REYKJAVÍK, ICELAND AUGUST 11-13, 2008 - Veðurstofa Íslands

series on hydropower development, issued over the time period from 1992 to
2003. There are separate volumes on Hydrology and on Environmental
effects, (NTNU, 2003).
There is a trend to create interdisciplinary groups of several universities of
various countries, offering water-related education. Some examples:
“Universities’ partnership for Transboundary waters” Linköping university
(Jan Lundquist) is one of nine partners in this consortium.
Another example is the Erasmus Mundus European “Joint Master in Water
and Coastal Management”, since 2004, where the University of Bergen
participates together with universities in Portugal, Spain and the UK.
A third example is “The International Research School of Water Resources”
, a formal collaboration between nine Danish universities and research
institutes with expertise within water resources. Director is Karsten H.
Jensen, Professor at the University of Copenhagen. The “Baltic University
Programme”, offering courses in sustainable water management has been
implemented since 1998 at 30 universities in the Baltic Sea region. (Lars-
Christer Lundin 2004)
International training courses are being held at various times and by various
Nordic organisers in e.g. glacial hydrology, irrigation in arid zones,
hydrometry, and more.
INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS AND PROGRAMMES
Many Nordic hydrologists have over the years held positions in
international water-related bodies, both as employees and in honorary posts.
Individuals of course bring along into their work their professional
competence and values, their opinions and working habits, their negotiating
skills, as well as general human qualities. To the extent that such
characteristics are coloured by one’s region of origin, it will be fair to speak
about a global role for Northern hydrologists. An indication of such influence
is the fact that today 6 out of 63 elected officers of the IAHS and its 9
commissions are Nordic hydrologists, i.e. close to 10 %.
The following comments and Annex 2 are by no means exhaustive, but
may provide valid examples of such global roles. In addition, a large number
of Nordic hydrologists have served individually or as members of various
committees and working groups of UNESCO, WMO, IAHR, IASC (Intl.
Arctic Sci. Comm.), FAO, UNEP, World Bank, ICOLD, IUCN, IWHA,
World Water Council, Regional developm. banks, IWA, and certainly many
others.
The author appreciates any improvement and additions to the Annex 2.
The International Hydrological Decade (IHD) programme 1965-1974,
launched by Unesco in cooperation with other UN agencies, was a major step
for international hydrology, and was succeeded by the International
Hydrology Programme (IHP). In each of the Nordic countries it meant a
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