COOPERATION WITH UN SYSTEM ON FRESHWATER ISSUES

Transcription

1 Paris, 25 May 2010 Original: English International Hydrological Programme 19 th session of the Intergovernmental Council (Paris, 5 9 July 2010) COOPERATION WITH UN SYSTEM ON FRESHWATER ISSUES Item 14.1 of the provisional agenda Summary This document presents a brief report on the cooperation of UNESCO- IHP with the UN System, particularly through UN-Water and on a bilateral basis with UN agencies.

2 Page 1 1. The Chief Executive Board and High Level Committee on Programmes (HLCP) of the United Nations, at its meeting held on September 2003, established UN-Water as the inter-agency mechanism for follow-up of the WSSD water-related decisions and the MDGs concerning water. Through improved coordination within the UN System, it will support Member States in their efforts to achieve water and sanitation goals and targets. 2. UN-Water functions as a coordination mechanism only and is made up of the UN agencies, programmes and funds that have a significant role in tackling global water concerns; currently it has 27 members, including ILO whose membership was approved at the 12 th UN-Water Meeting in February Additionally, it includes non-un partners in advancing progress towards the water-related goals of the International Decade for Action Water for Life and the Millennium Development Goals. 3. UN-Water is considered a model for working in a collaborative fashion and achieving coherence within the United Nations. It has been reinforced with the setting up of the multidonor UN-Water Inter-Agency Trust Fund (UNW-IATF) and the newly established Programmes and Offices. UNESCO has become a signatory to the UNW-IATF by signing the Memorandum of Understanding between the UNW-IATF Participating Organizations and UNOPS regarding the Operational Aspects of the UNW-IATF in April UN-Water has set up a mechanism to conduct work on priority thematic issues, identified as part of the UN-Water work programme. Much of UN-Water activities are carried out through time-bound task forces established to focus on priority areas or emerging issues and to facilitate coordination and enhanced cooperation of UN-Water members activities on a particular topic. UN-Water Task Forces currently include: Task Force on Climate Change Task Force on Transboundary Waters Task Force on Gender and Water Task Force on Indicators, Monitoring and Reporting Task Force on Country-level Coordination Task Force on Sanitation Task Force on Wastewater Management 5. In 2008, the task forces on IWRM and Monitoring and Reporting were combined into the Task Force on Indicators, Monitoring and Reporting. The Task Force on IWRM completed its work after having presented its report on the status of implementation of IWRM plans at CSD-16. At the 12th UN-Water Meeting, the UN-Water decided to establish a new UN-Water Task Force on Wastewater Management, under the joint coordination of UNEP and UN-Habitat. UNESCO-IHP contributes actively to the work of these Task Forces through its scientific research and its educational material. UN-WATER JOINT STEERING GROUP 6. At the 12th UN-Water Meeting, the UN-Water decided to establish a Joint Steering Group (JSG) under the UN-Water Operational Guidelines as a forum to steer the operational management of UN-Water. The JSG includes, as permanent members, the Chair, Vice- Chair and Secretary of UN-Water. UNESCO, along with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR), were appointed as additional members of the group. 7. The JSG has the overall responsibility of all operational aspects related to UN-Water, including Work Programme and budget planning, decision-making related to the

3 Page 2 implementation of agreed activities, oversight and management of the UN-Water Technical Secretariat and preparations for the UN-Water Senior Programme Managers (SPM) meetings. The JSG provides guidance on all activities of UN-Water and its programmes and prepares for decisions of strategic importance that are taken at the semi-annual SPM meetings. COOPERATION WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF UN-WATER UN World Water Day 8. An international day to celebrate freshwater was recommended at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). UN-Water is responsible for organizing the annual United Nations World Water Day (22 March) in cooperation with the designated leading agencies. UN World Water Day 2009 (Transboundary Waters) 9. UNESCO was chosen, together with UNECE, to be the lead agencies for the preparation and celebration of the UN World Water Day 2009 (WWD 2009), which was dedicated to the theme of Transboundary Waters. UNESCO-IHP (PCCP), in cooperation with UNECE, the Office of the UN-Water chair in FAO and the UN-Water Task Force on Transboundary Waters, developed the WWD2009 website, a promotional brochure and other campaign materials to celebrate the Day. 10. UNESCO organized, with the cooperation of the partners, the main WWD 2009 celebration on 22 March 2009, comprising a high-level session on the topic of transboundary water management at the Fifth World Water Forum in Istanbul. UN World Water Day 2010 (Water Quality) 11. UN-Water has dedicated World Water Day 2010 (WWD 2010) to the theme of water quality, reflecting its importance alongside quantity of the resource in water management. For this year s annual World Water Day, celebrated on 22 March under the motto Clean Water for a Healthy World, UNESCO, jointly with WWF-France, organized a Roundtable on Water Quality, Quality of Life, with the participation of Chantal Jouanno, French Secretary of State for Ecology. 12. UNESCO contributed to the Scientific and Outreach Segment of the UN-Water Event on World Water Day 2010, organized by UNEP, UN-Habitat, UNSGAB and the Government of Kenya, on behalf of UN-Water. UNESCO also contributed to the UN-Water Statement and Policy Brief on Water Quality, which were released on the occasion of WWD UN-Water Task Force on Transboundary Waters 13. UNESCO-IHP is as a co-chair of the UN Water Task Force on Transboundary Waters and has contributed to the following activities of the Task Force: Production of a UN-Water policy brief on transboundary waters (2008). UNESCO-IHP (PCCP), on behalf of UN-Water Task Force on Transboundary Waters, acted as a co-convener of Workshop on Benefit Sharing and Transboundary Waters during the World Water Week 2009, held under the theme Accessing Water for the Common Good.

