Summary
News
- 22 new members elected to the Intergovernmental Council of the International Hydrological Programme (IHP) of UNESCO
- UNESCO-IHE 2020: Paving the road toward a global campus
- Publication "The right to water and water rights in a changing world" now out
- First call for abstracts: 4th Africa National Committees Regional Meeting – Africa Water Science, Policy and Management Conference: Water Sciences for Sound Africa Water Policies and Governance in a Changing Environment
- FRIEND-Water publishes new brochure
- New assessment encourages transboundary cooperation and improvement of the status of shared waters in the pan-European region
- TheWaterChannel NewsFlash: November 16, 2011
Events
UNESCO Water Family (*)
- UNESCO-IHE Regular Short Course: Coastal Systems
- UNESCO-IHE Regular Short Course: Negotiation and Mediation for Water Conflict Management I
Featured International Events
- 3rd IWA / WEF Wastewater Treatment Modelling Seminar 2012
- IWA Water Security Conference 2012
Publications
- Sediment Problems and Sediment Management in Asian River Basins - Proceedings of the Workshop held at Hyderabad, India, September 2009. IAHS Red Book Series; No. 349, Edited by Des E. Walling
Vacancies
- Four post-doc positions available on pro-poor sanitation innovations
- Twenty PhD positions available on pro-poor sanitation innovations
Did you know?
Facts and figures about Sudan
e-Newsletter archives
Subscribe & Unsubscribe
Visit the UNESCO Water Portal
News
22 new members elected to the Intergovernmental Council of the International Hydrological Programme (IHP) of UNESCO
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UNESCO’s Member States attending the 36th session of the General Conference, the Organization’s highest governing body, have elected 22 new members to the 36-member Intergovernmental Council of the International Hydrological Programme (IHP).
Below is a list of elected countries, by electoral group:
- Group I: Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland
- Group II: Azerbaijan, Poland, Russian Federation
- Group III: Chile, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Uruguay
- Group IV: Australia, Mongolia, Pakistan
- Group V (a): Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali
- Group V (b): Kuwait, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Yemen
States are elected to the IHP Intergovernmental Council for a term of four years. The new IHP Council members join 14 others elected during the previous session of the General Conference, in 2009, and whose mandate will expire in 2013: Italy, Portugal, United States of America (Group I); Serbia (Group II); Cuba, Mexico (Group III); Islamic Republic of Iran, Japan, Malaysia, Republic of Korea (Group IV); Nigeria, Uganda (Group Va); Jordan, Morocco (Group Vb).
UNESCO-IHP extends a warm welcome to the new IHP Council members and looks forward to their invaluable contribution to the planning, definition of priorities, and supervision of the execution of IHP. Among the main tasks of the IHP Intergovernmental Council at its forthcoming 20th session, tentatively scheduled to be held beginning of June 2012 at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, will be the review and endorsement of the strategic plan of the Eighth Phase of IHP (2014-2019).
More about the IHP Intergovernmental Council | IHP Council composition
UNESCO-IHE 2020: Paving the road toward a global campus
UNESCO-IHE would like to highlight the changes taking place at the Institute as we move toward a global campus, pursuing enhanced and effective international academic collaboration and intensifying existing relations with partners and institutes in international learning alliances.
The global campus will be an interdisciplinary environment in which a new generation of water professionals is able to explore insights into water problems from many different perspectives, and contribute to the development of creative, integrated and sustainable solutions.
The resulting water leaders will blend solid knowledge and understanding of one discipline with cognitive competencies outside that discipline, enhanced by an effective combination of functional, personal and ethical competencies.
Internal changes are needed to support this shift toward a global campus, reflecting the aim to provide a broad range of knowledge without overlooking the need for in-depth expertise in specific fields.
Following these internal reforms, the Institute will have three academic departments that are in line with the global developments in scientific research and education in the field of water and environment. These departments are sufficiently distinct in academic orientation and approaches to water systems, while enabling synergies to be found in project activities.
These departments have become operational since 1 October 2011, and in January 2012 UNESCO-IHE’s external communication - including its website - will start to reflect these changes.
For now, we are pleased to announce the three new academic departments and their new Heads of Department and Deputy Heads of Department, who will be leading them for the coming three years.
- Water Science and Engineering
Head of Department: Prof. Arthur Mynett
Deputy Head of Department: Dr. Erik de Ruyter van Steveninck
- Environmental Engineering and Water Technology
Head of Department: Prof. Damir Brdanovic
Deputy Head of Department: Dr. Saroj Sharma
- Integrated Water Systems and Governance
Head of Department: Prof. Pieter van der Zaag
Deputy Head of Department: Dr. Ioana Popescu
UNESCO-IHE looks forward to working with its students, researchers, alumni and partners to meet the global challenges in the water sector. Together, we have a key task in transferring knowledge and research to achieve the world’s development goals over the next decade.
