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Background of the international
IWRM review
Press release: Reviewers
recommend constructive engagement of
water researchers in FP7 (PDF 98KB)
With a European investment in some 60
international S&T cooperation projects (
156 KB) addressing integrated water resources management (IWRM)
over the last 10 years, it is time to take stock. Integrated
water resources management is a key concept of the European
Water Framework Directive (WFD) that also influences water policies
and management discourses in many parts of the world.
As part of its commitment to the EU Water Initiative, the European
Commission has invited 10 renowned
experts, five from Europe and five from Africa, Asia, Latin
America and the Mediterranean to review what lessons can be
learnt from those projects, how much research results have been
used to inform practice and how this should inform future cooperation
in IWRM. The experts have an ambitious tasks set out in their
terms
of reference (
22 KB).
They will carry out most of their work in three working sessions
in Brussels, scheduled as follows:
- 18-22 July 2005
- 19-21 September 2005
- 24-28 October 2005.
The principal expected outputs of the review are:
- A technical report
- A policy brief
- A brochure for a general public.
The draft technical report is scheduled for early November
2005 and will be validated by a large mirror group of experts
in different parts of the world.
This international review is intended to be complementary to
a more European-focused review process carried out under the
auspices of the NeWater
Project. Both reviews are closely coordinated.
Their combined results and the wealth of experiences analysed
will be presented to the 4th World Water Forum in Mexico City,
16-22 March 2006.
Intermediary findings
The IWRM review panel had its last working week together
in Brussels, from 24 to 28 October 2005.
The experts
- re-examined the robustness of their newly developed analytical
scoring method and were satisfied with the way it allowed
them to assess trends across research framework programmes;
- decided to write up a separate paper describing the method
to facilitate its use by others;
- analysed feedback to a questionnaire on communication with
social actors outside projects and impact;
- found that constructively engaged integrated water resources
allocation and management arise as the most adequate conceptual
approach to address growing scarcity of water to account for
the political context of often competing demands;
- elaborated recommendations in view of the 7th Research
Framework Programme and linkages between research results
and their use e.g. in development cooperation;
- made presentations of their findings to Dr. András
Siegler, Director of International S&T Cooperation, and
to Commission staff working with the EUWI Secretariat and
with the Water Facility for African, Caribbean and Pacific
(ACP) countries. Ensuing lively discussions explored opportunities
for strengthening synergies to increase impact;
- explained that impact had been strong so far on human and
institutional 'capital' in partner countries through the collaborative
mode, but could be further enhanced through more constructive
engagement with constituencies outside the realm of research.
- will further elaborate in their report which areas of research
hold greatest potential for FP7, including research into the
gap between underlying fundamentals (e.g. natural ecosystems,
economics) and perceptions in societies, which are at variance
with fundamentals. It is the latter that drive political and
often investment decisions that may not be sustainable and
thus need urgent attention.
- noted that a group of highly respected personalities from
different social groups and regions of the world had already
accepted to read the draft report critically for validation
before it gets published.
The draft report will shortly be circulated to this 'mirror
group' and then be finalised for the 4th World Water Forum (WWF4),
March 2006 in Mexico City. The team will meet again in that
occasion to share its insights and recommendations with representatives
illustrating local examples of constructive engagement and further
explore how local action can benefit from wider generalisations
coming out of the review.
In parallel, progress is also being made on a brochure for
the general public, intended to connect research processes and
results more effectively with citizens. This will be available
in several languages as of the WWF4 as well.
Snapshots from the interactive sessions between the
panel and interested Commission staff.
Feedback from projects
Feedback on communication and impact of selected INCO
Water Projects
- MECO - Mediterranean co-ordination and dissemination
of land conservation management to combat desertification
- MEDCORE – From river catchment areas
to the sea: a comparative and integrated approach to the ecology
of the Mediterranean coastal zone for sustainable management
- WADI - WAter supply watersheD planning and
management: an Integrated approach
Download
(
122 KB)
- RURBIFARM - Sustainable farming at the rural-urban
interface
An integrated knowledge-based approach for nutrient and water
recycling in small-scale farming systems in peri-urban areas
of China and Vietnam
Download
(
112 KB)
- RESMANMED Resource management in karstic
areas of the coastal regions of the Mediterranean, (1997-2000)
COLASU Sustainability of Mediterranean coastal lagoon ecosystems
under semi-arid climate (2002-2005)
- COLASU Sustainability of Mediterranean coastal
lagoon ecosystems under semi-arid climate (2002-2005)
- OPTIMA Optimisation of sustainable water
resources in the Mediterranean, FP6 INCO-Med Project (2004-2007)
Download
(
90 KB)
- REAL – Systems research on small groundwater
retaining structures under local management in arid an semi-arid
areas of East Africa
Download
(
86 KB)
- Foggara - Inventory, analysis and valorization
of traditional water techniques of European and Saharan drainage
tunnels
Download
(
96 KB)
- WATER WEB Water resources strategies and
drought alleviation
in western Balkan agriculture
Download
(
84 KB)
- CATCHMENT 2 COAST Project - Communication
and impact Research into and modeling of the impacts of river
catchment developments on the sustainability of coastal resources,
which support urban and rural economies: the case of Maputo
Bay - Incomati River
Download
(
92 KB)
- WASAMED Project - Communication and Impact
Water savings in Mediterranean Agriculture
Download
(
92.5 KB)
- The WERRD project and the follow up for OKACOM
– the Okavango River Basin Water Commission Water and
ecosystem resources in regional development: Balancing Societal
Needs and Wants and Natural Resources Systems Sustainability
in International River Basin Systems
Download
(
110 KB)
- CAESAR – Project – Communication
and impact Cooperative applied environmental systems research
of the urban-rural interface Sustainability in water management
and land use in the Havana region
Download
(
108 KB)
Feedback from independent water experts
in the mirror group
Independent members of the mirror group validate the
draft report
From early December 2005 to January 2006 a group of independent
experts forming a mirror group to the international IWRM review
panel scrutinised the draft review. Twelve
of these experts came back with substantive feedback that helped
to finalise the report. (
14 KB)
Their valuable contribution is gratefully acknowledged.
