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UNESCO and Stakeholders Celebrate Women & Girls in Science
© Ministry of Education Kenya
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UNESCO to host inception workshop for ‘Community-focused Flood Early Warning System for the Buzi Pungwe and Save Transboundary River Basins Project’
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Groundwater: the invisible resource
Groundwater is among the most important natural resources It is the source of public supply to households and businesses it provides half of the volume of water withdrawn for domestic use by the global population including the drinking water for the vast majority of the rural population who do not get their water delivered to them via  supply systems In different regions of the world 50 or more of the water used for irrigation comes from groundwater Withdrawals of groundwater is expected to rise as the population increases and surface water availability become more limited Climate change increasing variation in rainfall patterns and growing water demand by all sectors will make the valuable groundwater resources even more sought after In spite of its great abondance and overall availability the explosion in demand will push groundwater extraction to unsustainable levels which is already the case in many areas and ultimately to depletion The 2022 edition of the United Nations World Water Development Report which will be released on World Water Day 22 March 2022 will expand on importance of properly protecting and managing groundwater resources in the fight against poverty the creation of decent jobs sustainable development and increasing the resilience of the societies and economies to climate change
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The Youth Engaged with the Oceans Initiative and National Geographic recognized three projects from Latin America and the Caribbean
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Report on the progress of transboundary water cooperation (SDG 6.5.2) now available in 5 languages
The second progress report on the Sustainable Development Goal indicator 652 which focuses on transboundary water cooperation is now available in five languages English French Spanish Arabic and Russian The report had been published in English in 2021 by UNECE and UNESCO cocustodian agencies for SDG indicator 652 on behalf of UNWater The SDG Indicator 652 report suggests that not nearly enough operational arrangements for transboundary water cooperation are in place At continental level the report shows that Europe and North America have the fullest coverage of operational arrangements followed by subSaharan Africa However across Asia Latin America and North AfricaWestern Asia the levels of operational arrangements in place for transboundary rivers lakes and aquifers remain low  At country level the report states that 153 countries share transboundary rivers lakes and aquifers while only 24 countries report having operational arrangements in place for all their transboundary waters A level of cooperation which  contrasts with one of the ambitions of the Sustainable Development Goals SDG framework to ensure that all transboundary rivers lakes and aquifers are covered by operational arrangements by 2030 SDG 652 A further challenge highlighted in the report relates to transboundary aquifers While there have been improvements since the first report in 2018 many countries still have limited knowledge of the groundwater resources they share with their neighbours as well as low levels of cooperation Despite a vital role of groundwater only 12 countries report transboundary agreements developed for transboundary aquifers However more and more River Basin Commissions also integrate activities on groundwater The SDG indicator 652 report promotes the importance of transboundary groundwater Countries are requested to report on the status of their transboundary aquifers revealing also the need for human and instituional capacity development regarding the role of groundwater and aquifers in transboundary cooperation As one of the custodian agencies of the SDG 652 Indicator report the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization UNESCO through its  Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme IHP stands ready to support countries for the next reporting round in 2023  UNESCOIHP has been working actively in the area of transboundary groundwater cooperation groundwater management and governance as well as water education  In 2021 UNESCOIHP organized the Second International UNESCO Conference on transboundary aquifers ISARM2021 which focused on  the Challenges and the way forward in groundwater aquifer management The conference aimed at showcasing diverse efforts made by UNESCO and the International and Donor communities the Global Environment Facility GEF the World Bank WB the Food and Agriculture Organization FAO the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC the German Agency for International Cooperation GIZ and others to focus on groundwater as an enabler for achieving the waterrelated SDGs ISARM 2021 announced the 2022 Groundwater focus for UNESCOIHP which will culminate with the UNWater Groundwater Summit to hold in December 2022 at UNESCO Paris  Progress on transboundary water cooperation global status of SDG indicator 652 and acceleration needs 2021English Français Español Русский العربية    
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Training module 1 February 15, 2022
15 February 2022 1000 1200 Arabia Standard Time
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Training module 2 16 February 2022
16 February 2022 1300 1500 Arabia Standard Time
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Training module 3 February 21, 2022
22 February 2022 1300 1500 Arabia Standard Time
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Training module 4 February 22, 2022
22 February 2022 1300 1500 Arabia Standard Time
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UNESCO dialogue on Cultural and Natural Heritage for Rural Regeneration in Latin America and the Caribbean
The transformative power of cultural and natural heritage is increasingly recognized as a key enabler for sustainable development particularly in rural areas facing chronic economic social and environmental challenges
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UNESCO - EU Transcultura Programme extends until February 28 its Second Call for Applications for young Caribbean creative professionals
