Building peace in the minds of men and women

UNESCO water-related centres

The water-related centres under the auspices of UNESCO (category 2) work on relevant thematic and geographic priorities in their areas of expertise. Since Member States have realized the potential of these centres, the network has been rapidly expanding. 
All Category 2 Centres can be contacted through their dedicated email addresses or via the following email: water-centres@unesco.org in the case where there is no dedicated email address for a Centre.

 

Group I - Western Europe and North America

 

Centre for Water Law, Policy and Science, University of Dundee (CWLPS)
Established in 2006 in Dundee, Scotland. The Dundee Centre seeks to develop and share knowledge and expertise in international, national and transboundary water law and policy.

Director: John Rowan
Email1: j.s.rowan@dundee.ac.uk 
Focal Point: Andrew Allan
Email2: a.a.allan@dundee.ac.uk 
 

International Groundwater Resources Assessment Centre (IGRAC)
Established in 2007.  The overall objective of IGRAC, based in The Netherlands, is to include groundwater fully in the assessment of freshwater resources of the world in order to encourage and enhance the conjunctive and sustainable utilization of both groundwater and surface water.

Diretcor: Elisabeth Lictevout
Email: info@un-igrac.org
 

International Centre for Water Cooperation (ICWC)
Established in 2014, The centre located in Sweden will address water cooperation in its broadest sense with a primary focus on water for peace and regional development. It will perform research, publish results, and build capacity through dedicated training programmes. Its objectives are to further develop the understanding of how transboundary waters may act as a catalyst for cooperation in an increasingly complex (e.g. due to global changes) and interdependent world and to translate this understanding into concrete policy proposals and options. The centre would be based at SIWI and would build on its internationally-oriented programmes and activities aimed at seeking sustainable solutions to the world’s escalating water crisis.

Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI)
Director ICWC: Karin Gardes
Email1: karin.gardes@siwi.org
Programme officer:  Isabelle Dadvar
Email2: isabelle.dadvar@siwi.org 
 

International Centre for Water Resources and Global Change (ICWRGC)
Secretariat German IHP/HWRP National Committee

Federal Institute of Hydrology, Koblenz, Germany
Director: Harald Koethe
Email: Koethe@bafg.de
 

IHE Delft Institute for Water Education (IHE Delft)
IHE, a leading institute in the field of postgraduate water education located in The Netherlands, was a UNESCO Category 1 Institute from 2001 to 2016. In order to facilitate continuous funding beyond 2016 by the Dutch Government and allow the Institute’s activities to grow and develop for the benefit of UNESCO Member States, the Organization's 39th General Conference (November 2017) accepted the proposal to turn it into a Category 2 ‘Institute for Water Education’ under the auspices of UNESCO.

Director: Eddy Moors
Email: e.moors@un-ihe.org

Contact: info@un-ihe.org
 

Centre on Integrated and Multidisciplinary Water Resources Management (CIMWRM)
Established in 2018 in Thessaloniki, Greece.

School of Civil Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Director: Prof. Elpida Kolokytha
Email: lpcol@civil.auth.gr

 

Group II - Eastern and Central Europe
 

European Regional Centre for Ecohydrology (ERCE)
Established in 2006.  The Centre based in Lodz, Poland,  promotes integrative multidisciplinary ecohydrological research at a catchment scale for sustainable management, protection and restoration of aquatic resources. Basic research includes: hydrology, hydrobiology, environmental chemistry, landscape processes, soil ecology, phytotechnology, environmental toxicology and genetics, population studies and mathematical modelling.

International Institute of Polish Academy of Sciences
diretcor: Maciej Zalewski, Director:
Email1: m.zalewski@erce.unesco.lodz.pl;
Email 2: mzal@biol.uni.lodz.pl

 

International Research and Training Centre on Urban Drainage (IRTCUD)
Established in 1987. IRTCUD based in Belgrade, Serbia, aims to foster advanced research development in urban water management, having expanded its field of work originally concerned with the aspect of urban drainage.