Publication "The right to water and water rights in a changing world" now out
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The publication based on the colloquium on "The right to water and water rights in a changing world" has now been published! All speakers have written a chapter in this new and compelling publication on how to address global and climate change when dealing with water rights and the right to water.
Contents:
- The right to water and water rights in a changing world
by Marguerite de Chaisemartin, Charlotte Herman and Michael van der Valk
- Environmental protection and access to water: the challenges ahead
by Laurence Boisson de Chazournes, Christina Leb and Mara Tignino
- Climate change adaptation in Mozambique
by Luís Artur and Dorothea Hilhorst
- The current status of the human right to water
by Joyeeta Gupta
- Sharing water – A necessity for peace in a changing world
by Greg Hobbs, Alison Flint and Christie Henke
- What role can law play in safeguarding the right to water?
by Bas ter Haar
- "I drink your milkshake!": A short essay about water troubles and the promise of international law coming to the rescue
by Juan M. Amaya-Castro
- Can international law play a role in safeguarding the security of water supply in a changing world, and if so, how?: Concluding remarks
by Marius Enthoven
Download the publication
First call for abstracts: 4th Africa National Committees Regional Meeting – Africa Water Science, Policy and Management Conference: Water Sciences for Sound Africa Water Policies and Governance in a Changing Environment
In the framework of the UNESCO’s International Hydrological Programme (IHP) activities in Africa, the Water Sciences for Sound Africa Water Policies and Governance in a Changing Environment will be held jointly with the 4th regional meeting of Sub-Saharan Africa IHP National Committees in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania from 23 to 27 April 2012. The main themes of the conference are:
- Hydro-Hazards, hydrological extremes and water related disaster
- Global Changes and Water Resources
- Water resources in arid and semi-arid areas
- River basins management
- Water quality challenges
- Groundwater resources in a changing environment
- Transboundary waters and Water cooperation
More information
FRIEND-Water publishes new brochure
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FRIEND-Water (Flow Regimes from International Experimental and Network Data) is an international collaborative network of experts that aims to generate new understanding about regional hydrology and multi-scale water cycle processes.
The new brochure outlines what FRIEND-Water does, why it is needed and who is involved in the network.
Download the brochure
New assessment encourages transboundary cooperation and improvement of the status of shared waters in the pan-European region
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The Second Assessment of Transboundary Rivers, Lakes and Groundwaters was launched at the Seventh "Environment for Europe Ministerial Conference" in Astana, Kazakhstan on 21 September 2011. This publication is the most comprehensive overview of the status of transboundary waters in the region of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). It has been carried out under the auspices of the Meeting of the Parties to the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (UNECE Water Convention), in close cooperation with water and/or environment administrations of some 50 countries and with involvement of more than 250 experts. The preparation process which involved data collection using datasheets and organization of five sub-regional workshops supported exchange and cooperation between the riparian countries.
The Second Assessment covers more than 140 transboundary rivers, 25 transboundary lakes, about 200 transboundary groundwaters, and 25 Ramsar Sites and other wetlands of transboundary importance. It presents a broad analysis of transboundary water resources, pressure factors, quantity and quality status, and transboundary impacts, as well as management responses and future trends.
The Second Assessment provides relevant information and stimulus for Governments, river basin organizations, international and non- governmental organizations to take action to improve the status of transboundary waters and related ecosystems.
Full report and the executive summary in English and in Russian
TheWaterChannel NewsFlash: November 16, 2011
Yemen is commonly identified with water scarcity and arid landscapes. Less known are its traditional, community-led groundwater management systems. Remarkably efficient, these systems enabled Yemen to meet its food/ water needs for over 1000 years despite its climate and geography.
Built on these traditions, good practices of participatory groundwater management can be found in the country even today. This series of videos available exclusively on TheWaterChannel documents five specific cases. It attempts to understand what lessons they hold for Yemen, and for the rest of the world grappling with water scarcity in a changing climate.
Video series
Events
UNESCO Water Family (*)
UNESCO-IHE Regular Short Course: Coastal Systems
16 January – 3 February 2012: Delft, the Netherlands
UNESCO-IHE Regular Short Course: Negotiation and Mediation for Water Conflict Management I
13 February – 2 March 2012: Delft, the Netherlands
Featured International Events
3rd IWA / WEF Wastewater Treatment Modelling Seminar 2012
26-28 February 2012: Québec, Canada
IWA Water Security Conference 2012
25-27 March 2012: Sydney, NSW, Australia
Access a complete list of water events around the world
Publications
Sediment Problems and Sediment Management in Asian River Basins - Proceedings of the Workshop held at Hyderabad, India, September 2009
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IAHS Red Book Series, No. 349 - Edited by Des E. Walling
This volume comprises the proceedings of a workshop organized jointly by the International Commission on Continental Erosion (ICCE) of IAHS, the UNESCO-IHP International Sediment Initiative (ISI) and the World Association for Sedimentation and Erosion Research (WASER).
