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UNESCO’S INTERGOVERNMENTALSCIENTIFIC PROGRAMME INHYDROLOGY AND WATER RESOURCESThese local and regional changes, coupled withglobal climate change, pose a momentous challengeto humanity and ecosystems. Considering the finitenature of water, its deteriorating quality and ourincreasing demand for it, the need to protect andmanage freshwater resources is crucial.Since these changes are a global problem, a responseto its impacts must also be international. No singleinstitution or country can face these challenges alone,but UNESCO provides a unique cross-disciplinaryforum for addressing these issues. It can foster thenecessary international cooperation to bring all playerstogether, whether they are governments, researchDATA AVAILABILITY AND SHARINGImproving both data sources as well as access to themis critical for the assessment, prediction and adaptationof global change. Benchmark hydro-meteorologicaldata sets need to be made available for all aspectsof change prediction, assessment and modelling. Yetdata are sparse in the developing world and globalhydro-geological data sets to support assessment andprediction of change in groundwater systems are virtuallynon-existent. Even where such data have been collected,they are rarely shared across ministries or institutions.Several IHP programs and their partners already work onvarious aspects of data collection. These efforts couldbe further leveraged to initiate a coordinated approachto assess and predict hydrologic change – locally,regionally, nationally and globally – as part of an initiativeto adaptively manage hydrologic risk and mitigate theemerging global water crisis.Global multidiscpilinary data sets that are sufficientlyrefined and long enough to allow systematic changeanalysis and its attribution are needed. They may not existin many places, and alternate ways to predict and assesschanges based on classification and typology developmentmay be needed. New monitoring networks that can aid thisclassification process and constrain predictions and earlywarning of change would also be useful.institutions, universities, UN agencies, NGOs, andnational or international organizations.The mission of the International HydrologicalProgramme (IHP) is to strengthen the scientificunderstanding of these impacts on water systems andto link scientific conclusions to policies for promotingsustainable management of water resources.2 ]THE IMPACT OF GLOBAL CHANGE ON WATER RESOURCES: THE RESPONSE OF UNESCO’S INTERNATIONAL HYDROLOGY PROGRAMME

WATER DEPENDENCIES:SYSTEMS UNDER STRESS AND SOCIETALRESPONSESAdapting to the impacts of globalchanges on river basins andaquifer systemsThe influences of global changes onwater are playing a significant role in IHP’sseventh phase (2008-2013), entitled “WaterDependencies: Systems under Stress andSocietal Responses”.Several research activities on assessment andadaptation to global change impacts on freshwaterresources have been identified:• The development of monitoring networks anddatabases for change analysis• Methods for change detection, attribution andprediction• Prediction of changes in and vulnerability ofgroundwater, floods, low flows and droughts• Prediction of groundwater quality degradation andrestoration• Assessment of snow, ice and glacier mass balances• Assessment of the impact on sediment transport• Integrated water management for adaptation toglobal change risk• Policy-related interventions for adaptationIHP’s two cross-cutting programmes, FRIEND Water and HELP, interact with all IHPthemes through their operational concepts.FRIEND WATER: FLOW REGIMES FROMINTERNATIONAL EXPERIMENTAL ANDNETWORK DATAFRIEND Water is an internationalresearch programme that helpsto set up regional networks for analyzing hydrologicaldata through the exchange of data, knowledge andtechniques at the regional level.FRIEND Water’s scientific research focuses on theunderstanding of the complex nature of hydrologicalvariability in space and time in different hydro-climaticand hydro-geological environments (temperateclimates, extreme elevation, monsoonal regimes, snowand ice regimes, hard rock and unconsolidated riverbasins, and data-sparse regions). The program dealswith environmental change, including climate changeand land-use changes and their impacts on extremeevents such as floods and droughts, water resources,livelihoods, economic development and health.HELP: HYDROLOGY FOR THEENVIRONMENT, LIFE AND POLICYHELP is a cross-cutting andtransdisciplinary initiative thatis creating a new approach to integrated catchmentmanagement through the creation of a frameworkfor water law and policy experts, water resourcemanagers and water scientists to work together onwater-related problems.An important research question within HELP basinsis how knowledge, understanding, and predictivemodelling of the influence of global climate variabilityand change on hydrological variables and remotelysensed data can be used to improve the managementand design of water resource, agro-hydrological andeco-hydrological systems.INTERNATIONAL HYDROLOGICAL PROGRAMME [ 5

