International "Water and Film" Event

The second edition of the International "Water and Film" Event (IWFE) provides the opportunity for a meeting of water specialists, filmmakers, communicators, teachers, researchers and the general public. Organized by the International Water Secretariat and the French Académie de l'Eau, IWFE promotes inter alia collaboration through audiovisuals to foster exchange, the sharing of knowledge and studies of water-related problems. In 2009, IWFE takes place in the framework of the 5th World Water Forum, to be held from 16-22 March in Istanbul. The goal of IWFE is to encourage the production of educational and scientific films to sensitize and educate the general public. Moreover it provides an opportunity for filmmakers to participate in an international contest specialized in the films about water. IWFE is also a contribution to the water education component of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, led by UNESCO.

IWFE website

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UNW-DPC/UNCCD/AWC organizes "Water & Land" Capacity Development Workshop for Water and Environmental Journalists

A "Water & Land" Capacity Development Workshop for Water and Environmental Journalists in the Arab Countries is being organized by UNW-DPC, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the Arab Water Council (AWC). It will take place in Cairo, Egypt, from 22 to 24 January 2009.

The main objective of the workshop is to create awareness among media professionals in Arab countries regarding the current situation of water resources management and land degradation in the region, and to seek active involvement of the media for creating public awareness and advocacy to promote sectoral reforms to support the Millennium Development Goals and the Convention to Combat Desertification. The expectation is that with increased media attention to these issues, there will be more public awareness, which in turn, draw more intensified attention by decision-makers on these issues.

The participants of the workshop are water and environmental journalists and media professionals from Arab countries representing different print and electronic media (radio, television, newspapers, Internet, etc.).

The expected outcomes of the workshop are:

• The participating media professionals acquire knowledge about the social, governance and technical nature of water, desertification, land degradation and drought (DLDD).
• Journalists will have explored how the key issues are linked to news and feature stories they investigate and where to look for further information.
• Increase public awareness of the problem of water and DLDD and possible impacts on them in the Arab countries.
• Compilation of reports from the participants prepared for the workshop regarding the national situation of media in their countries related to water and DLDD issues.

After the workshop, the participants will be encouraged to report on how they have adopted the ideas learnt from the workshop in their work. These reports will be included in a final workshop report that will be largely disseminated.

UNW-DPC website

Draft articles on the law of transboundary aquifers adopted at 60th session of the UN International Law Commission

At its 60th session (May-July 2008), the UN International Law Commission (ILC) adopted during the second reading a full set of draft articles on the law of transboundary aquifers, including a preamble and commentaries. The ILC completed a task it had started five years ago under the topic of "Shared Natural Resources".

The draft articles are intended to offer States a framework for their agreements on transboundary aquifers. They are divided into five parts: Introduction, General Principles, Protection, Preservation and Management, Activities affecting other States and Miscellaneous provisions (Full text - Chapter on Shared Natural Resources, in all UN languages). Since 2003 UNESCO-IHP provided scientific and technical assistance to the UN ILC on hydrogeology and transboundary aquifers. It has mobilized and coordinated action with other United Nations agencies, such as FAO, the UNECE, and United Nations Environment Programme/Global Environmental Fund (UNEP/GEF), International Groundwater Resources Assessment Centre (IGRAC), IAH, the Organization of American States (OAS), the French-Swiss Geneva Aquifer Authority and the Guarani Aquifer System Project.

The ILC transmitted the draft articles to the UN General Assembly (GA) with the following recommendations:

1.  
   1. To adopt a resolution taking note of the draft articles on the law of transboundary aquifers and to annex these articles to the resolution;
   2. To recommend to States concerned to make appropriate bilateral or regional arrangements for the proper management of their transboundary aquifers on the basis of the principles enunciated in these articles;
2. To consider, at a later stage, the elaboration of a convention on the basis of the draft articles.

At the last session (6 October to 14 November 2008) of the 6th Committee (Legal) of the General Assembly, more than forty States expressed their satisfaction on the work of the ILC and their support of the two steps approach recommended by the ILC. Following this recommendation, the 6th Committee adopted a draft resolution that will be submitted to the GA for adoption by mid-December at latest. The draft resolution extends its appreciation to the UNESCO International Hydrological Programme for its valuable scientific and technical assistance.

For further information contact Ms Raya Stephan

International Conference on Water and Peace held 13 November at UNESCO Headquarters, Paris

Do transboundary waters necessarily lead to conflicts? Will global variability and changes mean that water will be more difficult to access, especially in Fragile States? How effective are the international conventions related to transboundary rivers, lakes and aquifers? What is the status of the 1997 UN Convention on the Law of the Non-navigational Uses of International Watercourses? These are some of the questions that were addressed during the conference "Water for Peace – Peace for Water" that was held on 13 November 2008 at UNESCO, Paris.

Furthermore, the speakers tackled a few critical issues such as the financial crisis and its impact on shared water management, the fundamental right over water and the lessons that can be learned from the work of successful basin organisations.

More than 800 people attended the conference, co-organized by the UNESCO-IHP PCCP Programme and the Chirac Foundation, with the support of the French Agency for Development.

The active participation of a dozen international personalities – Heads of State, Heads of water institutions and NGOs, experts in transboundary water management and scholars, was particularly meaningful as the outcomes of the debates will be included in the political process of the 5th World Water Forum that will take place in Istanbul, Turkey, from 16 to 22 March 2009.

