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

Issue n°21, November 2005

NOVEMBER IN FOCUS

© UNESCO Alexandra Galentro

20 November: Universal children's day

Each day, countless children around the world are exposed to dangers that hamper their growth and development. Millions of children suffer from the scourges of poverty and economic crisis - from hunger and homelessness, from epidemics and lack of access to clean water, from environment degradation. Every 8 seconds a child dies from drinking contaminated water (that is 10,000 a day).

On 14 December 1954, the United Nations General Assembly recommended that all countries institute a Universal Children's Day, to be observed as a day of worldwide fraternity and understanding between children and of activities devoted to promoting the welfare of the children of the world. The Assembly suggested that the Day be observed on the date and in the way which each country considers appropriate. The date 20 November marks the day on which the Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, in 1959, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, in 1989.

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child addresses the rights of children and youth under the age of 18. It recognizes their basic human rights and gives them additional rights to protect them from harm.

:: Read more

FORTHCOMING INTERNATIONAL DAYS

10 December: Human Rights Day

Organizer: United Nations Department of Public Information
:: Read more

11 December: International Mountain Day

Organizer: Mountain Partnership; the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Theme: 'Sustainable Tourism for Poverty Alleviation in Mountain Areas'
:: Visit the International Mountain Day 2005 web site

18 December: International Migrants Day

Organizer: United Nations Department of Public Information
:: Read more

UPCOMING EVENTS

22-25 November: XII World Water Congress

New Delhi, India - Organizer: International Water Resources Association (IWRA)
:: Read more

23-25 November: La Plata Basin Dialogues

Iguassu Falls, Brazil - Organizers: Green Cross Brazil International; the Intergovernmental Coordinating Committee of La Plata Basin countries (CIC); Itaipu Bi-national, Brazil/Paraguay; under the auspices of UN-WWAP and several United Nations organizations.
:: Read more (in Portuguese or Spanish)

24-25 November: 1^st International Dialogue on the Worldwide Water Crisis

Sevilla, Spain - Organizer: Green Cross Spain, with the collaboration of UN-WWAP
:: Read more

29 November - 2 December: 4^th International workshop on regional approaches for the development and management of reservoirs in La Plata River Basin: 'Best practices in the planning and management of reservoirs. Decision-making participative processes'

Salto Grande, Argentina/Uruguay - Organizers: Argentine Water Resources Institute (IARH); Intergovernmental Coordinating Committee of the La Plata Basin (CIC); Environmental Research and Management Network of the River Plate Basin (RIGA); co-organised internationally by UN-WWAP
:: Read more

2 December: World Water Crisis Conference

Buenos Aires, Argentina - Organizer: Sanitary Engineering Institute, Buenos Aires University, Argentina
:: Access the Sanitary Engineering Institute website (in Spanish)

WHAT'S HAPPENING AT WWAP?

UN-WWAP sessions accepted for the 4^th WWF

At the beacons meeting held in Monterrey, Mexico, on 31 October - 2 November to prepare for the 4^th World Water Forum (4^th WWF) in which Mr. Gordon Young, UN-WWAP coordinator, participated as beacon for the cross-cutting perspective 'Targeting, Monitoring and Implementation Assessment', important decisions were made on the choice of sessions to be organised for the forum. The 4^th WWF secretariat will be providing official information within the next few weeks, but we are pleased to announce that the 2 sessions proposed by UN-WWAP have been accepted.

These are a 2 hour session on 'Vertical integration; linking local actions with sub-national, national and international actions' and a 6 hour mega-session on 'implementation of IWRM in National plans by 2005' which UN-WWAP will co-organize with the Global Water Partnership (GWP), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC).

:: Visit the 4^th WWF website for updates
:: Read more about 'Targeting, Monitoring and Implementation Assessment'

UNESCOCAT and UN-WWAP meet to discuss collaboration

Mr. Carlos Fernández-Jáuregui, UN-WWAP Deputy Coordinator, met with the UNESCO Centre of Catalonia (UNESCOCAT) Secretary General, Programme Coordinator and members of its Sustainability Division in Barcelona last month to further discuss UNESCOCAT collaboration with UN-WWAP.

Together they agreed that UN-WWAP and UNESCOCAT would organize a workshop on Water and Cities in coordination with Metropolis. UNESCOCAT will also provide UN-WWAP with a set of posters which will be distributed in Spanish at the 4^th World Water Forum in Mexico City, Mexico, on 16-22 March 2006; translate and publish the 2^nd World Water Development Report Executive Summary in Catalan; and put a water expert at UN-WWAP Secretariat's disposal for a year.

:: Go to the UNESCOCAT website

4^th International workshop on regional approaches for the development and management of reservoirs in La Plata River Basin, Salto Grande, Argentina/Uruguay

UN-WWAP is co-organizing this event at the international level. The workshop will take place on 29 November - 2 December 2005 in Salto Grande, Argentina/Uruguay.