IFI: INTERNATIONAL FLOOD INITIATIVEThe International Flood Initiative (IFI) promotes aholistic approach to flood management, and is acollaborative effort of WMO, UNESCO, IAHS, UNUand ISDR. The secretariat is based in the InternationalCentre for Water Hazard and Risk Management(ICHARM) in Tsukuba, Japan. The impact of climatechange on floods is an important issue within theinitiative. IHP recently launched a new book seriesentitled “Flood Management in a Changing Climate”as a contribution to the International Flood Initiative(IFI). The books will focus on extreme precipitationand climate change, hydrologic modelling of floods,flood inundation modelling and flood risk managementproviding sound knowledge to the theory of flooddisaster management and practice under the currentclimate change conditions. Best practices from aroundthe world and state of the art knowledge will bepresented together with a set of computational toolsfor practical applications.IHP compiled a list of major floods from aroundthe world from 1860-2008 with a focus on theirmagnitude, meteorological causes and socioeconomicimpacts, in cooperation with IAHS. Thesefindings were a contribution to the third World WaterDevelopment Report (WWDR).ARID AND SEMI-ARID ENVIRONMENTSArid and semi-arid areas globally face the greatest pressures to deliver and manage freshwater resources. Theseareas are particularly vulnerable to climate variability or climate change, with consequences that may have veryserious social and environmental effects.Accurately assessingand managing availableand renewable waterresources is moredifficult in semi-aridregions, comparedwith water-richcountries, sincethe science baseis limited, data arescarce and the humidzone experience isinappropriate. Moreover, many arid regions are thefocus of potential conflicts over water scarcity, makingit necessary to develop strategies to support peaceand security. Improved scientific understanding,cooperation and data sharing all provide ways ofbettering water management and of supportingconflict resolution.G-WADI: GLOBAL NETWORK ON WATERAND DEVELOPMENT INFORMATION INARID LANDSG-WADI aims to strengthen the global capacityneeded to manage the water resources of arid andsemi-arid areas. The programme’s primary aim hasbeen to build an effective global community throughthe integration of existing material from networks,centers, organizations and individuals who aremembers of G-WADI. The International Center forIntegrated Water Resource Management (ICIWaRM)in Virginia, USA serves as the host for the technicalsecretariat of the programme, which has regionalnetworks in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Arabregion.Through workshops the programme brings togetherinternational experts, scientists, policymakers,researchers and stakeholders to discuss key researchtopics related to climate change impacts, riskassessment and management of water resources ofarid and semi-arid regions.8 ] THE IMPACT OF GLOBAL CHANGE ON WATER RESOURCES: THE RESPONSE OF UNESCO’S INTERNATIONAL HYDROLOGY PROGRAMME

G-WADI Geo-server Development:Since the inception of the G-WADI program,the Center for Hydrometeorology andRemote Sensing (CHRS), University ofCalifornia, Irvine has been collaboratingwith IHP on the development of tools toprovide access to global satellite estimatesof precipitation at high spatial and temporalresolutions that are relevant to themonitoring of precipitation input, especiallyimportant in transboundary basins andaquifers in areas where ground observationnetworks are lacking. The website containsapplications and tools for water resource managersthat can improve flood forecasting and warning, aswell as drought monitoring.CHRS recently launched a real-time Google Earthprecipitation mapper. This application is gaining inpopularity, particularly in the developing world. It willstrengthen the capacity to manage water resourcesaround the globe by allowing operational hydrologistsand water resources managers access to satellitebasedglobal precipitation estimates within one to twohours of the actual acquisition of the global infraredimagery.COLD ENVIRONMENTS:SNOW, GLACIERS AND PERMAFROSTGlaciers are an intrinsic element of the culture, landscape, and environment in high mountain regions, and are keyindicators and unique demonstrations of global warming and climate change. With rising global temperatures,glaciers are experiencing a rapid decline in mass. Changes in mountain glaciers will have significant effects onlivelihoods and ecology.Glaciers represent a unique source of freshwater foragricultural, industrial and domestic use, as well as animportant economic component of tourism and hydroelectricpower production. It is therefore critical toassess and monitor all aspects of water resources inthe highly important headwaters of rivers and observechanges in and consequent impacts on river regimesof the melting of snow, glacier ice and permafrost. Theneed for a worldwide inventory of existing perennialice and snow masses was first considered during theInternational Hydrological Decade declared by UNESCOfor the period of 1965-1974.INTERNATIONAL HYDROLOGICAL PROGRAMME [ 9