PCCP Website

XXXVIth IAH Congress yields new Council and grants the Award of Distinguished Associate of the IAH

At the XXXVIth Congress of the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH), held in Toyama, Japan, two important events took place: the election of the new Council of the IAH to serve for the years 2008 to 2012 and the Award of Distinguished Associate of the IAH to Ambassador Yamada (Japan) who is the Special Rapporteur of the International Law Commission and has been charged with formulating Draft Articles for the use of transboundary aquifers.

More information on the new IAH Council

More information on the Award of Distinguished Associate of the IAH

UNESCO-IHE announces course offerings for upcoming year

UNESCO-IHE would like to draw attention to the educational opportunities related to Water Management at UNESCO-IHE for the coming year. They have a diversity of flexible arrangements to improve knowledge and skills in water management. They offer full time programmes in Delft like the 4-year PhD programme and the 18-month Water Management Master of Science Programme as well as short courses of 3 to 4 weeks. They also offer part-time programmes in the form of 16-week on-line courses and upon request we are able to offer to groups tailor-made training sessions.

More information

International Sediment Initiative (ISI) holds 6th Steering Committee Meeting and Workshop

Under the framework of UNESCO-IHP, the 6th International Sediment Initiative (ISI) Steering Committee Meeting and Workshop on Global Change Impacts and Role of ISI was successfully held in the International Research and Training Centre on Erosion and Sedimentation (IRTCES), Beijing, China from 5 to 7 November 2008. The representatives from UNESCO and the Ministry of Water Resources (MWR) of the People’s Republic of China, , members of the ISI Steering Committee, observers and relevant IRTCES staff attended the meeting. The three days of activities included the Steering Committee meeting, the workshop and a technical tour.

At the opening ceremony, Mr. LIU Zhiguang, Deputy Director-General of the Department of International Cooperation, Science and Technology, MWR, delivered opening remarks and welcomed international experts from over 13 countries. As was remarked by Mr. Liu, IRTCES has been a focus of the MWR and the Ministry will continue to support IRTCES and its function as the technical secretariat of ISI jointly with UNESCO. Mr. Abhimanyu Singh, Director and Representative of UNESCO Beijing Office, acknowledged the contribution of IRTCES to ISI in his speech, and wished the meeting and workshop a great success. On behalf of IRTCES, Prof. LIU Guangquan, Assistant Director and Division Chief of the Department of International Communication, expressed gratitude to the support of UNESCO, MWR and the ISI Steering Committee. Prof. Manfred Spreafico, Chairman of the UNESCO-ISI Steering Committee, praised IRTCES on its support as the ISI Technical Secretariat, as well as its excellent contribution to the construction, operation and maintenance of the ISI information system. Prof. LIU Cheng, Deputy Division Chief of Department of Research and Training, IRTCES, chaired the opening ceremony.

Full press release

Conclusions reported from HydroPredict’2008 Conference

The UNESCO-IHP supported Interdisciplinary Conference 'Predictions for Hydrology, Ecology, and Water Resources Management: Using Data and Models to Benefit Society', was held 15-18 September 2008 in Prague Czech Republic.

The goal of the HydroPredict'2008 conference was to be a forum for presentations on innovative technologies and methods of data collection, analysis integration (combined use) of data and modeling, new techniques and tools for assessment of model performance, and case studies of both successful and problematic applications for the topics related to problems in hydrology, ecology, and water resources management. To address the resulting issues, the HydroPredict'2008 conference brought together scientists, engineers (consultants, practitioners), water resources planners and managers, and policy makers.

The (prepublished) proceedings volume contains 85 papers grouped into 13 topics and can be downloaded here.

The summary, conclusions and recommendations of the HydroPredict'2008 Conference was prepared by Professor H.-P. Nachtnebel, of the Universität für Bodenkultur Wien (BOKU), University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria.

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Managing and Transforming Water Conflicts

By Jerome Delli Priscoli and Aaron T. Wolf
Cambridge University Press/International Hydrology Series

Where water crosses boundaries – be they economic, legal, political or cultural – the stage is set for disputes between different users trying to safeguard access to a vital resource, while protecting the natural environment. Without strategies to anticipate, address, and mediate between competing users, intractable water conflicts are likely to become more frequent, more intense, and more disruptive around the world. In this book, Delli Priscoli and Wolf investigate the dynamics of water conflict and conflict resolution, from the local to the international. They explore the inexorable links between three facets of conflict management and transformation: Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), public participation, and institutional capacity. This practical guide will be invaluable to water management professionals, as well as to researchers and students in engineering, economics, geography, geology, and political science who are involved in any aspects of water management.

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• Every year over 2.8 million people die from AIDS.
• Improved nutrition and food security reduces susceptibility to diseases, including HIV/AIDS.
• Improved water supply and sanitation reduces susceptibility to and severity of HIV/AIDS and other major diseases.
• Safe access to drinking water and basic sanitation eases the pressure by other infections on the immune system of HIV/AIDS sufferers and allows for better health.
• Interactions between epidemiological status and human vulnerability to subsequent stresses and shocks are well documented. For example, rural populations affected by HIV/AIDS are less able to cope with the stress of drought. Likewise, individuals living with chronic or terminal diseases are more vulnerable to emergency situations.

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