FUST and IHP
Background
The International Hydrological Programme (IHP) is the only intergovernmental programme of the UN system devoted to water research, water resources management, and education and capacity building. Since its inception in 1975, IHP has evolved from an internationally coordinated hydrological research programme into an encompassing, holistic programme to facilitate education and capacity building, and enhance water resources management and governance. IHP is implemented in six-year programmatic phases, currently in its eighth phase (IHP VIII).
IHP’s primary objectives are:
To act as a vehicle through which the Member States, cooperating professional and scientific organizations and individual experts can upgrade their knowledge of the water cycle, thereby increasing their capacity to better manage and develop their water resources
To develop techniques, methodologies and approaches to better define hydrological phenomena
To improve water management, locally and globally
To act as a catalyst to stimulate cooperation and dialogue in water science and management
To assess the sustainable development of vulnerable water resources
To serve as a platform for increasing awareness of global water issues.
IHP-IX: Science for a Water Secure World, in a changing environment
Water, the connector
The UNESCO Member States adopted the Strategic Plan of IHP-IX in June 2021 at the 24th Intergovernmental IHP Council. The ninth phase of the Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme was entitled "Science for a Water Secure World in a Changing Environment" from 2022 to 2029.
The Strategic Plan for the IHP-IX identifies key water priority areas to support Members States to achieve the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), besides other water-related global agendas like the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, Sendai Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and the New Urban Agenda (UNA).
IHP-IX Key Objectives:
Water: Transversal key to achieving 2030 Agenda and the SDGs
Water, central to the climate crisis
Understanding water across disciplines, sectors and cultures
Water use that leaves no one behind
Together for a peaceful and water secure world
The ninth phase (IHP-IX) represents a methodological response towards transdisciplinarity aimed at generating solutions.
Its priority areas are represented as 5 informative tools:
Scientific Research and Innovation
Incorporating human interactions with nature in the context of complex water science and management problems
Water education in the 4th Industrial Revolution, including Sustainability
Addressing complex interconnected water challenges by the end of this decade
Bridging the data-knowledge gap
Transparency and accessibility of data are among the main pillars that sustain the advancement of open science – a coming commitment of UNESCO. Hydrological measurements are essential for decision-making and sustainable water resources management.
Integrated water resources management under conditions of global change
Achieving water security while protecting its quality
Water governance based on science
for mitigation, adaptation, and resilience