Current and proposed IHP activities related to glaciers,snow and permafrost include:• Review ongoing studies of the hydrological impactsof glaciers, snow and permafrost, formulate furtherresearch needs;• Develop a regional network of benchmark basinsbased on existing research and monitoring sitesto provide an effective long-term capability toassess and monitor changes in snow, glacier andpermafrost conditions;• Improve coordination and exchange of informationbetween the different organizations involved inmonitoring glaciers in the region;• Improve capacity of the scientists and institutionsof the region to apply advanced methods andtechnologies (including use of satellite images) inassessing the status of snow and glaciers, and theimpact of climate variability on them; and• Raise awareness of policy-makers at the nationallevel on the predictions and risks related to themelting of glaciers.WATER QUALITYThe impact of climate change on water quality is likely to be considerable. The projected reductions in precipitationand runoff will lead to a decrease in both the quantity and quality of water supply.Droughts deteriorate water quality since less wateris available for the dilution of wastewater. Higherwater temperatures, increased precipitation intensity,and longer periods of low flows are projectedto exacerbate many forms of water pollution,including sediments, nutrients, dissolved organiccarbon, pathogens, pesticides, salt and thermalpollution. This promotes algal blooms and increasesbacterial and fungal content, and, in turn, impactsecosystems, human health, and the reliabilityand operating costs of water systems. Risingtemperatures are likely to lower water quality in lakesthrough increased thermal stability and altered mixingpatterns, resulting in reduced oxygen concentrationsand an increased release of phosphorus fromsediments.More intense rainfall is expected to lead to adeterioration of water quality since it enhances thetransport of pathogens and other dissolved pollutants(such as pesticides) to surface water and groundwater.It also results in increased erosion, which in turn leadsto the mobilization of adsorbed pollutants such asphosphorus and heavy metals. More frequent heavyrainfall will overload the capacity of sewer systems, andwater and wastewater treatment plants more often. Inareas with overall decreased runoff such as in semi-aridareas, water quality deterioration will be even worse.IHP is addressing water quality issues through aprogram aimed at protecting water quality. The impactof climate change on water quality is one of the keyareas where specific activities, projects and case10 ] THE IMPACT OF GLOBAL CHANGE ON WATER RESOURCES: THE RESPONSE OF UNESCO’S INTERNATIONAL HYDROLOGY PROGRAMME

studies on related topics are being developed. Inaddition, IHP is working on policy recommendationsfor mitigation and adaptation measures.The activities will focus on the following strategies:• Minimizing pollution load in rivers and surface waterbodies during extreme weather events such asfloods and droughts;• Developing sustainable approaches to sanitationand wastewater management in order to preventthe increased sewage contamination of surfaceand groundwaters and transmission of water- andvector-borne diseases during flood events;• Developing strategies for augmenting andmaintaining the resilience capacity of the naturalaquatic environment to cope with pollution.EROSION AND SEDIMENTATIONEvery year human lives are lost to erosion, landslides and debris flows. The negative impacts of erosion andsedimentation are further exacerbated by global changes brought on by a rapidly growing population andincreased vulnerability to severe climatic conditions, which increase soil erosion.Across the world, erosion, transportand sedimentation processes havesignificant social, economic andenvironmental impacts. More thanfifty percent of the original storagecapacity of the world’s reservoirsis likely to be lost within the nextthirty years due to sedimentation.Because of their close links to landcover, land use and the hydrology ofa river basin, erosion and sedimenttransport processes are sensitive tochanges in climate and land coveras well as to a wide range of humanactivities. These include forest cuttingand land clearance, the expansionof agriculture, land use change and conservationpractices, mineral extraction, urbanization andinfrastructural development, sand mining, dam andreservoir construction, and programmes for soilconservation and sediment control. Soil erosionrates and sediment loads transported by theworld’s rivers provide an important and sensitiveindicator of changes in the operation of the earthsystem. Sediment management is therefore animportant component of sustainable water resourcesmanagement.Direct human activity is generally a stronger changeagent on soil erosion and its hydrologic impacts thanclimate, although better understanding is needed asto how climate and land cover change lead to erosiveand erodibility interactions.ISI: INTERNATIONAL SEDIMENTINITIATIVEISI advances sustainablesediment management at theglobal scale in an effort tocontribute to sustainable waterresources management. Thetechnical secretariat for the programme is based inthe International Research and Training Center onErosion and Sedimentation (IRTCES) in Beijing, China.The work includes an information system, a globalevaluation of sediment transport (the GEST project),an assembly of case studies of sediment problemsand sediment management for river basins in differentenvironments, a review of erosion and sedimentationresearch, and an initiative to promote education andcapacity building in the sediment field.INTERNATIONAL HYDROLOGICAL PROGRAMME [ 11