4 Page 3 The UN-Water Task Force on Transboundary Waters is preparing a mapping report and a website on the activities carried out by UN-Water members and partners in the area of transboundary waters in order to allow UN Water members to identify areas of overlaps or gaps in order to adjust the coordination among them. UNESCO-IHP is playing a coordination role in this process as a co-chair of the Task Force. UN-Water and the World Water Assessment Programme 14. The most important cooperation between UNESCO-IHP and UN-Water takes place through the World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP) ), whose Secretariat is hosted and led by the UNESCO. 15. UNESCO-IHP has always been extensively involved in the scientific work of the WWAP through contributions to the World Water Development Report (WWDR) and its side publications. For the preparation of the fourth edition of the WWDR (WWDR4), UNESCO- IHP is leading two challenge area reports (the quantity/distribution aspect of the State of the Resource and the allocation of resource) and collaborating with other agencies in the preparation of Developing Knowledge and Capacity challenge area report. UNESCO staff, category II centers and IHP network will provide scientific contributions to these reports. Detailed information on cooperation with WWAP is contained in document IHP/IC-XIX/Inf.17. UN-Water Decade Programme on Capacity Development 18. UN-Water Decade Programme on Capacity Development (UNW-DPC) is a joint programme of UN agencies and programmes cooperating in the framework of UN-Water. 19. UNESCO-IHP co-organized, in collaboration with UNW-DPC and the German Government, a workshop on Education for Water Sustainability, where Decades Meet at the UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development (Bonn, 2009). 20. UNESCO-IHP and UNW-DPC jointly organized a G-WADI Workshop on Water - Science, Policy and Capacity Development (Dakar, April 2010) to support capacity development in Sub-Saharan Africa. COOPERATION WITH UNEP 21. On 4 April 2009, Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO, and Mr Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), signed a broadly-scoped Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to provide a framework of cooperation and facilitate collaboration between UNESCO and UNEP. With respect to freshwater, in the MoU, both organizations agreed: Joint collaboration in the context of the UN-Water mechanism; Joint support and contribution to the WWAP and the preparation of the WWDR; Maximizing complementarities and synergies in national water resource management plans and policies as well as capacity-building; Cooperation on water resources adaptation strategies and policies to mitigate the impact of global changes on the hydrological cycle and on water resources in transboundary and other river basins and aquifers; 22. The MoU, as signed, did not necessarily reflect the full scope of suggestions and comments made by the UNESCO-IHP Secretariat.