University of Belgrade
Via Faculty of Civil Engineering

Director: Aleksandar Djukic
Email: djukic@grf.bg.ac.rs;
Focal Point: Ljiljana Jankovic
Email: irtcud@grf.bg.ac.rs

 

Centre for Water for Sustainable Development and Adaptation to Climate Change (WSDAC)
Established in 2013, the centre  based in Belgrade, Serbia, acts as a regional centre in Southeast Europe focusing on cooperation in the areas of applied research, water administration, development and promotion of adaptation strategies, capacity development, and research for application, education, and training in the area of climate change impact on water resources management and the adaptation to such impacts.

Jaroslav Černi Institute for the Development of Water Resources
Director: Ms Brankica Majkić‐Dursun
Email1: brankica.majkic-dursun@jcerni.rs
Email2: nikola.zlatanovic@jcerni.co.rs

 

Group III - Latin America and the Caribbean
 

Water Centre for Arid and Semi - Arid Zones of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAZALAC)
Established in 2006. CAZALAC, located in Chile, is responsible for coordinating and articulating scientific and technologic actions aimed at the sustainable management of water resources in arid, semi-arid and sub-humid zones of the LAC region.

Diretcor: Gabriel Mancilla Escobar
Email: gmancilla@cazalac.org

 

International Centre on Hydroinformatics for Integrated Water Resources Management, Parque Tecnologico Itaipu Binacional (CIH)
Centre jointly managed by the Federative Republic of Brazil and the Republic of Paraguay.

Coordinator: Daniel Vazquez
Email: danielal@itaipu.gov.py

 

Centre for the Sustainable Management of Water Resources in the Caribbean Island States (CEHICA)
Established in 2010. The objective of the Centre located in Santo Domingo, in the Dominican Republic, is to generate and transfer scientific and technological knowledge related to sustainable water management in the Caribbean Island States, so as to increase the practical knowledge and improve the capacities for a more efficient use of water resources.

Director: Juan Chalas
Email: jrchalas@gmail.com

 

Regional centre for groundwater management for Latin America and the Caribbean (CeReGAS)
Signed in 2014, the centre located in Montevideo, Uruguay, will provide facilities and opportunities for advanced research on aquifer systems and groundwater resources management for scientists from Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) countries. The purpose of the Centre is two-fold: to strengthen national capacity in support of the sustainable management of aquifers in the country, and to address the needs and requirements jointly identified with other countries of the region by working in mutual cooperation. The objectives and programmes of the proposed Centre would contribute to fulfilling the objectives of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (IHP)  of UNESCO.
The Regional centre for groundwater management for Latin America and the Caribbean also hosts the ISARM Americas Flagship Initiative.

Director: Alberto Manganelli
Email: amanganelli@ceregas.org

 

Regional Centre on Water Security (CERSHI)
Institute of Engineering, National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), in collaboration with the Mexican Institute of Water Technology (IMTA), Mexico. The Centre proposes to enhance scientific cooperation at regional level and to improve the understanding on water research, with focus on water security as a framework to cross the common divides of water services and resources.

Director: Dr Fernando J. González Villarreal
e-mail: fgv@pumas.iingen.unam.mx

 

Group IV - Asia and the Pacific

 

Regional Humid Tropics Hydrology and Water Resources Centre for South-East Asia and the Pacific (HTC Kuala Lumpur)
Established in 1999. HTC Kuala Lumpur aims to promote collaboration among countries in the region through technology and information exchange, education and science.

Director: Ratna Rajah Sivapiragasam
Email: htckl@water.gov.my
 

International Research and Training Centre on Erosion and Sedimentation (IRTCES)
Established in 1984. IRTCES, located in China, promotes international exchange of knowledge and cooperation in the studies of erosion and sedimentation problems.
The Centre also hosts the International Sediment Initiative.

Director: Liu Xiaoying
Email: cliu.beijing@qq.com
 

International Centre for Water Hazard and Risk Management (ICHARM)
Established in 2006. ICHARM, located in Japan, deals with water-related disasters such as floods and droughts, which are major challenges that need to be overcome in order to ensure sustainable human development and poverty alleviation.