The theme of global change and its impact on erosionand sediment dynamics is central to all of theseaspects since it is now clear that change is a keyfeature of those dynamics and such change is in turna key driver of sediment-related problems and hasa fundamental influence on sustainable river basinmanagement. ISI plays an important role in highlightingthe wider context of global change and the importanceof such change to erosion.“The Impact of Global Change on Erosion andSediment Transport by Rivers: Current Progress andFuture Challenges” is a contribution to the WWDR sidepublications intended to provide scientific informationon subjects covered in the WWDR.URBAN SETTLEMENTSUrban water and sanitation services are directly affected by climate change. Changes in rainfall patterns, theirseasonality and spatial distribution will influence the quantity and quality of water resources, and will impact bothsurface water and groundwater.The projected increase in intensity and frequency ofextreme precipitation events is likely to put seweragenetworks under additional pressure. The currenthydraulic capacity of parts of the networks will moreoften be exceeded. A result may be more frequentlocalized flooding and sewer overflows, which might inturn negatively affect the water quality of rivers.UWMP: URBAN WATER MANAGEMENTPROGRAMMEIHP’s Urban Water Management Programme (UWMP)generates approaches, tools and guidelines which willallow cities to improve their knowledge and analysisof the urban water situation to draw up more effectiveurban water management strategies.The programme carries out the following activities:• Developing solutions for more sustainable stormwater collecting practices, taking into accountintense rainfall events, increasing urban populationsize and ongoing detrimental changes on waterresources from urban storm water.• Minimizing urban storm water flow impact onwater resources. This requires defining technicalelements and managing rules to shift from thetraditional engineering “optimization” goal to amore holistic “system resilience” goal.• Consideration of both assets management inexisting urban places and new based technologicalsolutions in developing sub-urban areas.• Ensuring that the minimum of polluted waters willreach the natural system even during more intenserainfall events. This is applicable both to combinedand separated sewer systems.12 ] THE IMPACT OF GLOBAL CHANGE ON WATER RESOURCES: THE RESPONSE OF UNESCO’S INTERNATIONAL HYDROLOGY PROGRAMME

BIODIVERSITYBiodiversity is directly affected by climate change. Biodiversity within wetlands is a good example of suchdegradation. For many watersheds, there is an increased likelihood of warmer summers and therefore an increasein water temperatures with associated impacts on aquatic ecosystems and water quality.ECOHYDROLOGY PROGRAMMEIHP’s Ecohydrology programme is concernedwith the impact of impact of climate change onbiodiversity under specific socio-political constrains.The programme is concentrating on the level ofenvironmental protection to be provided under climatechange impacts. Developing countries will usually beleast able or willing to consider the issue of the waterrequired for environmentalprotection; their firstpriority is to take careof the immediate, basicneeds of their population.The cross-cutting agenda includes the following issues:• The role the environment plays in securing waterresources under different climate regimes• Determining a value on the “natural” environment• Identifying the impacts of environmental change onwater resourcesThe initiative aims toraise awareness of theseissues so that thesetwo objectives are notcontradictory and thereare pathways to strike abalance under enhancedclimate variability andclimate change scenarios.GROUNDWATERClimate change affects groundwater recharge and discharge rates, as well as groundwater quality. Sinceknowledge of current recharge and levels in both developed and developing countries is poor, research effortsare underway to help us better understand the future impact of climate change on groundwater.Groundwater is the primary source of drinking water formore than 1.5 billion people worldwide. In rural areas,groundwater is often the only source of water. In manycountries groundwater is also important for sustainingagriculture, industrial uses, streams, lakes, wetlands,and ecosystems. Understanding the processescontrolling the geochemical evolution of groundwaterand differentiating between climate change and humanimpacts on groundwater quality are essential elementsof sustainable integrated groundwater quality and landuse management, and are necessary in formulating aneffective groundwater protection policy.Direct human influences on groundwater quality arelikely to be more important than climate change inthe foreseeable future. Primary climatic stress issueshave to do with recharge zones, especially for shallowaquifers, and sea water intrusion in coastal aquifers,related to sea level rise, in conjunction with otherstresses.INTERNATIONAL HYDROLOGICAL PROGRAMME [ 13

