UNESCO, Natural Sciences Sector, Division of Water Sciences1
B. JIMENEZ-CISNEROS Secretary, International Hydrological Programme and Director of the Division of Water Sciences, UNESCO, Paris, France b.jimenez-cisneros@unesco.org This presentation describes the major challenges at global, regional and local level, including those derived from climate change to achieve Water Security and the ways in which the International Hydrological Programme (IHP) is addressing them. The IHP is an intergovernmental scientific programme hosted at UNESCO. It was created in 1975 as a result of the International Hydrological Decade. Progressively, and with time it has evolved in a multi- and transdisciplinary programme applying sciences and innovation to enhance the management of water resources and to improve their governance with the participation of the main stakeholders. The Programme is at its Eighth Phase and it is devoted to promote international collaboration to support science and technology development, strengthen the policy and science interphase and to promote awareness raising and human and institutional capacity building. This eight phase comprises six themes focussing on: (a) water related disasters and hydrological changes; (b) Groundwater; (c) Water Quantity and Quality; (d) Water for rural and urban settlements; (e ) Ecohydrology and engineered combined solutions ; (f) Education and awareness raising. The programme is conceived, among other goals, to help implementation of the international post-2015 agenda and the forthcoming Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). To implement the IHP-VIII, UNESCO has a Water network, including 169 IHP National Committees, the UNESCO secretariat in Paris and 5 regional offices, a category 1 centre UNESCO-International Hydrological Education Institute located in the Netherlands; the World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP), based in Italy ad periodically producing the World Water Development Report of the United Nations; 30 category 2 water centres under the auspices of UNESCO; and 35 water chairs placed all in various parts of the world. This represents in all the mobilisation of around 2000 experts around the world.