This workshop aims to widen the channels of discussion that will motivate and enrich deliberations and facilitate a consensus on policies, strategies and concrete actions that can improve regional cooperative dam planning and management in a way that will support the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

The main purposes of the workshop are to:
    - search for a consensus in order to improve decision-making processes, such as the participation of stakeholders involved in the development and the sustainable management of reservoirs in La Plata Basin
    - deal with central aspects and problems corresponding to the management of reservoirs identified in the previous workshops, giving continuity to this successful series of events
    - strengthen and support the activities of the Environmental Research and Management Network of the River Plate Basin (RIGA) with the purpose of consolidating its presence in the basin.

:: Read more

WWAP CASE STUDIES

Coordination meeting for the Basque Country case study

Mr. Iñaki Urrutia and Iñaki Arrate, of the government of the autonomous community of the Basque Country, Spain, met with Mr. Carlos Fernández-Jáuregui, UN-WWAP deputy coordinator, Pilar Gonzalez, communication projects coordinator, and Engin Koncagül, case studies project officer, at the UN-WWAP Secretariat in Paris on 7 November 2005 to discuss and coordinate the Basque Country case study.

They discussed the main guidelines to follow throughout the case study, the contribution of the UN-WWAP case studies to the living document, and their dissemination through internet.

It was also agreed that representatives of the government of the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country would participate in the 1st International Dialogue on the World Water Crisis in Sevilla, Spain, on 24-25 November 2005.

The Dialogue is a good opportunity for representatives of the Lake Titicaca (Bolivia, Peru), Thailand and Basque Country case studies to meet and share their experience, as all 3 case studies are participating in the event.

Water for agriculture in Thailand

Its fertile and well-watered central plains have helped to make Thailand a major international exporter of agricultural crops, rice in particular, and processed agricultural products. Agricultural production, although it comprises only 10 percent of the national GDP, is the major source of income for the rural poor. Its extension contributed towards ensuring food security and reducing poverty in Thailand though food security remains the number one issue on the political agenda.

Thailand allocates half of its national budget to irrigated agriculture and its water policy calls for the nation-wide distribution of water for subsistence irrigation. On the other hand, intensive agriculture also caused significant deforestation and extensive irrigation has led to the depletion of watersheds and aquifers.

Of late, industry has become Thailand's main source of GDP. Though this has, in part, helped to decrease rural agricultural production and its related deforestation pressure, industrial areas have polluted wetlands with toxic chemicals. In an effort to lessen these negative trends, environmental concerns have been included in national socio-economic development plans.

This is an excerpt from the Thailand National Water Development Report, one of the case studies that will be included in the case study chapter of the 2^nd United Nations World Water Development Report, 'Water, a Shared Responsibility' (WWDR2). WWDR2 will be launched on World Water Day 2006 at the 4^th World Water Forum in Mexico City, Mexico.

:: Find out more about WWAP case studies
:: Read more about the 2^nd United Nations World Water Development Report [PDF format - 638 KB]
:: Find out more about the 4^th World Water Forum

WWAP PARTICIPATES

15 November: Participation in the Integration of the State of Mexico Development Plan 2005-2011

The State of Mexico, Mexico, organized 3 forums to further the integration of its development plan for 2005-2011. The State Government's 12 Secretariats participated in the discussions.

Mr. Víctor Pochat represented UN-WWAP and was keynote speaker of the forum on economic security, which took place on 15 November 2005.

19-23 November: The 7^th Gulf Water Conference

The 7^th Water Science and Technology Association (WSTA) Gulf Water Conference aims to lay out the foundation of Integrated Water Resources Management policies and strategies in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, and to review and assess the progress made in GCC countries towards the internationally agreed on target of 'adoption of comprehensive policies and strategies for integrated water resources management and active implementation in all countries by 2005' (World Summit on Sustainable Development, Johannesburg, 2002).

Mr. Gordon Young, who is UN-WWAP co-ordinator, participated in the conference as a keynote speaker.

:: Read more about the conference

21-23 November: Global Water Partnership Steering Committee meeting

The Steering Committee meets twice a year. Mr. Gordon Young, UN-WWAP coordinator, represented UN-Water at the meeting.

:: Access the GWP website

22-25 November: XII World Water Congress

The Central Board of Irrigation and Power (CBIP) and the Geographical Committee of the International Water Resources Association (IWRA, India) are hosting the XII IWRA World Water Congress on 22-25 November 2005 in New Delhi, India. The theme of the Congress is 'Water for Sustainable Development - Towards Innovative Solutions'.

The congress aims to raise awareness on critical water-related issues. The main topics are Integrated Water Resources Management, Water Infrastructure Development, Water Governance, Urban Water Management, Rural Water Management, Water Security and Risk Management, Economics and Financing of Water and Capacity Building for Water Resources Management.

Mr. Gordon Young, UN-WWAP co-ordinator, is one of the conference's keynote speakers. Other national and international experts will share their experience on these critical issues.