At high latitudes, the thawing of permafrost causeschanges in both groundwater levels and quality, dueto increased coupling with surface waters. Sincemany groundwater bodies both charge into andare recharged from surface water, the impacts ofsurface water flow regimes are expected to affectgroundwater. Increased precipitation variability maydecrease groundwater recharge in humid areas.GRAPHIC: GROUNDWATER RESOURCESASSESSMENT UNDER THE PRESSURESOF HUMANITY AND CLIMATE CHANGEIHP’s GRAPHIC programme is working on the impactof climate change on groundwater systems. Theprogramme is carried out in close cooperation withIHP National Committees, ICHARM, IGRAC, GEWEX,GEOS, IUGS, IAHS, UNU-HES, and UNESCO-IHEInstitute for Water Education.Activities include:• Assessment of the impacts of global change(e.g. climate change and human pressures) ongroundwater resources and support to MemberStates in addressing regional needs through globalcoordination• Improvement of the understanding of howgroundwater contributes to the global water cycleand evaluates the changes to groundwater storageand fluxes• Better define growing population pressure ongroundwater resources, global warming impacts ongroundwater recharge rates, rising sea levels andsaltwater intrusion• Raise awareness of decision makers,implementers, users and the general public ofthe importance of groundwater as a store offreshwater to encourage improved protection andsustainable use• Facilitating the county/regional groundwaterassessment and exchange of information viaseminars, workshops and conferences14 ] THE IMPACT OF GLOBAL CHANGE ON WATER RESOURCES: THE RESPONSE OF UNESCO’S INTERNATIONAL HYDROLOGY PROGRAMME

THE IMPACT OF LAND USE CHANGEAND POPULATION GROWTH ONWATER RESOURCESCHANGES IN LAND AND WATER USE PATTERNS HAVE SIGNIFICANT IMPLICATIONS AT LOCAL,REGIONAL AND GLOBAL LEVELS. MOST POPULATION GROWTH WILL OCCUR IN DEVELOPINGCOUNTRIES, MAINLY IN REGIONS THAT ARE ALREADY EXPERIENCING WATER STRESS, WITHLIMITED ACCESS TO SAFE DRINKING WATER.Years of rapid population growth have put greatpressure on the world’s water resources throughincreased water demand and consumption as well asthrough the pollution resulting from water use. With thefrequency and variability of extreme floods changingbecause of urbanization and land use changes, thenumber of people vulnerable to devastating floods isexpected to rise. Therefore, disaster risk reductionactions are needed. The impact of land-use changeson extremes is an important issue within the seventhphase of IHP.FRIEND WATER AND THE IMPACT ONFLOW REGIMESThe Asian Pacific FRIEND Water group has learnedmore about the impact of urbanization on flood riskthrough research on flood forecasting problems inChina, urbanization and flooding in Japan, floodingdue to rapid urbanization in Kuala Lumpur, and waterquality management and flooding in Australia.Consequently, flood mitigation solutions for theabove mentioned problems have been developed todecrease flood damages due to urbanization. Floodforecasting and early warning systems have beenestablished, and flood inundation maps have beenmade available for cities with the most significantincreases in urban areas.A research group is working on identifying the relativerole of climatic variability and land cover change onfloods and low flows as a function of spatial scale.The group has summarized the state of the art on thesubject, developed key scientific questions, is testingits research strategy in HELP basins and aims toprovide a road map on how to address these issues.The group also acts as a catalyst for motivatingcommunication and targeted research.Research topics include:• Analyzing methods to identify changes• Looking into feedback mechanisms• Analyzing generalization tools and potential oftypologies of catchments and regions• Researching transitional climate regimes• Analyzing catchment processes and flow paths• Assessing heterogeneity and scaling issuesINTERNATIONAL HYDROLOGICAL PROGRAMME [ 15

