The International Hydrological Programme (IHP) is
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
’s international scientific cooperative program in water research,
water resource management
Water resources are natural resources of water that are potentially useful for humans, for example as a source of drinking water supply or irrigation water. 97% of the water on the Earth is Saline water, salt water and only three percent is fresh ...
, water education, and capacity- building, and the only broadly based science program of the UN system in this area.
The IHP was established in 1975 following the
International Hydrological Decade
International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations".
International may also refer to:
Music Albums
* ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011
* ''International'' (New Order album), 2002
* ''International'' (The T ...
(1965-1974).
The program is tailored to the needs of UNESCO’s 195
Member States and is implemented in six-year phases, allowing it to adapt to the changing world.
The current phase (IHP VIII: 2014-2021)
is titled Water Security Responses to Regional and Global Challenges (2014-2021),
and it is based on the principle of continuity with change, building on lessons and results from earlier phases of the program. It continues to promote and lead international
hydrological
Hydrology () is the scientific study of the movement, distribution, and management of water on Earth and other planets, including the water cycle, water resources, and environmental watershed sustainability. A practitioner of hydrology is calle ...
research, facilitate education and capacity development and enhance governance in
water resources management
Water resources are natural resources of water that are potentially useful for humans, for example as a source of drinking water supply or irrigation water. 97% of the water on the Earth is salt water and only three percent is fresh water; slight ...
.
The aim of these efforts is to help meet the
UN Millennium Development Goals
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were eight international development goals for the year 2015 that had been established following the Millennium Summit of the United Nations in 2000, following the adoption of the United Nations Millenniu ...
on
environmental sustainability
Specific definitions of sustainability are difficult to agree on and have varied in the literature and over time. The concept of sustainability can be used to guide decisions at the global, national, and individual levels (e.g. sustainable livi ...
,
water supply
Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavors or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes. Public water supply systems are crucial to properly functioning societies. Thes ...
,
sanitation
Sanitation refers to public health conditions related to clean drinking water and treatment and disposal of human excreta and sewage. Preventing human contact with feces is part of sanitation, as is hand washing with soap. Sanitation systems ...
,
food security
Food security speaks to the availability of food in a country (or geography) and the ability of individuals within that country (geography) to access, afford, and source adequate foodstuffs. According to the United Nations' Committee on World F ...
and
poverty alleviation
Poverty reduction, poverty relief, or poverty alleviation, is a set of measures, both economic and humanitarian, that are intended to permanently lift people out of poverty.
Measures, like those promoted by Henry George in his economics clas ...
.
The results of this phase aim to be practical so both
scientific communities and
civil societies can apply and benefit from them.
The IHP Intergovernmental Council is responsible for defining priorities and supervising execution of IHP. The council is composed of 36 UNESCO Member States elected by UNESCO’s General Conference at its ordinary sessions every two years. Each of UNESCO’s six electoral regions elects Member States for membership in the council. The term lasts four years, and members are eligible for immediate re-election. For continuity, only half of the current Council members are elected each second year for the four-year period, so that in each biennium only half the members are newcomers and the rest are halfway through their term. The council normally meets once every two years, although extraordinary sessions may be convened under the conditions specified in the Rules of Procedure.
At the beginning of its first session, the council elects a chairperson and four vice-chairpersons. These constitute the IHP Bureau, which is responsible for coordinating sessions of the council and its committees, supervising implementation and reporting on the council’s resolutions, and discharging all other duties which it is assigned by the council.
IHP’s activities are implemented by the efforts of its secretariat, located in UNESCO headquarters in Paris. The secretariat provides studies, information, and the facilities needed to employ the program’s activities. The backbone of IHP, however, is the network of National Committees. They are fundamental to ensuring the widest possible participation of Member States in IHP programs. The committees are run under the authority of National Governments and are responsible for implementing IHP initiatives.
Initiatives
Several working groups have been developed under the umbrella of the International Hydrological Programme as the UNESCO Land Subsidence International Initiative, LASII (former
UNESCO Working Group on Land Subsidence “Land Subsidence” was included in the UNESCO programme of the International Hydrological Decade (IHD), 1965–1974 and an ad hoc working group on land subsidence was formed. In 1975 subsidence was maintained under the framework of the Internatio ...
).
Another initiative is the International Groundwater Resources Assessment Centre (IGRAC) established in 2003.
IGRAC works to facilitate sustainable groundwater resources across the world.
They are based in the Netherlands.
Directors
(2019-)
(2012-2018)
References
External links
IHP Website on UNESCO* http://www.unesco.org/new/en/pccp From Potential Conflict to Cooperation Potential (PCCP)
Hydrology.nl – Portal to international hydrology and water resources
Hydrology organizations
UNESCO
{{environmental-org-stub