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 UNESCO's General Conference approves establishment of new water-related centres
The recently-concluded 33rd session of the UNESCO General Conference (Paris, 3-21 October 2005) has approved the establishment of four new water-related centres under the auspices of UNESCO (formally called category II centres). Institutes and centres under this category are entities legally outside the Organization but are associated with it through various arrangements, and are endorsed by the General Conference.
The increasing demand for the establishment and operation of water-related centres over the past few years is principally due to the growing prevalence of water issues at local, regional and global scale, the realization that building regional know-how is essential to solve water problems and the recognition that UNESCO's International Hydrological Programme (IHP) is an effective and proven mechanism for instituting centres with an international or regional scope on water issues.
The General Conference has also discussed in depth various matters related to the establishment and management of UNESCO institutes and centres (category I) [PDF format - 125 KB] and institutes and centres under the auspices of UNESCO (category II) [PDF format - 125 KB]. The new centres under the auspices of UNESCO (category II) are:
- the International Centre for Water Hazard and Risk Management (ICHARM) [PDF format - 88 KB] in Tsukuba, Japan.
The establishment of ICHARM is a response to the worldwide need to properly prepare for and react to water-related disasters. The centre will be based at the Public Works Research Institute (PWRI) in Tsukuba, Japan. It will aim to promote research, training and information networking activities, focusing on the issues and problems related to water hazard and risk management. ICHARM will also provide the Secretariat of the interagency UNESCO/WMO/UNU/ISDR International Flood Initiative.
- the IHP-HELP Centre for Water Law, Policy and Science [PDF format - 106 KB] at the University of Dundee, Scotland, United Kingdom.
One of the most important tools to ensure implementation of a policy regarding integrated water management is a solid and responsive legal framework. Within this context, it is most important that water lawyers, water scientists and water users work together on water-related problems. The establishment of a global centre that will uniquely interface water law and policy with the biophysical sciences and engineering would provide an opportunity to ensure this relationship is effective and develop legal frameworks in line with stakeholders' needs and requirements. The Centre will be strongly linked to HELP and will be based at the International Water Law Research Institute (IWRL) of the University of Dundee in Scotland.
- the Regional Water Centre for Arid and Semi-arid Zones of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAZALAC). [PDF format - 85 KB] in La Serena, Chile.
The establishment of CAZALAC emphasizes the pursuit of sustainable development and integrated water resources management in arid and semi-arid zones through the development of scientific research, education, training and awareness-raising at all levels, the development of appropriate policies and practices, the networking of scientists in the region and the transfer of information and knowledge. The functions of CAZALAC converge with many of the activities of the newly established IHP Global Network on Water and Development Information in Arid Zones (G-WADI).
- the European Regional Centre for Ecohydrology [PDF format - 73 KB] in Lódz, Poland.
Ecohydrology is a new approach in environmental sciences that promotes the integration of hydrology and ecology for the sustainable management of water resources. The establishment of the Centre highlights the pursuit of integrated water management through research activities, both experimental and theoretical. It is also expected to play an important role to build capacities, promote networking and scientific cooperation, disseminate information, and raise awareness at all levels on the links between water, biodiversity and sustainable development in the region.
The 33rd session of the UNESCO General Conference likewise welcomed the proposal of the Government of Colombia to establish a Regional Centre on Urban Water Management [PDF format - 40.6 KB] in Cali, under the auspices of UNESCO. It therefore authorized the UNESCO Executive Board to analyze, at its 174th session (April 2006), the completed feasibility study and to decide, on its behalf, on the granting of category II status to the Centre.
Other category II water-related centres under the auspices of UNESCO and already in operation include:
- the International Research and Training Centre on Erosion and Sedimentation (IRTCES) in Beijing, China
- the International Research and Training Centre on Urban Drainage (IRTCUD) in Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro
- the Water Centre for the Humid Tropics of Latin America and the Caribbean (CATHALAC) in Panama City, Panama
- the Regional Humid Tropics Hydrology and Water Resources Centre (HTC) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- the Regional Centre on Urban Water Management (RCUWM) in Tehran, Iran
- the Regional Centre for Training and Water Studies of Arid and Semiarid Zones (RCTWS) in Cairo, Egypt
- the International Centre on Qanats and Historic Hydraulic Structures (ICQHHS) in Yazd, Iran.
Additionally, the UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education, a category I UNESCO institute established in Delft, The Netherlands, reinforces UNESCO's mandate to strengthen and mobilize a global educational and knowledge base for integrated water resources management and to contribute towards meeting the water-related capacity building needs of developing countries and countries in transition.
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