Public Works Research Institute (PWRI)
Director: Toshio Koike
Email: icharm@pwri.go.jp
 

Asia-Pacific Centre for Ecohydrology (APCE)
Established in 2009.  APCE, located in Jakarta, Indonesia, aims to contribute with scientific knowledge, capacity-building, educational and dissemination activities to support, design and implement ecohydrology strategies and policies for sustainable water resources management.

Director: Ignasius Sutapa
Email: ignasdas@gmail.com
 

Central Asian Regional Glaciological Centre (CARGC)
Established in 2012 at the Institute of Geography in Almaty, in the Republic of Kazakhstan, the objective of the centre is to foster cooperation and improve scientific understanding of present and forecasted changes in glacier, snow and water resources in the region. The centre will promote regional research, education and capacity development to assess climate change impact on glaciers and permafrost in the runoff formation zone. The results from the scientific and research activities of the centre may provide policy advice to the countries to better manage water resources in a sustainable way. The activities of the centre will contribute to achieving the strategic objectives of UNESCO’s IHP.

Director: Balykbayev Takir Ospanovich
Email: info@cargc.org
 

International Centre for Water Security and Sustainable Management (i-WSSM)
Established in 2016 at the K-Water Institute, Republic of Korea.

Mr Bong Woo Shin, Director;
Email: iwssm@unesco‐iwssm.org
 

International Centre on Qanats and Historic Hydraulic Structures (ICQHS)
Established in 2003. ICQHS located in Iran, aims to promote research, capacity-building and knowledge transfer on qanats, an ancient technology based on underground water-collecting galleries still widely used, as well as the preservation of the cultural heritage that qanats and other historical hydraulic infrastructures represent.

Contact person: Ms Elham Raee
Email: info@icqhs.org

Regional Centre on Urban Water Management (RCUWM)
Established in 2002. RCUWM, located in Iran, aims to transfer applicable scientific knowledge and to increase know-how and capacities in all cases and dimensions of urban water management in order to promote sustainable development within the region.

Director: Mr. Mohammad Hajrasouliha
Email1: info@rcuwm.org.ir

 

Group Va - Africa

 

Regional Centre for Integrated River Basin Management (RC-IRBM)
Signed in 2013, the centre's aim is to act as a facilitator and synergistic structure to articulate the different scientific and institutional stakeholders at local, national, regional, and international levels regarding of implementation of IRBM, particularly in the West African Region. The centre focusses on research in the area of hydro-informatics, IWRM, and socio-economic research and to provide IRBM training, tertiary education for water professionals. Functions include Coordination and implementation of cooperative research projects networking on information and knowledge exchange in West Africa Organize training courses, seminars, workshops, and meetings Produce publications and dissemination of publications.

National Water Resources Institute, Nigeria
Director: Omogbemi Omoloju Yaya
omime93@yahoo.com
 

African Regional Centre for Ecohydrology (ARCE)
Established in 2018 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Ministry of Water,Irrigation and Electricity 
Director: Yohannes Negussie,
Email 1: yhnnszerihun@gmail.com

 

Group Vb - Arab States

 

Regional Centre on Capacity Development and Research in Water Harvesting (RCWH)
Established in 2014, the aim of this centre is to provide training and research opportunities; generate and provide scientific and technical information and support the exchange of information, in particular with regard to local scientific, technical and managerial knowledge, in the various domains of water harvesting;

National Training of the Public Water Corporation
Khartoum, Sudan
Email1: rcwd-sudan@hotmail.com
Email2: info@unesco-rcwh.sd

 

Regional Centre for Training and Water Studies of Arid and Semi-Arid Zones (RCTWS)
Established in 2002. RCTWS, located in Egypt, provides information on the science and technology of arid and semi-arid zones and promotes policies leading to integrated and sustainable water resources management.

Director: Eng. Tarek Elsayed
Email:chairman@rctws.org
Focal point: Eng. Doaa Mohamed
Email: doaa@rctws.org