UK Contribution to International Freshwater Issues

Andras Szöllösi-NagyDeputy Assistant Director-General for Natural SciencesSecretary, International Hydrological ProgrammeUNESCO

The UN Year

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

International Hydrological Programme (IHP)

International Hydrological Programme (IHP)

• 1965-1974 : IHD [Experimental Basins, World Cat. Of Very Large Floods, World Water Balance & WR of the E]

• 1975-1980 : IHP-I• 1981-1983 : IHP-II• 1984-1989 : IHP-III• 1990-1995 : IHP-IV Hydrology and Water Resources for

Sustainable Development• 1996-2001 : IHP-V Hydrology and Water Resources in a

Vulnerable Environment• 2002-2007 : IHP-VI Water Interactions: Systems at Risk

and Social Challenges

Water Interactions : Water Interactions :

Systems at Risk and Social Systems at Risk and Social ChallengesChallenges

Plan for the International Hydrological Programmeof UNESCO - Phase VI

(2002-2007)

IHP VI (2002-2007)

• Examples of Interactions– Surface water and groundwater– Atmospheric and terrestrial part of hydrologic

circle– Freshwater and salt water– Global watershed and river reach scales– Water bodies, terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems– Water and society– Science and policy– Water and civilization

IHP VI (2002-2007)

• The Plan for the 6th Phase of IHP has 2 major objectives:– To identify the most crucial water-related

research issues emanating from the multiple identified water-related problems at the turn of the millennium (cataloguing and classifying research problems);

– To identify activities and interested countries and organizations committed to particular focal areas and/or activities (Work Plan of IHP-VI)

Interlinkages of IHP-VI, HELP and FRIEND

T 5T 5

T1T1

T2T2

T3T3

TT44

IHP VI (2002-2007)

• Theme 1 (T1) Global Changes and Water Resources• Theme 2 (T2) Integrated Watershed and Aquifer

Dynamics• Theme 3 (T3) Land Habitat Hydrology• Theme 4 (T4) Water and Society• Theme 5 (T5) Water Education and Training

Two cross-cutting programme components (CCPCs): FRIEND (Flow Regimes from International Experimental and Network Data) and HELP (Hydrology for the Environment, Life and Policy) have been identified which, through their operational concept, interact with all themes.

Interlinkages of IHP-VI, HELP and FRIEND

T 5T 5

T1T1

T2T2

T3T3

TT44

JIIHP ISI IFP

Associated Programmes

UNESCO Chairs in Water

UNESCO Institutes /Centers

UNESCO -IHEInstitute for

Water Education

Existing Institutes / Centers

• UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education (Delft, The Netherlands)• RCUWM - Regional Center on Urban Water Management (Tehran, I.R. of

Iran)• Regional Center for Training and Water Studies of Arid and Semiarid

Zones (Cairo, Egypt)• CATHALAC - Center for the Humid Tropics of LAC (Panama City, Panama)• Humid Tropics Hydrology Center for SE Asia and the Pacific (Kuala

Lumpur, Malaysia)• IRTCUD - International Research and Training Center on Urban Drainage

(Belgrade, Serbia & Montenegro)• IRTCES - International Research and Training Center on Erosion and

Sedimentation (Beijing, China)• IGRAC - International Groundwater Resources Assessment Center

(Utrecht, The Netherlands)• CAZALAC - Water Center for Arid and Semiarid Regions of LAC (La

Serena, Chile)

Future Centers in the Pipeline

• Regional Center for the Management of Shared Groundwater Resources (Tripoli, Libya)

• Regional Center on Urban Water Management for LAC (Bogota, Colombia)

• Regional Center for Ecohydrology (Warsaw, Poland)

• International Center on Qanats and Historic Hydraulic Structures (Yazd, I.R. of Iran)

• Center on the Global Water Cycle (UNH, New Hampshire, USA)

• Regional Center on Drought for Sub-Saharan Africa (site to be identified)

Programmes

• FRIEND• HELP• WWAP• PCCP / WCF

Flow Regimes from International Experimental and

Network Data

Flow Regimes from International Experimental and

Network Data

An International Collaborative Study

in Regional Hydrology

An International Collaborative Study

in Regional Hydrology

FRIEND : Approach

• Development of international hydrological databases containing– time series of daily river flows– spatial data e.g. digitised catchment boundaries,

climate, land-use, and soil type• Conduct research in small international project groups on

specified themes• Adopt common approaches to the analysis of data from

different regions • Exchange of data, models and analysis techniques

between researchers in different countries• Disseminate results through training courses, workshops,

conferences, exchange visits and annual meetings of project groups.

