USG Delegation Report on 17th Meeting of the UNESCO

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 PARIS 005341 SIPDIS FROM USMISSION UNESCO PARIS STATE FOR IO/UNESCO KEVIN PILZ, OES BARRIE RIPIN, OES/STATS ANDREW ¶W. REYNOLDS, OES/ETC ELEANORE FOX STATE FOR NSC GENE WHITNEY STATE FOR NSF INTERNATIONAL OFFICE STATE FOR NASA ELIZABETH WILLIAMS STATE FOR USAID FRANKLIN MOORE, MARY ROWEN, CHIP BARBER, AND MIKE MCGAHUEY USAID FOR VERNE SCHNEIDER, GEORGE COAKLEY AND RICHARD CALNAN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: UNESCO KS AORC TSPL EAID KSCI SENV SOCI SUBJECT: USG Delegation Report on 17th Meeting of the UNESCO International Hydrology Program (IHP Intergovernmental Council (IGC) Paris, France - July 3-7, 2006 ¶1. A US delegation participated in the 17th meeting of the UNESCO International Hydrology Program (IHP) Intergovernmental Council (IGC) at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France, July 3-7, 2006. The delegation consisted of: Mathew C. Larsen, U.S. Geological Survey (head of delegation),Verne R. Schneider, U.S. Geological Survey; Robert A. Pietrowsky, U.S. Army Institute for Water Resources; Pat Brezonik, National Science Foundation; Nancy Cooper, U.S. Mission to UNESCO, and Louise Oliver, U.S. Ambassador to UNESCO. ¶2. Delegation Member Roles. Although the U.S. is not a current member of the 36 Member Nation IGC, the 17th meeting of the IHP IGC was the second attended by the USG with official observer status and the first with representation by the newly reconstituted U.S. National Committee for the IHP. -M. Larsen (USGS) served as the U.S. principal delegate and spokesperson throughout the IGC plenary sessions, including the technical focus on IHP programs relating to sedimentation. -V. Schneider (USGS) provided operational continuity and institutional knowledge from previous IGC meetings, and technical support, while also serving as Dr. Larsen's alternate. -R. Pietrowsky (USACE IWR) served as an advisor on issues pertaining to the IHE Delft Category I Center, the ICHARM Category II Center, the strategic plan of IHP VII, and IHP programs relating to flooding and integrated water resources management (IWRM). Pat Brezonik (NSF) served as an advisor for topics related to the strategy for UNESCO water centers and proposed Category II water centers. As science officer at the U.S. Mission to UNESCO, Nancy Cooper communicated and represented the interests of the Mission at the meeting and advised on the implications of the broader USG goals for UNESCO with regard to IHP. ¶3. Objectives. The goals of USG participation in the 17th IGC were to (a) raise the level of engagement and visibility of the USG in UNESCO activities, and to (b) meaningfully influence IHP IGC decisions to better align with USG strategic objectives for UNESCO in water, natural sciences and engineering. USG objectives include: a. Building capacity through training/education, and encouraging sound integrated water resources management in support of international stability, reconstruction and economic development with specific focus on "sustainable use and access to safe drinking water and improved watershed management." This goal is tied to the MDG to halve by 2015 the percent of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water. b. To promote cross-sectoral, interdisciplinary collaboration and integration of UNESCO natural science and technical programs, leveraging capacity building, education, and training, and enhancing scientific and engineering capacities to address the problems of the natural and manmade world. This goal is aimed at re-directing UNESCO science programs to emphasize practical engineering applications to build capacity as means to reduce poverty, improve health and stimulate development. c. The incorporation of science and engineering in all UNESCO programs, especially its education programs. This goal is fundamental to USG desire to foster a cross-sectoral approach across various UNESCO programs. ¶4. Background. The context of the participation of the USG Delegation, particularly Larsen, Brezonik and Pietrowsky, aligns with their role on the recently established U.S. National (International Hydrological Program) IHP Committee. The U.S. National IHP Committee was established under the auspices of the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO, a Federal Advisory Body of the U.S. Department of State. The committee held its inaugural meeting on 1 May 2006. It includes representation from globally recognized agencies and other prominent U.S. scientists, including those drawn from six Federal agencies based on their expertise and interest in water resources sciences and water management. The six participating Federal agencies are: the National Aeronautic and Space Agency; the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (Department of Commerce); the National Science Foundation; the U.S. Agency for International Development; and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; and the U.S. Geological Survey (Department of the Interior). ¶5. In addition to the Federal members, the Committee includes nine members representing organizations with expertise in water resources, including non-governmental organizations (NGOs), university departments, professional societies/associations, and trade/industry associations. The water resources specialists from the nine participating institutions include Dr. James Shuttleworth, University of Arizona Science and Technology Center for Sustainability of Semi-Arid Hydrology and Riparian Areas (SAHRA). ¶6. The