The Transcultura Programme Integrating Cuba the Caribbean and the European Union through Culture and Creativity launched the Second Call for Applications to the Transcultura Scholarship Scheme in partnership with the University of West Indies Open Campus UWIOC It is a fully funded scheme supporting young artists and cultural professionals developing a career related to culture and creativity Candidates will have the opportunity to enroll in short capacitybuilding online and blended courses on Cultural and Creative Industries CCI offered by the Transcultura Regional Cultural Training Hub  The Call has been extended to February 28 2022 This Call for Applications round 2 offers free access to blended courses conducted by the UWIOC for young Caribbeans within the cultural and creative sector enabling them to manage and develop their business ideas and projects The blended courses are part of the Transcultura Course Catalogue     Small Business Management     Effective management and Leadership      Effective Business Communication      Grant Proposal Writing      Financial Monitoring and Evaluation     Project Management     Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation      Finance for NonFinance Manager     Sales and Marketing Management     Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management     Brand Management  The Transcultura training opportunities are designed in both facetoface and online formats primarily in physical centres in Havana but also through partner institutions like the University of the West Indies and its Open Campus However given the need to address and adapt the capacitybuilding component of the Programme there are currently implemented exclusively in an online and blended format With this initiative Transcultura aims to deepen cultural cooperation in the Caribbean and strengthen peopletopeople cooperation by empowering young women and men as agents for sustainable development through capacity building in the cultural and creative industries seeking to boost entrepreneurship and innovation foster cooperation in the arts and culture sector and create exchanges and networks to enhance complementarity and knowledge sharing Transcultura is a fouryear Programme funded by the European Union and implemented by the UNESCO Regional Office for Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean  Do not miss this outstanding opportunity to become a Transcultura Fellow  Learn more and apply here httpswwwopenuwiedutransculturascholarships
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UNESCO hosts international conference to address growing concern on water access in urban centres globally
The 2nd Water Megacities and Global Change conference which is expected to gather over 2 000 participants and takingplace online on 1114 January aims to seek solutions towards resolving the global access to water which is becoming a cause for concern especially in urban areas It is estimated that by 2030 over a billion people will live in approximately 100 very large cities and 60 of the worlds population will live in urban areas Presently the urban population ratio in some regions surpasses 70 and it is projected that population growth in the coming decades will be higher in urban centers and particularly in megacities or metropolitan areas of more than 10 million inhabitants Megacities are found on all continents except Oceania They cover diverse geographical areas with a wide range of climates and are generally located close to rivers lakes or seas The diversity of intellectual technical and financial resources components that exist within megacities is an opportunity for mobilizing these resources so that innovative solutions can emerge and guarantee access to water and sanitation for all populations equality of services economic viability resilience of systems flexibility of solutions and the protection of the natural environment Coorganized by the  Division of Water Sciences of the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization UNESCO with ARCEAUIle de France ARCEAUIdF in collaboration with the Greater Paris Metropolis and the greater Paris Sanitation Authority SIAAP the conference will gather water and sanitation operators decision makers and political representatives of Megacities researchers and students civil society and basin authorities who will meet with the overall goal of enhancing the integration interaction and knowledge exchange between all these majors actors for water management in Megacities in the face of climate change Other major objectives of the conference include Produce a scientific and technical overview of water challenges and solutions that Megacities face and use to mitigate the effects of climate change by concretizing the exchange of their expertise in the specific field of water Strengthen the dialogue between science and policy actors at local level To activate the cooperation platform of the Megacities Alliance for Water and Climate MAWAC by concretizing the exchange of their expertise in the specific field of water and climate To review the Strategic Global Framework of MAWAC prepared by the Working Group of UNESCO Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme IHP
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Call for interest on the UNESCO Groundwater Youth Network (GWYN) – Deadline: 31 January 2022
Youth being a priority group for UNESCO and inline with its Operational Strategy on Youth 20142021 the Division of Water Sciences is committed to engaging with youth and young scientists not just as beneficiaries but also as knowledge holders changemakers and leaders that contribute to addressing water security In this framework the Water Sciences Division of UNESCO is proposing to create a Groundwater Youth Network   Objectives of the UNESCO Groundwater Youth Network GWYN Create a Network of groundwater young ambassadors of change towards new management of natural resources Empower young professionals through giving them an opportunity to be included in decisionmaking processes by sharing their ideas experiences and good practices Develop young participants professionally through capacity enhancement programmes Serve as advocacy mechanism on behalf of young professionals to promote mainstreaming of youth participation in internationally groundwater activities Identify key joint priorities and plans to implement initiatives related to groundwater and youth Provide a platform to share technical and operational recommendations and solutions to integrate the youth perspective in the preparation of UNESCOIHPs activities and events related to groundwater