:: Go to the congress' official website

24-25 November: 1^st International Dialogue on the Worldwide Water Crisis

This Green Cross Spain seminar looks at four very different concrete cases of how sustainable water resources management be achieved with intelligence, sensitivity and technology. UN-WWAP is providing concrete examples for the seminar.

This dialogue will be organized in two modules:
Module A: Global Framework
    - the United Nations World Water Assessment Programme (UN-WWAP)
    - water management and armed conflicts
    - water as a fundamental human right
Module B: Experiences
    - the Incomati River (South Africa; Mozambique; Swaziland)
    - efficient water use (Saragossa, Spain)
    - the Chao Phraya River Basin (Thailand)
    - Lake Titicaca (Bolivia; Peru).

Three UN-WWAP case studies are participating in the event: Lake Titicaca (Bolivia, Peru), Thailand and the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country (Spain). Representatives from each of the case studies met to share their experience on the UN-WWAP case study process.

:: Read the programme [PDF format - 259 KB, in Spanish]
:: Read more about the Chao Phraya River Basin case study
:: Read more about the Lake Titicaca Basin case study

2 December: World Water Crisis Conference

This conference, which will take place on 2 December in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is organized by the Buenos Aires University Engineering Institute. UN-WWAP deputy co-ordinator, Mr. Carlos Fernández-Jáuregui, will be the conference's keynote speaker on the World Water Crisis

:: Access the Sanitary Engineering Institute website (in Spanish)

WWAP UN PARTNERS' WATER NEWS

Water Alert! A new interactive game developed by UNICEF

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Voices of Youth programme launched 'Water Alert!', a new interactive game for young people. This educational resource on water, environment and sanitation is intended to engage young people in an adventure of strategy and survival that explores real life situations. The object of the game is to ensure that the people in a drought-challenged village, who are facing the threat of a flood, have water that is safe to drink and a clean and healthy school environment.

The game is available in 3 languages online (English, French and Spanish). The CD version of the game is also available in 3 languages, and includes a field facilitator's guide with instructions for use of the game as a teaching tool. The guide highlights inter-sectoral activities for practical application and classroom activities relating to water, sanitation and hygiene education.

:: Play the game online
:: For more information concerning the CD contact Voices of Youth: voy@unicef.org

The Great Man-made River International Water Prize is awarded to Dr. Sayyed Ahang Kowsar (Iran)

The Great Man-Made River International Water Prize, financed by the Government of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, is intended to reward the achievements of an individual, a group of individuals or a research institute having made fundamental and substantial contributions to the assessment, development, management and/or use of water resources in arid and semi-arid areas. The Prize is awarded biennially by the Director-General of UNESCO and comprises a certificate, a medal and a sum equivalent to USD 20,000.

The Prize has been awarded this time to Dr. Sayyed Ahang Kowsar (Iran), who has devoted his life to developing and implementing floodwater spreading and harvesting as a means of recharging aquifers and improving environmental quality. The prize has been awarded to Dr. Kowsar for his 40-year efforts and involvement in training, research and implementing projects dealing with saving water and management of water consumption.

:: Read the press release
:: More information about the Prize

Recently published: United Nations Environment Programme Atlas of African Lakes

The dramatic and, in some cases, damaging environmental changes sweeping Africa's lakes are brought into sharp focus in a new atlas. Produced by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Atlas of African Lakes was launched the past 31 October 2005 at the 11^th World Lake Conference in Nairobi, Kenya.

This Atlas assesses the strength of legal agreements between countries sharing the Continent's major water systems. The report concludes that, in order to reduce tensions between nations, much more needs to be done to beef up shared agreements and treaties to avoid instability in the future.

:: More information
:: Access the full publication

FACTS AND FIGURES ON WATER IN ASIA

• Only 47% of the Asian population has improved sanitation coverage, by far the lowest of any region of the world.
• Asia is home to 80% of the global population without access to improved sanitation. Water supply coverage is at 81%, the second lowest after Africa.
• Nearly all urban rivers and nearby water bodies have been seriously polluted. River water quality in the region has seen widespread deterioration to levels that pose significant risks to health standards.
• Asia, and particularly China, has seen the dominant share of aquaculture development, and this growth is expected to continue.
• Asian countries are constructing many new hydropower schemes, and the region is set to quadruple its 1995 deployment by 2010, primarily through large hydropower.
• More than 10 % of the region's hydropower is generated from small schemes, and micro-hydro installations are widespread, with significant potential for further development.
• Over the past 10 years, Asia has experienced nearly one third of all worldwide water-related (flood and drought) disasters. A total of 1.8 billion people were affected (90% of all people affected worldwide).
• Whereas 80% of affected persons in Africa were impacted by drought, in Asia 80% of affected persons were impacted by floods.

:: Facts and figures taken from the 1^st World Water Development Report (WWDR), 'Water for People, Water for Life'
:: Read more facts and figures from the WWDR.

Updated facts and figures will appear in WWDR2, to be launched on World Water Day 2006 at the 4^th World Water Forum in Mexico City, Mexico.

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Don't forget to keep visiting the WWAP website.

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