function of the U.S. National IHP Committee is to advise the U.S. National Commission on: a) Recommendations on U.S. participation in UNESCO IHP, and assisting upon request in the formulation and review of other UNESCO international water resources activities; b) Providing advice on domestic and international activities related to UNESCO programs that advance research, education, or training in water resources sciences or the application of water resources sciences to specific problems; c) Recommending U.S. programs for participation in the UNESCO IHP; and d) Providing advice to organizations involved in U.S. participation in UNESCO international water resources activities. ¶7. Focus of 17th IHP IGC Meeting. Key topics addressed during the IGC meeting included: a) IHP governance b) Role of the UNESCO IHE Delft - Institute for Water Education c) Need for a UNESCO cross-sectoral strategy for water education d) Proposals for the establishment of new UNESCO water centers, and e) Strategy for how existing and proposed IHP water centers should contribute to overall IHP capacity building goals. f) Reports on current and planned UNECSO IHP programs, including: Hydrology for Environment, Life and Policy (HELP),Flow Regimes from International Experimental and Network Data (FRIEND) g) International Sedimentation Initiative (ISI) h) International Flood Initiative (IFI) i) Review of the draft strategic plan for conducting the seventh phase of IHP. The proposed focus of IHP-VII is on five critical wide water themes: i) Implications of Globalization and Climate Change ii) Integrated Water Resources Mgt. (IWRM) within the Watershed Context iii) Water Governance iv) Environmental Sustainability v) Water Education ¶8. Key Interactions. The delegation met with the U.S. Ambassador to UNESCO Louise Oliver who emphasized to the Delegation the USG objective of integrating capacity building, education, and engineering with water in UNESCO's overall science strategy. The delegation participated in numerous discussions with representatives of the U.S. Mission to UNESCO, the IHP Secretariat, Group I Member Nation representatives (Western Europe, U.S., Canada, Turkey and Israel),the Director of UNESCO-IHE Delft, meetings on the International Flood Initiative (IFI),IHP Category I and II Centers, the HELP program, and with other key UNESCO staff. Two delegation members (Larsen and Schneider) also attended the 8th Kovacs Colloquium held June 30 - July 1, 2006, which also included a presentation on Hurricane Katrina by Eugene Stakhiv, USACE IWR. ¶9. USG Accomplishments and Major Outcomes. The council meeting included several highly visible USG activities, which, in concert with active delegation participation during the IGC plenary sessions, showcased USG engagement. Key USG-related activities/outcomes included: a) Professor W. James Shuttleworth, University of Arizona - Director, Center for Sustainability of Semi-Arid Hydrology and Riparian Areas (SAHRA),received the prestigious International Hydrologic Prize at a ceremony held during the IGC. The Prize is awarded by the International Association of Hydrologic Sciences (IAHS) for "outstanding contribution to hydrology such as confers on the candidate universal recognition of their international stature." Dr. Shuttleworth, who is also a member of the U.S. National IHP Committee, received the award based on "his innovative, international leadership over more than thirty years, contributing to the growth of hydrology into a major discipline of Earth System Science". A U.S. recipient has received the prize only five times in the last 25 years. b) Signing ceremonies were held for two USG Memoranda of Understanding (MOU's) establishing partnering agreements between the USACE-IWR and two UNESCO Category II Centers, one with the Japanese "International Centre for Water Hazard and Flood Risk Management" (ICHARM) in Tsukuba, and a second with the "Center for Arid and Semi-Arid Zones in Latin America and the Caribbean" (CAZALAC) located in Chile. c) USG nominated candidates were appointed to serve on advisory boards for two UNESCO IHP Centers: Robert Pietrowsky, USACE-IWR was appointed as the IHP Group I member of the Governing Board of the Category I IHE-Delft UNESCO Institute for Water Education. Eugene Stakhiv was appointed to the advisory board of the Category II International Centre for Water Hazard and Flood Risk Management (ICHARM). d) The USG delegation influenced and impacted a number of activities that had broader impacts on UNESCO water, science and engineering objectives. In particular, the Member States stressed the need for a more results-oriented agenda. To this end, the IGC: e) Decided to set up a small group (including the IHP Secretary) to review the IHP water centers and plot a strategy for how these centers should contribute to overall IHP capacity building goals. At the insistence of the US Delegation, the panel -- to be named by the Director General -- will also include two outside independent experts; f) Discarded the IHP Secretariat's proposal to set up an unnecessary bureaucratic layer (i.e., regional intergovernmental councils), instead asked the Bureau to study other possible governance options. In particular, the USG delegation worked informally, behind the scene, with its Group I counterparts to effectively counter a move that would have committed the IGC at this meeting to establish the regional councils without appropriate consideration of legal and financial ramifications; Reinforced the need for greater fiscal transparency of IHP programs and a stronger