"Sediment problems are assuming increasing importance in many Asian river basins and can represent a key impediment to sustainable development. Such problems include accelerated soil erosion, reservoir sedimentation and the wider impact of sediment on aquatic ecology, river morphology and water resource exploitation. They are further complicated by the impact of climate change and other components of global change in causing both increases and decreases in the sediment load of many rivers in recent years. In order to address these problems, sediment management must be seen as a central component of integrated river basin management. This volume, arising from a workshop organised jointly by the International Commission on Continental Erosion (ICCE) of IAHS, the UNESCO International Sediment Initiative (ISI) and the World Association for Sedimentation and Erosion Research (WASER), focuses on sediment problems in Asian river basins and the many difficulties involved in their effective management. The first section comprises overviews of the sediment problems experienced by individual countries or particular issues relating to the wider region; and the second documents case studies that deal with specific problems and their management. The overviews highlight the sediment problems faced by India and Iran, including soil erosion and reservoir sedimentation; recent changes in the sediment loads of the Hindu Kush-Himalayan rivers and their wider implications; the impact of human activity on the sediment loads of Asian rivers; and new challenges for erosion and sedimentation research in China linked to contemporary issues."
More information | Order the IAHS Red Book
Vacancies
Four post-doc positions available on pro-poor sanitation innovations
Four Post-doc Positions are available in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Funded Project on Pro-poor Sanitation Innovations, named "Stimulating local innovation on sanitation for the urban poor in sub-Saharan Africa and South-East Asia".
UNESCO-IHE, The Netherlands, and the following partners: Makerere University in Uganda, KNUST in Ghana, AIT in Thailand, 2iE in Burkina Faso, ITB in Indonesia, UCT in South Africa, UFMG in Brasil, and Univalle in Colombia were awarded a US$8 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
The grant will be used to finance a 5-year capacity building and research project to stimulate local innovation on sanitation for the urban poor in sub-Saharan Africa and South-East Asia.
To support the research component of the project 5 post‐doc positions for junior researchers are funded by the project.
The first position based at UNESCO-IHE in Delft is already allocated. This announcement concerns the remaining 4 positions in Uganda, Ghana, Thailand and Burkina Faso.
Deadline for application: 15 December 2011.
More information
Twenty PhD positions available on pro-poor sanitation innovations
Twenty PhD Positions are available in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Funded Project on Pro-poor Sanitation Innovations, named "Stimulating local innovation on sanitation for the urban poor in sub-Saharan Africa and South-East Asia".
UNESCO-IHE, The Netherlands, and the following partners: Makerere University in Uganda, KNUST in Ghana, AIT in Thailand, 2iE in Burkina Faso, ITB in Indonesia, UCT in South Africa, UFMG in Brasil, and Univalle in Colombia were awarded a US$8 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
The grant will be used to finance a 5-year capacity building and research project to stimulate local innovation on sanitation for the urban poor in sub-Saharan Africa and South-East Asia.
To support the research component of the project 20 PhD positions for junior researchers are funded by the project at 8 host institutions.
Deadline for application: 15 December 2011.
More information
Did you know...? Facts and figures about Sudan
- Annual rainfall varies from 25 mm in the Sahara desert, in the north, to over 1,500 mm in the south.
- Sudan is so vast (about 2,000 km from north to south and 1,800 km from east to west) that it lies in multiple climatic zones. In the north, where the Sahara extends into much of the country, the climate is arid, while the south is influenced by a tropical wet-and-dry climate. This variation directly affects rainfall: a rainy season runs from April to October in southern Sudan, but the rainy period gradually diminishes in length towards the north, and rainfall is scarce in the far north.
- In addition to geographic and seasonal variability in rainfall distribution, there are indications of a decreasing trend in the amount of rainfall in the last 30 years, with the dry zone increasingly extending towards the south.
- Almost 80% of the country falls in the basin of the Nile River and its two main tributaries: the White Nile, originating in the equatorial lake region (shared by Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania and Zaire), and the Blue Nile, which rises in the Ethiopian highlands. The two join at Khartoum to form the Nile, which flows northwards through Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea.
- About 67% of the Nile River basin lies within Sudanese territory. Estimates of the availability of water resources in Sudan range from 36 billion m3 to 44 billion m3.
- The irrigated area totals around 0.02 million km2, or a modest 12% of the cultivated land area, but consumes about 20 billion m3 of water – approximately equal to Sudan’s share of the Nile River flow.
- In 2006, the percentage of population with access to safe water supply was 78% in urban areas and 64% in rural ones. The disparity is even greater for access to improved sanitation, which is available to 50% of urban dwellers but only 24% in rural areas.
The section "Did You Know…?" is taken from the 3rd World Water Development Report "Water in a Changing World".
UNESCO's Water Family consists of the following:
- 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
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