CURRENTS - newsletter from the World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP)

Issue n°10, July 2004

WHAT'S HAPPENING AT WWAP?

WWDR ON CD-ROM
The CD-Rom version of Water for People, Water for Life, the first World Water Development Report (WWDR) has just been finalized. It will be made available to the public in the next few weeks. The next edition of Currents will provide more information on how to order this interactive version of the WWDR.

SHARING WATER UNESCO'S PC-CP PROGRAMME PREPARES A CONFERENCE ON 'WATER: A CATALYST FOR PEACE'
From Potential Conflict to Cooperation Potential (PC-CP), a UNESCO/International Hydrological Programme (IHP) contribution to WWAP, will hold its second international PC-CP conference from the 6 to the 8 of October 2004 in Zaragoza, Spain.

Water professionals, decision-makers, diplomats, representatives of civil society, educators and postgraduate students in water studies will be initiated into cooperative basin management and conflict resolution. The conference will provide interactive sessions enabling the guest participants to increase their knowledge of a specific basin, and improve their conflict management skills by taking part in the subsequent role-plays. Different conflict resolution techniques will be presented to the participants.
The programme of the conference and the online registration will soon be made available on the website.

PC-CP is now entering its second phase. A new brochure is available on the PC-CP website.

8 - 9 JUNE 2004: SECOND UN-WATER COORDINATING GROUP ON INDICATORS
The Second UN-WATER Coordinating Group Meeting on Indicators for the next edition of the World Water Development Report (WWDR) was hosted by UNECE in Geneva. The aim of the meeting was to review the status of indicator development, to assess progress made by various expert groups, to develop a cross-referencing and harmonizing framework for indicators, and to agree on a way forward on indicator development.

The meeting provided an excellent opportunity to evaluate proposed indicators for almost all chapters and agree on their significance and suitability for the use in the next edition of the Report. It was agreed that chapter coordinators would initiate contacts between and among themselves to facilitate harmonization of chapters, and that a third coordinating group meeting should be held in October to review how the indicators have been interpreted and incorporated within various chapters.

For more information, contact b.neupane@unesco.org.

A DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR WATER GOVERNANCE (SAGA)
Water for People, Water for Life, the first edition of the World Water Development Report (WWDR), concluded that the world's water crisis is mainly a crisis of governance. WWAP is currently developing a prototype Decision Support System for Water Governance (SAGA by its Spanish acronym) in the Latin American and the Caribbean (LAC) region to deal with this issue.

Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba and Mexico have been selected to participate in the project's first phase of development. During this phase, the water governance status of these countries will be evaluated and the results, including an analysis of the entire process, will be presented in a new website. The objective is to identify where systems are failing, so that decision-makers can make informed choices to improve the water situation in their countries.

For additional information on the SAGA project please contact p.gonzalez@unesco.org

MANAGING RISKS A NEW INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR WATER HAZARD AND RISK MANAGEMENT WILL CONTRIBUTE TO THE WWAP
The construction of new facilities to host the International Centre for Water Hazard and Risk Management (CHARM) started this April in Tsukuba, Japan. The Public Works Research Institute (PWRI) will host this centre, resulting from the collaboration between the Japanese government and the International Hydrological Programme (IHP) of UNESCO.
CHARM will be established as a core for international research, training and information activities on water hazard and risk management at national and international levels.
One of its main objectives is to contribute to WWAP through the development of indicators.

PWRI is also organizing an Asian Regional Meeting on Flood Risk Management Initiative in collaboration with WWAP and IHP. This meeting is to take place during the second Asia Pacific Association of Hydrology and Water Resources (APHW) Conference, on 8 July 2004 in Singapore.
Find out more about the second APHW conference.

The PWRI contributed to Water for People, Water for Life, the World Water Development Report (WWDR) by developing the Greater Tokyo Region case study.

The chapter dedicated to Managing Risks in the first edition of the WWDR is now available online
(PDF format - 1 MB)
You can also access facts and figures extracted from this chapter.

Find out more about the International Centre for Water Hazard and Risk Management under the auspices of UNESCO.
Access the IHP website.

BASQUE COUNTRY TO PARTICIPATE IN WWAP
WWAP and the Basque country are working on a collaboration agreement:

- The Basque Country proposes to set up a new case study in the region and provide technicians from their water department.
- Students and junior technicians from the Basque country will be trained by WWAP.
- The Basque Country will support the SAGA project.

CASE STUDIES

SRI LANKA
The case study on the Ruhuna basins, published in the first edition of the WWDR, will be extended to a country-wide case study. The aim is to better observe the pressures induced by human activities on freshwater ecosystems, especially the biological assessment of rivers and coastal zones as well as floodplains.
Find out more about Sri Lanka's Ruhuna basins case study

LAKE TITICACA
The case study on the Lake Titicaca enters a second phase, during which more emphasis will be put on the observed changes in ice and snow cover on the mountains, in relation to climate change and variability.
Find out more about the Lake Titicaca basin case study

LAKE PEIPSI / CHUDSKOE-PSKOVSKOE
The Lake Peipsi / Chudskoe-Pskovskoe case study will also be continued with an emphasis on the effects of pressures induced by human activities on the lake ecosystem. Furthermore, the changes in ice and snow cover in relation to climate change and variability will be observed.
Find out more about the Lake Peipsi / Chudskoe-Pskovskoe case study

For more information on case studies, contact: e.koncagul@unesco.org

WHAT'S NEW ON THE WEBSITE?

SENEGAL RIVER BASIN CASE STUDY
The Spanish version of the Senegal River Basin case study is now online.
To know more about the Senegal River Basin case study in english.
Read the complete case study in the WWDR (PDF format - 962 KB)

WWAP PARTNERSHIPS

IBERO-AMERICAN WATER SCIENCES RESEARCH CENTRES NETWORK
WWAP and the Spanish Centro de Estudios y Experimentación de Obras Publicas (CEDEX) have initiated negotiations to establish the first Ibero-American network for water science research centres. Thirty-three countries have joined this network, thus intensifying collaboration and data flow. The network will participate in monitoring the SAGA project in Latin America.
A first meeting for the network's National Hydraulic Engineering Institutions took place in Antigua, Guatemala, from 28 to 30 April 2004.
Access the CEDEX website

NEW WATER MANAGEMENT MASTER WITH WWAP
WWAP, the province of Galicia and the University of A Coruña have agreed to initiate a Water Resources Management Master Programme, which will cover all Spanish-speaking countries.
Access the University of A Coruña website

FORUM BARCELONA 2004: WATER FOR LIFE AND SECURITY
Two days of dialogues on water for life and security were organized at the Forum Barcelona 2004 on 31 May and 1 June. The symposia developed several key themes, such as the integrated management of transboundary waters, the need for a new culture of water, or adapting to climate change and variability.
International experts participated in the discussions, UNESCO and WWAP members among them.
To know more about the dialogues

THE DECLARATION OF NEW WATER CULTURE
In combining the aspiration to improve the well being of all with an understanding and respect of the environment's limits, so that its conservation is guaranteed, a change in values and water culture is needed. The New Water Culture Foundation (FNCA) was born of a necessity to assume a new holistic and integrating approach of values in all matters of water management. It aspires to be an influence on European decision-makers.
A work group was formed to develop the European Declaration of New Water Culture. UNESCO and WWAP were invited to share their positions and participate during the first meeting held in Paris on 8 May.
Access the New Water Culture Foundation's website

Don't forget to keep visiting WWAP website.

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