Meeting the thirst for knowledge

A global shortage of experts in water law has prompted a major revamp of the water law courses on offer at the University's UNESCO Centre for Water Law, Policy and Science.

The UNESCO Centre, the first of its kind in the UK and one of only 15 UNESCO Centre's in the world, is recognised internationally as the leading authority on water law.

Its innovative "Water Law, Water Leaders" programme was created in recognition of the need to train water law experts who could use their knowledge to empower local communities.

Now after 15 years of work in 50 different countries the Centre is changing the format of the programme to meet a growing need for shorter, more intensive courses.

Professor Patricia Wouters, Director of the Centre, explained that rather than requiring students to spend a whole academic year in Dundee the new look Water Law Water leaders programme will be delivered in a summer-school format.

"Water experts need to have short, sharp intensive modules," she said. "It is a need we have seen for ourselves and from working with the World Bank and the regional development banks in countries all around the globe - water is such a critical natural resource.

"There isn't the capacity particularly in developing countries for people to be out of the loop for a year. There may be only one person who can negotiate a treaty in water law and if they are in Dundee studying for a year there is no-one left to do the negotiations.

"This impacts more on poorer states and makes them vulnerable. We have designed this to meet the needs of the poorest and the most disadvantaged. It will be a new executive-style graduate degree programme delivered through blended learning with some modules in Dundee and some abroad.

"Water resources experts can come to Dundee for two weeks and take one of the three water law courses (international; national; transnational/governance) or come for the full 10 weeks and have all three courses; the distance-learning elements can be done throughout the year.

"The overall aim is to develop a new generation of "local water leaders," trained by the best teachers in the world, mentored and supported to continue their work in country.

"We already have the world's leading water lawyers on board with Honorary Associates from the World Bank, UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, FAO (Rome) and Professor Dan Tarlock from Chicago-Kent School of Law, as some of the headline global faculty on this innovative programme."

Professor Wouters, herself an internationally respected expert on public international law who has just been appointed to the Global Council on Water Security at the World Economic Forum, added that there has already been a significant level of interest in the new course.

"We have had requests from everywhere," she said. "Just a week after we advertised we had enquiries from all over India, China, Africa, Central Asia and South East Asia. What we're finding is that the people in the donor agencies, who pay for these courses, want to do it themselves because they can see how beneficial it could be.

"Everyone is recognising how important water is and it is not just a developing country issue. Of the 200 states in the world around 150 will be rewriting national water law at any one time -- including Scotland.

"Water law at a national level is in a constant state of flux. With climate change that has to be addressed at a national level in terms of law. The problem is that it is connected to everyone. Having an expert in water law is so important."

Other new courses offered by the Centre include two new and related masters programmes offered under the aegis of Potential Conflict to Cooperation Potential, UNESCO's programme on water and cooperation.

The courses offer an opportunity to study conflict management in Dundee and the UNESCO Centre in Delft in the Netherlands. Those enrolled at Dundee will spend time in both centres and study for an LLM in Water Governance and Conflict Resolution while those enrolled at Delft will qualify with an MSc in Water Management with a specialisation in Water Conflict Management.