Research themes NE AMHY S Africa AOC Nile HKHAsianPacific

AMIGO

Database

Low flows and water resources

Regime variability

Long time series: models and trends

Extreme rainfall and runoff estimation

Rainfall-runoff modelling

Physical processes

Sediment transport

Water quality

Snow and glaciers

Integrated catchment management

FRIEND Research Themes

To deliver social, economic and environmental benefit to stakeholders through sustainable and appropriate use of water by directing hydrological science towards improved integrated catchment management basins

Hydrology for the Environment, Life and

Policy (HELP)

Compiled from Mike Bonell, Jim Shuttleworth and Jim Wallace

...

Real peopleReal catchmentsReal answersHELP

...

“Paradigm Lock ”

Real peopleReal catchmentsReal answersHELP

Isolated by legal and professional precedence

……based on outdated knowledge and technology

Process hydrology Water managers and stakeholders

ideasresearch

understanding implementation

outputdesign

Isolated by lack of proven utility

Acceptedpractices

DEMONSTRATION DRAINAGE BASINS

Financially underpinned

by donors and national

sources

Selection of 5-10 demonstration drainage basins (104

-106 km²) worldwide

Addressing the most

critical water policy

issues

...Real peopleReal catchmentsReal answersHELP

H E L P P IL O T P H A S E D R A IN A G E B A S IN S

A fr ic a1 . O lifa n ts (S o u th A fr ic a ,

M o z a m b iq u e )2 . T h u k e la (S o u th A fr ic a )

N o rth a n d C e n tra l A m e ric a1 7 . L a k e O n ta r io (U S A , C a n a d a )1 8 . R e d -A r k a n s a s /L it t le W a s h ita (U S A )1 9 . S a n P e d ro (U S A , M e x ic o )2 0 . L u q u illo M o u n ta in s (P u e rto R ic o )2 1 . P a n a m a C a n a l (P a n a m a )2 2 . Y a k im a (W a s h in g to n , U S A )2 3 . H u d s o n (N Y & N J , U S A )

A u s tra la s ia3 . M o tu e k a (N e w Z e a la n d )4 . M o u n t L o fty (A u s tra lia )5 . M u rru m b id g e e , s u b -b a s in o f M u rra y D a r lin g (A u s tra lia )

A s ia6 . N E o f T h a ila n d a n d V ie tn a m e s e D e lta , s u b -b a s in s o f M e k o n g (6 c o u n tr ie s in A s ia )7 . S u b e rn a r e k h a ( In d ia )8 . Y a s u o r T a m a (J a p a n )9 . A ra l S e a (C e n tra l A s ia ) 1 0 . W a la w e (S r i L a n k a )1 1 . T a r im (C h in a )

E u ro p e1 2 . H e ra u lt ( F ra n c e )1 3 . D a n u b e (5 c o u n tr ie s in E u ro p e )1 4 . S p re e -H a v e l (G e rm a n y )1 5 . U p p e r S e v e rn (U K )1 6 . T h a m e s (U K )

M id d le E a s t (N o n e )

S o u th A m e ric a2 4 . R io J a u a n d /o r R io B ra n c o

o r J i-p a ra n a (B ra z il)2 5 . R io J e q u e te p e q u e (P e ru )

1 7 1 8

1 9

2 1

2 2 2 3

2 4 2 5

1 31 4

1 5

1 6

1 2

3

4 5

6

7

9

1 0

1 1

R e fe re n c e H E L P B a s in O p e ra t io n a l H E L P B a s in E v o lv in g H E L P B a s inP ro p o s e d H E L P B a s in

1 2

2 0

8

H E L P P IL O T P H A S E D R A IN A G E B A S IN S

A fr ic a1 . O lifa n ts (S o u th A fr ic a ,

M o z a m b iq u e )2 . T h u k e la (S o u th A fr ic a )

N o rth a n d C e n tra l A m e ric a1 7 . L a k e O n ta r io (U S A , C a n a d a )1 8 . R e d -A r k a n s a s /L it t le W a s h ita (U S A )1 9 . S a n P e d ro (U S A , M e x ic o )2 0 . L u q u illo M o u n ta in s (P u e rto R ic o )2 1 . P a n a m a C a n a l (P a n a m a )2 2 . Y a k im a (W a s h in g to n , U S A )2 3 . H u d s o n (N Y & N J , U S A )

A u s tra la s ia3 . M o tu e k a (N e w Z e a la n d )4 . M o u n t L o fty (A u s tra lia )5 . M u rru m b id g e e , s u b -b a s in o f M u rra y D a r lin g (A u s tra lia )

A s ia6 . N E o f T h a ila n d a n d V ie tn a m e s e D e lta , s u b -b a s in s o f M e k o n g (6 c o u n tr ie s in A s ia )7 . S u b e rn a r e k h a ( In d ia )8 . Y a s u o r T a m a (J a p a n )9 . A ra l S e a (C e n tra l A s ia ) 1 0 . W a la w e (S r i L a n k a )1 1 . T a r im (C h in a )