The products of the review get show-cased
at the World Water
Forum in Mexico, 16-22 March 2006
External reviewers deliver report in time for Mexico
Forum
The high-level expert panel delivered its final report reviewing
more than 10 years of international scientific and technological
cooperation related to integrated water resources management.
The report has been validated by an independent mirror group
of experts expressing different perspectives from government,
private sector, civil society and academia.
The report will be initially presented in several sessions
at the 4th World Water Forum in Mexico from 16 to 22 March 2006.
A general public brochure has also been produced to help connect
the science better with citizens and their concerns and aspirations.
The brochure is therefore be available in English, Spanish,
Portuguese and French to make access easier across language
barriers.
Photos from the World Water Forum in Mexico, 16-22 March 2006
All photos courtesy C.E. Nauen
Pavillons were focal points of interaction and information exchange
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A rare moment of relative tranquility at the EC booth at the 4 th World Water Forum in Mexico |
RTD colleagues P. Balabanis and Z. Vergos preparing for the next long day at the EC booth |
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| The Spanish Pavillon with its water wall attracted many visitors |
The Japanese Pavillon was particularly varied in water perspectives |
Many parallel sessions made it hard to choose, where to go
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Multi-stakeholder approach to the European regional plenary session |
Session on approaches to risk and adaptive learning – several panel members collaborate in the NeWater project |
Session podium with personalities discussing water challenges in the Middle East chaired by H.Ex. Dr. Abu Zeid, Egyptian Minister of Water |
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Dr. Pedro Monteiro and Dr. Maria Donnoso on the podium of the Session FT2.33 ‘Advancing local actions in basins, sub-basins and aquifers (SBA) through comprehensive IWRM learning and global networks’ |
Members of the international IWRM review participate actively in a range of sessions – Prof. Paula Antunes and Prof. Tony Allan in the foreground and Pragya Dipak Gyawali looking on in the background |
Dr. Pedro Monteiro of CSIR South Africa and Dr. Cornelia E. Nauen of the European Commission RTD team between sessions |
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Dr. Hong Khanh Nguyen of the Institute for Environmental Technology (IET) in Hanoi, Vietnam, member of the international IWRM review panel in session |
Documenting unforgettable moments in lively sessions – Zissimos Vergos of the EC-RTD team at the 4 th World Water Forum in Mexico |
Dr. Andrea Tilche moderating Session FT3-04 ‘Knowledge generation and innovative technologies for the sustainable management of water resources in Europe and world-wide’ |
Special Session to sign the Ministerial Declaration on the Latin American Component of the EU Water Initiative
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A special session was hosted by the Mexican Environment Minister to preside over the signature of the Ministerial Declaration on the Latin American Component of the EU Water Initiative – from left to right Mag. Werner Wutscher, Secretary General of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management for the Austrian Presidency of the EU, Sr. José Luis Luege Tamargo, Secretario de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales of Mexico, Mr. David Grant Lawrence, Director Water, Chemicals, Cohesion of DG Environment, Ms. Cristina Narbona, Spanish Environment Minister |
The signature of the Declaration by Sr. Eduardo Aninat Ureta, the Chilean Ambassador in Mexico |
The signature of the Declaration by Mag. Werner Wutscher, Secretary General of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management for the Austrian Presidency for the EU and by Mr. David Grant Lawrence, Director Water, Chemicals, Cohesion of DG Environment, for the European Commission |
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Sr. José Luis Luege Tamargo, Secretario de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales of Mexico, with his Water Atlas |
Members of the Argentinian Delegation chatting at the conclusion of the signing ceremony, IWRM review study in hand |
The concluding photo of the Mexican host, Sr. José Luis Luege Tamargo, Secretario de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales, and Mag. Werner Wutscher, Secretary General of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management for the Austrian Presidency of the EU, with the Declaration |
Outside the Forum, age old water management practices bring productivity to vegetable and flower production
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Outside the Forum, the Chinampas or floating gardens, resist urbanisation pressures from southward expanding Mexico City – fertilising fields with mud from the bottom of the canal. |
Chinampa is an Aztec term referring to a method of ancient Mesoamerican agriculture—small, rectangle-shaped areas of fertile arable land used for agriculture in the Xochimilco region of the Basin of Mexico. |
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