Free Flow

Water cooperation is necessary to properly address a large number of

management issues, such as water allocation decisions, upstream and

downstream impacts of water pollution andwater abstraction, infrastruc-

ture development, overexploitation, and financing of water management.

Water cooperation refers to the joint and organized management and

use of freshwater resources at local, national, regional and international

levels among various players and sectors. The concept of water coopera-

tion entails working together towards a common goal, in a way that is

mutually beneficial. It is based on broader forms of cooperation, such as

the joint acquisition and sharing of water-related data, cooperation on the

development of institutional and human capacities, and intergovernmen-

tal cooperation on freshwater issues.

With this in mind, the United Nations General Assembly

declared 2013 as the United Nations International Year of Water

Cooperation.

The 31 members of UN-Water officially appointed the

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

(UNESCO) to lead preparations for both the 2013 International

Year and World Water Day, in cooperation with the United Nations

Economic Commission for Europe and with the support of the

United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the

UN-Water Decade Programme on Capacity Development and the

UN-Water Decade Programme on Advocacy and Communication.

UNESCO has a long-standing commitment to promoting coopera-

tion in fresh water through the International Hydrological Programme

(IHP), which is governed by an Intergovernmental Council, a subsidi-

ary body of UNESCO’s General Conference. IHP is implemented in

phases developed through a comprehensive consultative process with

168 IHP National Committees, international scientific associations

and other United Nations bodies, ensuring its continuous relevance

and overall institutional coordination. Its eighth phase, IHP-VIII 2014-

2021, covers ‘Water security: responses to local, regional, and social

challenges’. As in previous phases, IHP will foster collaboration among

UNESCO’s Member States on water issues identified through their IHP

National Committees, joining forces with the ‘UNESCO water family’.

IHP activities are based on the priorities and needs expressed by

UNESCO Member States and implemented in six-year phases. The

focus of IHP-VII (2008-2013) was on ‘Water dependencies: systems

under stress and societal responses’. IHP-VIII (2014-2021) concentrates

on six knowledge areas to help Member States to properly manage

and secure water, and to ensure the required human and institutional

capacities. IHP-VIII is articulated along six themes, focusing on water-

related disasters and hydrological change, groundwater, water scarcity

and quality, water and human settlements, ecohydrology, and water

education. This strategic plan focuses on three strategic axes:

• Mobilizing international cooperation to improve knowledge

and innovation to address water security challenges

• Strengthening the science-policy interface to reach water

security at local, national, regional and global levels

• Developing institutional and human capacities for water

security and sustainability.

Axis 1: Mobilizing international cooperation

History shows that cooperation at international, regional and national

levels takes full expression in the context of fresh water. Such coop-

eration is needed not only to avoid potential conflicts, but for the

adequate management of transboundary basins and aquifers, for the

advancement of knowledge, and for the development of human and

institutional capacities. UNESCO endeavours to strengthen inter-

national and regional cooperation in the field of water by fostering

alliances, building intellectual exchange, and encouraging

knowledge sharing and operational partnerships for water

security. UNESCO’s benchmarking activities, which are

key to this axis, will be continued and enhanced through

an improved annual World Water Development Report

dedicated to specific topics of global importance.

Axis 2: Strengthening the science-policy interface

Water security can only be attained through the develop-

ment of suitable policies, based on sound knowledge of

water and its interactions. The comprehensive mandate

of UNESCO allows an integrated, multisectoral and

interdisciplinary approach, including the mobilization of

science, innovation and engineering. The intergovern-

mental nature of IHP places UNESCO at the forefront

of the science-policy interface. The organization rein-

forces the cooperation between existing institutions and

national partners within its water family andmobilizes the

scientific community, including local experts in develop-

ing countries, to build scientific consensus and provide

guidance to policymakers for informed decision-making.

Specific attention is given to traditional and indigenous

knowledge, gender equality, social inclusion and poverty

eradication. UNESCO continuously supports the devel-

opment and implementation of international norms and

standards, such as the Law of Transboundary Aquifers

and the provision of guidance for the integrated manage-

ment of water resources, among other issues.

Axis 3: Developing institutional and

human capacities

Water security cannot be reached without the develop-

ment of adequate human and institutional capacities,

both within and outside of the water sector. UNESCOwill

pursue the strengthening of water education at all levels,

including aspects related to knowledge, skills and values.

This includes the provision of formal and informal educa-

tion, guidance on the development and evaluation of water

education curricula, assistance on educational policies and

the development of educational materials. The organiza-

tion’s efforts in this field are multisectoral, involving a

broad series of partners and programmes such as IHP, the

UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education, Education

for Sustainable Development, ASPnet, the UNESCO

university twinning and networking system UNITWIN,

Teacher Training, the UNESCO-UNEVOC international

centre for technical and vocational education and training,

youth initiatives, UNESCO chairs and centres. In terms of

institutional capacities, UNESCO continues to support the

establishment, strengthening and networking of national,

regional and international water-related bodies.

These three axes have strong interlinkages and mutually

reinforce each other. The complexity and multidimen-

sional nature of water-related challenges will continue

to be addressed through an interdisciplinary approach

on topics including climate change and coastal zones;

groundwater; disasters; youth; water as a human right;

water education including contributions to the United

Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development

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