5 Page 4 COOPERATION WITH WMO 23. UNESCO and WMO are the two leading organizations dealing with various aspects of freshwater related to both operational and science issues. The International Flood Initiative, which was established by both organizations and joined by other UN organizations and scientific institutions such as UNU and IAHS, focuses on a holistic approach to flood management. UNESCO and WMO have produced a series of joint publications, including: Water Resources Assessment Handbook for Review of National Capabilities; Manual on the Estimation and Prediction of Low Flows; and the International Glossary of Hydrology. 24. The twenty-eighth session of the UNESCO/WMO Liaison Committee for Hydrological Activities was held in UNESCO Headquarters, Paris, in January 2010, with the presence of the President of WMO s Commission for Hydrology and the Chairperson of the Intergovernmental Council of IHP and staff members of both organizations. During the meeting, the two organizations: exchanged information on the status of the hydrology and water resources related activities of WMO and UNESCO; reviewed existing joint activities and future cooperation opportunities; and agreed to review the Working Agreement on the Long-term Co-operation in the Field of Hydrology originally established in 1974 between the Secretariats of UNESCO and WMO and to update its Terms of References. COOPERATION WITH IAEA 25. The cooperation between UNESCO-IHP and the IAEA s Section of Isotope Hydrology is undertaken mainly through the implementation of the Joint Isotope in Hydrology Project (JIIHP). Within the framework of the JIIHP project, IAEA and UNESCO- IHP are also partners in the implementation of the GEF-UNDP project on the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System. COOPERATION WITH UNECE 26. The cooperation between UNECE and UNESCO-IHP is undertaken through joint activities in Central Asia and SEE countries. UNESCO-IHP is supporting UNECE in the preparation of the second assessment of transboundary waters of the UNECE region. COOPERATION WITH UNU 27. Activities under the UNESCO-IHP project on Water and Cultural Diversity have been undertaken in partnership with the UNU-IAS Traditional Knowledge Initiative (TKI) project on Traditional Knowledge and Water Management. In the biennium , UNESCO-IHP and TKI in jointly organized sessions on water and cultural diversity at the 5th World Water Forum and an International Symposium on Water and Cultural Diversity. Future cooperation will focus on implementation of a joint UNESCO/UNU-IAS Fellowship on Water and Cultural Diversity and launching of a book titled "Water, Cultural Diversity, and Global Environmental Change: Sustainable Futures, Emerging Trends?". COOPERATION WITH UNDP, UNICEF AND OTHER AGENCIES, INCLUDING One-UN INITIATIVES AT THE COUNTRY LEVEL 28. UNESCO-IHP s cooperation with UNDP and UNEP has recently focused on groundwater resources, mainly in the framework of GEF funded projects in the MENA region and in Africa. 29. UNESCO, the National Committee of Kazakhstan for UNESCO-IHP and UNDP organized a Roundtable on the World Water Day 2009 in Almaty, Kazakhstan, with national

6 Page 5 experts and representatives of international organizations to raise awareness about the challenges posed by transboundary water management. 30. UNESCO works closely with the UN Theme Group on Environment and Climate Change in China on Climate Change adaptation for Water Resources under China Climate Change Partnership Framework. In this framework, UNESCO, in cooperation with the Global Water Partnership and UNICEF, organized High Level Roundtable on Global Climate Change and Water Security in China. 31. UNESCO negotiated with the UN team in India, Nepal and Sri Lanka to align all activities corresponding to water sciences with agreed UNDAF implementation framework. 32. UNESCO provided input on capacity building component to formulate urban sanitation policy for Uttar Pradesh in India, which is a project initiated by UNICEF. 33. UNESCO provided supervisory and printing support to the Sri Lanka Water Development Report and the Walawe Basin Report. The Walawe Basin report was showcased in the WWDR3. For the second edition of the Sri Lanka Water Development Report, the UNESCO New Delhi Office is working closely with UNDP and UNICEF. The publication will also be UNESCO s contribution to the UNDAF process in Sri Lanka. 34. UNESCO in collaboration with UNDP-Iran is launching two comprehensive studies on climate change impacts and adaptation in the two G-WADI Pilot Basins of Iran. A five years action plan ( ) is developed for each basin as a road-map for collaboration of the two UN agencies with the different concerned government offices. 35. UNESCO and UNEP have jointly undertaken activities aiming at both analyzing the causes, consequences, extent and severity of deforestation in the Mau Forest Complex and investigating the contributions of both climatic and human factors to the changing hydrological conditions in the Mau Forest Complex. 36. UNESCO-IHP Africa, together with UNEP and UN-Habitat, serves as the interim secretariat of the newly created African Groundwater Commission (AGWC) of the African Minister Committee on Water (AMCOW). In this framework, UNESCO-IHP Africa and UNEP jointly organized the First Meeting of the AGWC in March UNESCO-IHP Africa will serve as the Vice-Chair of UN-Water/Africa and will be in charge of the follow up on AGWC and will contribute to the themes on of transboundary waters and fresh-sea water interface. 37. In the framework of the UN reform in Uruguay and its pilot project United in Action, the IHP-LAC participates in the project Environmental Vulnerability and Sustainability at a Territorial Level. As a joint effort with the UNW-DPC and UN-Habitat, IHP-LAC organized the Training Workshop for Journalists on Water, Climate Change and Adaptation in Latin America and the Caribbean (Montevideo, Uruguay, December 2009). COOPERATION IN THE CONTEXT OF THE UN INTERNATIONAL DECADE FOR ACTION WATER FOR LIFE 38. In the context of the United Nations International Decade for Action - Water for Life ( ), UNESCO-IHP is collaborating and contributing to WWAP, UNW-DPAC, the UN-Water Decade Programme on Capacity Development (UNW-DPC) and UN-DESA. Such activities are detailed in document IHP/IC-XIX/Inf.19, including potential collaboration with UN-DESA for the mid-decade review conference of the International Decade for Action - Water for Life.