27 November 2006

Launch of UNESCO Centre for Water Law, Policy and Science

A pioneering UNESCO Centre in Dundee, Scotland, aimed at ensuring fair distribution of the world’s increasingly in-demand water supplies, is formally launched in Brussels tomorrow (November 28th).

The UNESCO Centre for Water Law, Policy and Science at the University of Dundee is the first centre in the world dedicated to developing legal frameworks to help address the pressing problems related to the management of the world’s water resources.

The launch event takes place at Scotland House in Brussels, with senior figures from the European institutions, diplomatic missions and international organizations in attendance. The event is hosted by Sir Alan Langlands, Principal of the University of Dundee, and HE Tim Craddock, the UK Ambassador to UNESCO.

The centre is already engaged in projects around the world, developing frameworks for the effective management of water resources, training a new generation of `water leaders’, and linking scientists, policymakers and lawyers.

At the heart of the Centre’s aims is the goal of ensuring all the world’s people have fair and equitable access to water.

Mr Craddock, said, "This is the first UNESCO Centre in the UK, and it is a significant achievement for Dundee and for Scotland. But above all it is a huge practical contribution to tackling what is likely to be one of the greatest challenges of the next century - the need to share equitably the most important resource - water."

"The Dundee centre is at the cutting-edge of policy development. Through sharing experiences and building knowledge, it can make a huge contribution in helping policy makers and governments tackle this challenge effectively."

Professor Patricia Wouters, director of the UNESCO Centre for Water Law, Policy and Science at Dundee, said, "There are many hard challenges ahead for the world and how we share our water supplies."

"Climate change, natural disasters, globalisation, world trade, increasing population, conflict - all of these are placing increased pressure on our water supplies. Good science and good policy alone will not solve the world’s water problems - we need `rules of the game’ codified in transparent, enforceable and responsive legal instruments."

"Our experience around the world, with national governments, stakeholders, bilateral and multilateral donors and UN agencies reveals a real need for a new generation of `water leaders’. Missing from most water resource management schemes is in-country expertise in water law and policy. This expertise needs to be enhanced at the local level worldwide."

The Centre has attracted funding of £2.5 million in major grants, including a significant award from the Scottish Executive, which have allowed it to establish a new base at the University of Dundee and embark on a programme of recruitment which will see the creation of new chairs in Water Law and Water Science.

"We are looking to bring the very best people in the world to Dundee," said Professor Wouters.

The Dundee centre is a world leader in postgraduate research, teaching and training in water law and policy. The Centre has established a Legal Assessment Model (LAM) for the development of water policy, working with research teams in China, Mozambique and Palestine.

The centre links into 67 water basins around the world, all of which are part of the Hydrology for the Environment, Life and Policy (HELP) initiative jointly administered by UNESCO and the World Meteorological Organisation. The Dundee centre is launching a "Water Law, Water Leaders" Masters degree programme which it will teach in-country at these water basins.

NOTES TO EDITORS

UNESCO CENTRE FOR WATER LAW, POLICY AND SCIENCE - CURRENT RESEARCH ACTIVITIES

BRAHMATWINN: EU funded collaborative project twinning the Upper Danube and Upper Brahmaputra River Basin in order to enhance capacity and implement adaptive IWRM. Responsibilities include assessing the current legal frameworks within the basins, developing reform proposals in collaboration with international and local partners, and formulating legal indicators to IWRM.

Legal Aspects of Integrated Flood Management: Collaborative project with the World Meteorological Organisation and Global Water Partnership Integrated Flood Management Programme. Tasks include contributing to report on the legal aspects of flood management, and identifying future research opportunities within the field. A model for assessing the current status of laws relating to integrated flood management at the national and international levels is also being developed as part of the project.

STRIVER: EU funded interdisciplinary project to develop strategies and methodologies for improved IWRM. The project involves conducting and evaluating an interdisciplinary assessment of four twinning basins, ie., Tunga Badhra (India), Sesan (Vietnam/Cambodia), Glomma (Norway), and Tejo/Tagus (Spain/Portugal). Responsibilities include developing and fostering linkages between different project groups, including scientists, policy-makers, managers, end-users and the general public; and also conducting a legal analysis and evaluation of the four basins.

Transboundary Water Sharing: A Review of Best Practice with application to the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region: DFID funded project in collaboration with University of Oxford, and Centre for Hydrology and Ecology, Wallingford. Responsibilities include developing an analytical framework for assessing recent treaty practice, and identifying key sources of international water law.

EU-SCADWUC: EU TACIS-funded project, advising the Government of Kazkahstan on the creation of sustainable water user associations, in the context of the recently finalised Water Code. The project will focus on proposing amendments to existing legislation, and will result in the drafting of educational materials and standard-form by-laws, based on assessments of current levels of participation across the country.

TWINBAS - Nura-Ishim Basin: EU-funded interdisciplinary project, in conjunction with the GeoData Institute of the University of Southampton, that seeks to develop an effective approach to stakeholder participation in the management of the Nura-Ishim river basin in Kazakhstan, based on the implementation of the Kazakh Water Code by the appropriate basin organisation.

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