20 October 2005
Dundee chosen as site of first UNESCO Centre in the UK
The University of Dundee has been confirmed as the location for the first UNESCO Centre in the United Kingdom.
The University's already renowned International Water Law Research Institute (IWLRI) has been awarded UNESCO status and becomes the hub for The International IHP-HELP Centre for Water Law, Policy and Science under the auspices of UNESCO at the University of Dundee, Scotland.
Access to water and sanitation has been identified by the UN as one of the key Millennium Development Goals and a key factor in developing international security. The Dundee UNESCO centre will be the first centre in the world to develop legal frameworks to help address the pressing problems related to the management of the world's water resources.
The announcement was welcomed by Scotland's Deputy First Minister Nicol Stephen.
"Clean water is fundamental - no matter what country you live in," said Mr Stephen. "Dundee University's new centre of excellence means that the city - and Scotland - now has the opportunity to help improve health and save lives in many developing countries.
"This award will also attract first class postgraduate researchers to Dundee and will promote Scotland as a good place to live, work and do business.
"We have made £900,000 available over five years to develop the centre until it can become self-sustaining. I am convinced it will be a big success."
Dundee's submission has successfully proceeded through a rigorous set of evaluations set by UNESCO's Executive Board, and received full ratification at the 33rd session of the UNESCO General Conference held in Paris this week. Final lobbying for the bid took place at a reception at UNESCO headquarters on Monday, hosted by the UK Ambassador to UNESCO, HE Tim Craddock and the University's Principal, Sir Alan Langlands.
"The new UNESCO Centre at Dundee University covers issues where the UK as a whole is at the cutting-edge of policy development," said Tim Craddock. "It is good that Scotland has been chosen by UNESCO to showcase this area of excellence. Too often UK science does not get the recognition domestically it deserves. Now a great badge of international recognition has come to Dundee, something which is good for the whole of the UK."
The siting of the new centre recognises Dundee's excellence in research and teaching in the area of water law, policy and science, and places Scotland at the centre of the global community's focus on the world's most precious resource: water.
"UNESCO status will enhance the opportunity for Dundee to assist states around the world in developing sound water laws and policies, contributing to regional peace and security. Robust and fair water agreements are vital for peace, and it is crucial that nations work together to tackle the world's water problems," said Sir Alan Langlands.
The UNESCO Centre in Dundee will fulfil a key role in ensuring there are transparent, enforceable and responsive policies to address the world's water problems, supported by legal frameworks for implementation - including water treaties, laws and regulations.
"Identifying and facilitating the transparent implementation of equitable and reasonable access to water for all -- especially for the weakest -- is a key objective of water law," said Dr Patricia Wouters, Director of the International Water Law Research Institute at the University.
"It levels the playing field, and provides a framework for action, the basic 'rules of the game', where competition over rapidly diminshing resources can lead to conflicts and regional insecurity.
"Responses to these complex situations require an interdisciplinary approach, with input from water lawyers, policy-makers and scientists. The Dundee UNESCO Centre will seek to get these communities working together, and we are ideally placed to do that."
The Centre will build on IWLRI's earlier work with the Department for International Development in developing a Legal Assessment model by:
- Assisting states around the world to develop sound water laws and policies contributing to regional peace and security
- Developing legal frameworks including water treaties, laws and regulations
- Providing executive training to the next generation of water leaders by developing interfaces between science, law and policy and developing expertise within nation states to address access to water issues
The Centre will also carry out international joint research projects on water law, policy and science issues in collaboration with organisations and research institutes around the world, especially in developing countries.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
The United Nations Millennium Development Goals call for halving the number of people without access to adequate drinking water and sanitation by the year 2015 and call upon states to take action to reduce poverty around the world. The years 2005 to 2015 have been declared the International Decade for Action: “Water For Life”.
The UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan has stressed the need for improved access to water, especially for the world's poor. Paul Wolfowitz, head of the World Bank, has also stressed the importance of supporting the development of a new generation of national leaders to combat the challenges posed by poverty.
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), with 191 member stats is the leading UN body in the fields of education, science, culture and communication with a global network. The International Hydrological Programme addresses issues related to the management of the world's waters.
UNESCO's General Conference is a biennial event which assembles representatives from all Member States to approve all UNESCO activities for the next 2 years.
Hydrology for the Environment, Life and Policy (HELP) is a joint initiative of UNESCO and the World Meteorlogical Organisation (WMO), established following recommendations of the 5th UNESCO/WMO International Conference on Hyrdology (February 1999). HELP is led by the UNESCO IHP, within which it is a cross-cutting programme.
The HELP programme promotes integrated catchment management through the creation of a framework for the active interface of water law and policy experts, water resource managers and water scientists in their work on water-related problems, linked directly to actual river basins around the world. There are 67 HELP basins operational. IWLRI now works to develop the Spey basin as a HELP basin, with twinning possibilities being explored with New Zealand's Motoueka basin -- which could provide a "model" approach to catchment basin management.
Dundee International Water Law Research Institute (IWLRI) is a world leader in research and postgraduate teaching and executive training in water law and policy.
The IWLRI is a founding member of UNESCO's HELP programme.
The University of Dundee offers postgraduate degrees in Water Law and Policy (LLM, MSc, MBA and PhD) and has developed the innovative “Water Law, Water Leaders” executive-style LLM aimed at mentoring local national capacity through taught courses in water law delivered in-country to meet the needs at the river-basin level worldwide.
For more information contact:
Roddy Isles,
Head of Press
Tel: 01382 344910,
out of hours: 07968298585,
Email: r.isles@dundee.ac.uk | 
