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INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION ON WATER SCIENCES AND RESEARCHWater for sustainable developmentand adaptation to climate changeMilan Dimkic, Miodrag Milovanovic and Radisav Pavlovic,Jaroslav Cerni Institute for the Development of Water Resources, SerbiaThe establishment of a United Nations Educational,Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) CategoryII Centre for Water for Sustainable Development andAdaptation to Climate Change was approved in 2012. The centreis expected to enhance scientific cooperation at the regional leveland to contribute to international sciences on water research,management and knowledge transfer, with a valuable contributionto the current seventh phase of the International HydrologicalProgramme (IHP) and to the upcoming eighth phase. It has beenoperational since 2013, and is hosted by the Jaroslav CerniInstitute (JCI) for the Development of Water Resources.JCI’s origins date back more than 60 years. It was initially an experimentalhydraulics laboratory which provided scientific support forthe development of the country’s first hydroelectric power plants.Over the years, JCI grew and expanded its research, investigation,planning, design and engineering activities to encompass all watermanagement segments in the former Yugoslavia. In addition to itsdomestic activities, JCI successfully undertook diverse projects inmore than 20 countries across the world.Today, JCI is the focal institution in Serbia’s water sector, in termsof professional capacity and scope. It is also Serbia’s leading researchorganization. In addition to high-level research, JCI performs a widevariety of other activities which constitute its core functions. Theseinclude the planning and engineering of water and hydropowerinfrastructures; engineer oversight of hydraulic projects;consulting services associated with the management ofwater resources, facilities, and systems; development ofstrategic planning documents; expert evaluations; andassistance in the drafting of national legislation, standards,methodologies and guidelines.JCI currently employs some 250 individuals, mostof whom are university graduates with PhD and MScdegrees in various disciplines (civil/hydraulic and structural,hydrogeological, chemical, environmental, forest,mechanical, electrical, mathematical and biological engineers;architects, economists, lawyers and so on). JCIalso maintains close ties with domestic and internationaluniversities, organizations and experts. The extraordinaryhuman resources of the institute ensure a very highlevel of studies and projects in different fields of waterand energy sectors and environmental protection.JCI has a number of laboratories for hydraulic, waterquality, biochemical, soil and sediment research, andcutting-edge instrumentation for field measurementsand analyses in areas such as geophysics, hydrogeologyand hydrochemistry. It also operates a state-of-the-artinformation system and possesses a large library ofadvanced software used in water research and management.JCI has itself developed sophisticated software toaddress specific problems.The Jaroslav Cerni Institute is the focal institution in Serbia’s water sectorImage: JCINeeds of Serbia’s water sectorSerbia is currently faced with extremely important andextensive tasks in its water sector. Dramatically reducedspending over the past 25 years has led to a significantfalling behind in the construction of necessary waterinfrastructures and, to some extent, in the very organizationand structuring of Serbia’s water sector. Watersector investment needs are currently estimated at aminimum of €6-8 billion.Investments and efficient water sector managementarrangements are indispensable for appropriate actionand the achievement of targeted status in the areas ofwater protection, water use, and protection againstthe adverse effects of water. Serbia has enacted a newWater Law and is currently drafting a series of relatedby-laws. In parallel, it needs to upgrade government andeconomic capacities and undertake extremely importantreforms in its economic and finance sectors. In[ 319 ]