The International Center for Integrated Water Resources Management (ICIWaRM): The United States’ Contribution to UNESCO IHP’s Global Network of Water Centers

Abstract:

The concept of a “category 2 center”—i.e., one that is closely affiliated with UNESCO, but not legally part of UNESCO—dates back many decades. However, only in the last decade has the concept been fully developed. Within UNESCO, the International Hydrological Programme (IHP) has led the way in creating a network of regional and global water-related centers.

ICIWaRM—the International Center for Integrated Water Resources Management—is one member of this network. Approved by UNESCO’s General Conference, the center has been operating since 2009. It was designed to fill a niche in the system for a center that was backed by an institution with on-the-ground water management experience, but that also had strong connections to academia, NGOs and other governmental agencies. Thus, ICIWaRM is hosted by the US Army Corps of Engineers’ Institute for Water Resources (IWR), but established with an internal network of partner institutions.

Three main factors have contributed to any success that ICIWaRM has achieved in its global work:

• A focus on practical science and technology which can be readily transferred. This includes the Corps’ own methodologies and models for planning and water management, and those of our university and government partners.
• Collaboration with other UNESCO Centers on joint applied research, capacity-building and training. A network of centers needs to function as a network, and ICIWaRM has worked together with UNESCO-affiliated centers in Chile, Brazil, Paraguay, the Dominican Republic, Japan, China, and elsewhere.
• Partnering with and supporting existing UNESCO-IHP programs. ICIWaRM serves as the Global Technical Secretariat for IHP’s Global Network on Water and Development Information in Arid Lands (G-WADI). In addition to directly supporting IHP, work through G-WADI helps the center to frame, prioritize and integrate its activities.

With the recent release of the United Nation’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, it is clear that implementation of integrated water resources management (IWRM) at all governmental levels is an international priority. This underscores the continued need for internationally focused institutions that can combine the engineering, natural science, and social science aspects of IWRM.