E u ro p e1 2 . H e ra u lt ( F ra n c e )1 3 . D a n u b e (5 c o u n tr ie s in E u ro p e )1 4 . S p re e -H a v e l (G e rm a n y )1 5 . U p p e r S e v e rn (U K )1 6 . T h a m e s (U K )

M id d le E a s t (N o n e )

S o u th A m e ric a2 4 . R io J a u a n d /o r R io B ra n c o

o r J i-p a ra n a (B ra z il)2 5 . R io J e q u e te p e q u e (P e ru )

1 7 1 8

1 9

2 1

2 2 2 3

2 4 2 5

1 31 4

1 5

1 6

1 2

3

4 5

6

7

9

1 0

1 1

R e fe re n c e H E L P B a s in O p e ra t io n a l H E L P B a s in E v o lv in g H E L P B a s inP ro p o s e d H E L P B a s in

1 2

2 0

8

PLAYERSUNESCO (IHP)

WMO (HWRP)

GEWEXCLIVAR

IGBP

IAHS

IAEA NASA...

GTOS

ICSU

CGIAR/CIP IWMI

GWP

The State of The World’sFreshwater Resources

World Water Assessment Programme

(WWAP)

The Mandate

• By co-ordinating the concerns and activities of 23 UN agencies to:

– Identify and describe the nature of water crises.

– Assess the coping capacity of societies.

– Assess the effectiveness of policies.

– Develop indicators to monitor and report progress against targets.

– Enhance capacities of the participating countries to perform in-country assessments.

Water Solidarity within the UN System

• Brought UN Agencies together in assessing water issues

• UN Water has recognized – WWDR as the flagship product– WWAP as the flagship programme

• WWDR recognized as the principle output of the UN system for the IYFW 2003

• Production of African Water Development Report

From Potential Conflict

to Co-operation Potential

Water for Peace

a contribution to

World Water Assessment Programme

Purpose:

To tip the balance in favour of co-operation potential

away from potential conflicts

in order to enhance water security

Target Groups

Institutions and individuals that manage shared water resources:

• Governments

• Donor and funding agencies

• Educators at all levels

• Professionals

• Current and future decision-makers

Operational objectives

Defining and Surveying Conflicts in Water Resources Management

Identifying possible PC and CP indicators

Providing Educational Material

Providing Decision Support Tools

Disseminating results and good practices

INTERNATIONAL WATER (CONFLICT MEDIATION) COOPERATION FACILITY

POSSIBLE PROJECTS POSSIBLE PROJECTS WHERE WE NEED YOUR WHERE WE NEED YOUR

HELPHELP

WATER SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMME FOR THE

UNESCO-IHE INSTITUTE FOR WATER EDUCATION

UNESCO INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY FUND

FOR WATER

Multimedia teacher professional development for water education

Each of the 60 million teachers in the world is a key agent for bringing about the changes in lifestyles and systems we need. For this reason, teacher education is an important part of solving the looming water crisis.

In most countries very few teachers have the knowledge or skills to teach about water and sustainable development issues.

This is because there are very few resources to train the teachers. Teachers particularly need training the social and economic aspects of water in

addition to the traditional scientific approach - for example: water and health, water and food security, water and peace etc.

Fortunately, there is a wealth of information on these water topics already available online.

UNESCO wants to provide a framework that teachers can use to capitalise on these resources.

This can help improve the quality of education and encourage governments to adopt a broader view of water in syllabuses and learning materials.

Multimedia professional development allows us to take advantage of new Information and Communication Technologies - relatively inexpensive, accessible, flexible, up-to-date, interactive.

The History of Water and Civilization

A UNESCO book series on humanity’s interaction with water

– The use and management of water resources is one of humanity’s most ancient and most powerful activities - but its History remains to be written!

– This publication project is designed as a tool for a better understanding of the actual water challenge and a basis for wiser actions in the future.

Water History experts developed the series’ following sequence:

The History of Water and Civilization

• will foster research, collect and systemize findings on the historical interaction between water resources and human development; and

• disseminate this referential scientific information to the interested public, academics, and policy makers.

Adaptations of the series include:• Books for children, audiovisual productions, public information packets,

multimedia uses, and policy briefs.• Related events like seminars and conferences, but also International

Film Festivals and Exhibitions.

Based on the dialogue of the world’s cultures, this project is thought to act as a catalyst for a new holistic vision of humanity’s interaction with water.

UNESCO Water Portalwww.unesco.org/water

The challenge we all have

How to put water in the mindsof people?