link between the IHP budget and program outcomes and results; g) In order to ensure continued input of Member States, stopped short of adopting the strategic plan for the 7th phase of the IHP program, meant to coincide with the new UNESCO medium-term strategy (2008-13); h) Requested the IHP Secretariat to promote cross-sectoral collaboration among the various programs and organizations involved in water-related hazard mitigation, with the USACE MOU with ICHARM and the USG desire to collaborate specifically noted; i) Launched a new cross-sectoral program on water education for sustainable development at all levels, in response to the request of Member States at the IHP Executive Board. A panel will be established to develop a strategy and guide the work for this initiative. j) The delegation (N. Cooper and R. Pietrowsky) met with Richard Meganck, Director of UNESCO-IHE Delft to discuss (1) strategies for more closely aligning IHE's strategic goals with UNESCO cross-sectoral programs on water education for sustainable development at all levels in accord with the Mid-Term strategy for the Education Sector, and (2) alternatives to foster IHE access to UNESCO fellowships across UNESCO education programs as a stimulus to further USG goals for education and engineering capacity building. k) The delegation (M. Larsen and V. Schneider) led USG interactions at multiple IHP Group I meetings, contributing ideas and reinforcing the Group's strategic and tactical direction where consistent with USG objectives. Group I Member Nation representatives generally expressed a welcoming and heightened expectation that the USG return to UNESCO will stimulate US strategic and technical leadership within the IHP organization and programs. l) R. Pietrowsky represented the delegation at the partnership meeting of the International Flood Initiative (IFI),which originated as a joint UNESCO-IHP and WMO project. The meeting focused on activation of the IFI advisory group, including discussion of the terms of reference for the group and the relationship of the group with the IFI Secretariat, which is planned to be housed at ICHARM. A subsequent teleconference with the core IFI partners was scheduled on/or about 28 Aug 06 to finalize recommendations to the IHP Secretariat and Bureau with regard to the IFI advisory group and its terms of reference. m) The delegation members also attended the IHP meeting on the results of the 2nd Phase of the World Water Assessment Program (WWAP) and participated in the Member Nation refinement/discussion on the upcoming 3rd WWAP Phase. n) The delegation met with the incoming manager Bisher Imam, of the Hydrology for the Environment, Life and Policy program (HELP) - Dr. Bisher Imam was formerly at the Univ. CA, Irvine. HELP is a crosscutting initiative established in 2001. It aims to approach IWRM through the creation of a framework for water law and policy experts, water managers and scientists who work together to solve water problems. The University of Arizona SAHRA worked with IHP to establish the HELP strategic plan, and USDA and NOAA scientists have been involved in HELP. HELP programs have been created in along the U.S. - Mexico border, the Willamette River Basin and the Lake Champlain Watershed among others. The delegation agreed to coordinate with Dr. Imam to schedule a meeting with the U.S. National IHP Committee to explore the potential for greater US involvement in HELP. o) The USG delegation also met with other key IGC participants towards building and strengthening other strategic relationships, including those within the IHP Secretariat, the IHP Regional Hydrologist for Latin America, and National Committee counterparts in Mexico, Panama, Brazil, Netherlands, Denmark, UK, Australia, Oman, Namibia, Kenya, Sudan (UNESCO Water Chair),Japan, India, Nigeria, South Africa and China. ¶10. Follow-Up Actions: a) USG to consider hosting an upcoming Group I regional technical meeting. b) Need for USG strategy following successful resolution on capacity building which led to addition of 5th IHP Water Theme on Education, particularly as related to the critical need to sustain base funding of UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education. c) US National Committee strategy for potential consideration of future USG nomination(s) for UNESCO Category II water centers. d) Consideration of USG nominee to serve on the IHP task force being formed to develop strategy for UNESCO's Category I & Category II Centers per IGC Resolution XVII-2 which called for inclusion of two independent, internationally recognized water experts to serve on the task force. e) US National IHP Committee/National Commission support of USG strategy to position water (IHP) as a UNESCO priority for funding commensurate with two current flagship programs, the IOC and World Heritage. Making IHP a flagship programs might not be appropriate here, as IHP gets much more regular budget money than IOC. f) U.S. National IHP Committee meeting with new UNESCO IHP HELP manager to explore greater US participation in HELP. US to evaluate additional collaboration between IHE and "network" of IHP Category II water centers per IGC resolution XVII-4. g) There is a need for greater real cooperation with other UN agencies particularly the WMO. The missions of the two agencies are complementary and there is much more that could be coordinated and shared especially in the area of education and training. h) IHP IGC meeting should focus more on the science programs, their status and direction and the outcomes that were achieved. Koss