilizations disappeared due to climatic variations, like prolonged droughts; and success stories of adaptation and resilience. Both can help us to face current and future challenges, vital to many peoples. Providing a systematic overview of water history is an interdisciplinary task of universal scope, contributing directly to the UN Millennium Development Goals and water. UNESCO’s interdisciplinary mandate and expertise for sciences, culture, education and communication provides the ideal setting for the History of Water and Civilization.

What are the next steps to be taken in the Water and Civilization programme?
Currently, three volumes of the History of Water and Civilization are being written: ‘Water and Humanity: A Historical Overview’; ‘Water and Settlement’; and ‘Water, Food and Economy’. We are going to publish the first volume at the occasion of the 5^th World Water Forum in March 2009 in Istanbul, Turkey. We are moreover planning a volume with the lectures of the ‘First Short Course on the World History of Water Management’, held at UNESCO-IHE last September, a cooperative effort between UNESCO-IHE, the International Water History Association and IHP. This course will also continue next summer, and we are studying the feasibility of an online version. A volume on the methodology of water history shall appear in the series of IHP Essays on Water History. Furthermore, we are preparing an online database of researchers, and related institutions, such as water museums, which will be connected to the web page of HWC.

What can people do to participate in the programme?
In collaboration with the group of senior advisors of the editorial board, the editor-in-chief and the volume editors, IHP is searching for potential authors, and editors of the remaining volumes. UNESCO’s History of Water and Civilization strives to represent a universal vision and it is very important to include authors from all world regions. We are therefore grateful for suggestions of high-level contributors, especially from developing countries. We would also be interested in receiving information on institutions and museums related to water history, culture, and art works. On the practical level, HWC aims to increase the integration of culture and history in water management. It is both a great contribution and success for the project when academics, practitioners, educators and decision-makers increasingly consider the historically developed, diverse socio-cultural role of water in resource management and governance, and engage in a dialogue across disciplines, cultures and generations.

• Diarrhea is the leading cause of death among children in developing countries. Diarrheal diseases remain the leading cause of death from water-related diseases in children, accounting for 21% of all deaths of children under 5 in developing countries
• About 61% of deaths due to diarrhea in young children are attributable to underweight (low weight-for-age).
• Every year, around 10.8 million children die before their fifth birthday and, of these, 4 million die before they reach 1 month old. Some 92% of all deaths of under-5 children occur in just 42 lower-income countries. It is estimated that 63% of all deaths of under-5 children can be prevented using current knowledge and methods including oral re-hydration for diarrhea, antibiotics for pneumonia, mosquito nets and anti-malaria drugs for malaria, better water supply sanitation and domestic hygiene.
• In the poorest countries, one out of every five children fails to reach his or her fifth birthday, mainly due to infectious and environmental diseases that arise from poor water quality.
• Some 3,800 children die every day from diseases associated with lack of access to safe drinking water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene.
• Children under five years of age are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of environmental hazards, ranging from the everyday risks of inadequate sanitation and drinking water to death and injury as a result of catastrophic events and their aftermath. Post-traumatic psychological disorders are also a major issue.

The section “Did You Know…?” is taken from the 2^nd United Nations World Water Development Report: “Water, a shared responsibility".

- International Hydrological Programme
- World Water Assessment Programme
- UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education
- Water-related Institutes and Centres under the Auspices of UNESCO
- UNESCO Water-related Chairs

Access the UNESCO Water Portal Update archives (starting at issue N° 85)

For contributions or comments, contact the editor at waterportal@unesco.org