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INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION ON WATER SCIENCES AND RESEARCHImage: KEIIWMM on the Selenge River Basin: members of the joint partnership research team2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development(Rio+20) – called for the provision of universal coverage forsafe drinking water and adequate sanitation services. The globalcommunity is expected to meet again in 2015 to agree on thepost-2015 development agenda and define the sustainable developmentgoals (SDGs). In this upcoming SDG agenda, water isexpected to feature prominently.As part of KEI’s efforts to contribute to the global community,GSC aims to address water resource issues through coordinatedmultidisciplinary research using advanced information andnetworking systems. GSC is working to expand its analyticalwork internationally through its partnership research. Since 2004,KEI and the Economics and Trade Branch of the United NationsEnvironment Programme have entered into agreements with anumber of institutions including national training and researchinstitutes, regional organizations, universities, internationalorganizations and non-governmental organizations with a view toestablishing a collaborative Network of Institutions for SustainableA map of the Selenge River Basin projectSource: KEI, IGMAS, Baikal Institute of Nature ManagementDevelopment (NISD). These institutions play a leadingrole in helping countries address the challenges ofsustainable development by enhancing informationexchange, capacity building, outreach activities andthe dissemination of publications for sustainabledevelopment. Since the network was established, anumber of activities have been initiated by KEI.The Selenge River BasinOne of KEI’s key NISD partnership projects is theIntegrated Water Management Model (IWMM) on theSelenge River Basin, in collaboration with the Instituteof Geoecology of the Mongolian Academy of Science(IGMAS), the Baikal Institute of Nature Management(BINM) and the Siberian branch of the Russian Academyof Sciences. The objective of the project was to buildan IWMM that could serve as an important policy toolfor sustainable management of the water source of theSelenge River Basin. The project also aimed to contributeto the peaceful settlement of water-related disputeson local, regional and international levels by providinga systematic analysis of the growing problems in thebasin’s management.The research project was conducted over threephases. The first phase focused on collecting data toexamine the water quality of the Selenge River. 1 In thesecond phase, the transboundary water managementissues between Mongolia and the Russian Federationwere analysed. 2 The final phase of the project wasaimed at the development and proposal of an internationalcooperation project for an IWMM for theSelenge River Basin. 3 The project resulted in thedevelopment of a solid research partnership betweenKEI, IGMAS and BINM. Furthermore, the three yearsof intensive joint research activities contributed tothe enhancement of IGMAS and BINM’s researchcapacities. Currently, IGMAS and BINM are jointlyconducting follow-up activities for the transboundarydiagnostic analysis in the Baikal Basin.[ 296 ]