THE IMPACT OF SOCIO-POLITICALDYNAMICS ON WATER RESOURCESGLOBAL CHANGE AND SOCIO-POLITICAL IMPACTS ON WATER RESOURCES INCREASE PRESSUREOVER WATER RESOURCES – LEADING TO COMPETITION AND EVEN CONFLICTS AMONG USERS ANDSECTORS.Forty percent of the world’s population depend on thewater resources of more than 270 transboundary riverbasins around the world. Conflicts can arise regardingquality, allocation, infrastructure, joint management,irrigation and other activities that are water-dependent.PCCP: FROM POTENTIAL CONFLICT TOCOOPERATION POTENTIALPCCP facilitatesmulti-level andinterdisciplinarydialogues in order to foster peace, cooperationand development related to the management oftransboundary water resources.The program aims to answer the following questions:• How do we minimize conflicting environmental andhuman requirements under climate change threats?• How do we resolve conflicts in the best way?• How can legal tools address the challenges ofglobal change in the context of transboundarywater resources?PCCP uses joint research and training activities tosupport cooperation processes around the use ofshared water resources. These activities often allowthe concerned parties to find opportunities to enhancetheir knowledge about the shared water resources,while also achieving progress on the cooperation,development and adaptation front, especially in thecontext of climate change threats.The focus of the programme is on the developmentof tools which anticipate, prevent and resolve waterconflicts.PCCP is active in three areas:Education and training: developing educationalmaterials at the regional and global levels, andorganizing multidisciplinary training courses;Research: focusing on successful examples ofcooperation, the causes of water conflicts, bestpractices as well as innovative techniques to managethem;Process support: providing fora for dialogueand knowledge exchange on transboundary waterresources.16 ] THE IMPACT OF GLOBAL CHANGE ON WATER RESOURCES: THE RESPONSE OF UNESCO’S INTERNATIONAL HYDROLOGY PROGRAMME

THE WAY FORWARDAddressing Challenges in a Changing and Interconnected WorldThe lessons learned from results achieved during this phase of the programme will be the basis for designing IHP-VIII which willbecome operational in 2014. Within the new phase of IHP, a hydrological change initiative could serve as an umbrella for existingprogrammes and bring together all aspects of global change to help us better understand the drivers and their impacts on waterresources.IMPROVEDMONITORING:More comprehensive, integrated andaccurate data is necessary for managingwater resources efficiently. Water data is oftenof poor quality, especially in developing countries.Rainfall and runoff data can be inaccurate, but thegaps increase greatly when groundwater and soilmoisture are considered. Cost issues in developedcountries have created pressure for network erosion.Some issues to consider in securing more completewater information include the appropriate networkdesign criteria for hydrologic observations inthe context of global change and the rolethat new observation methods suchas remote sensing can play.CASESTUDIESFOCUSED ON GLOBALTO LOCAL ACTION:There is a need to develop a change assessmentand prediction initiative in conjunction with apolicy framework in order to develop better policyrecommendations for global hydrologic change adaptation.Case studies in a large river basin focused on global tolocal action would provide a basis for an integrated projectdrawing global researchers from relevant disciplines todevelop and demonstrate an end-to-end research andadaptation strategy. The river basin should be in ahighly vulnerable area in which the freshwaterresources or hazard impacts are likely to besevere in the near to mid-term. Thereshould be possibilities for collectiveaction and learning.ADAPTATIONANDMANAGEMENTAPPROACHES:Adaptation and management require a regional orlocal approach. Tools are thus needed to disentanglethe effects of land cover, climate change, and watermanagement on hydro-hazards. For example, mostglaciers appear to have negative mass balances globally.However, a sound predictive basis for assessing theimplications of these changes on stream flow regionallyor globally (as contrasted with modelling of singleglaciers) are lacking.INTERNATIONAL HYDROLOGICAL PROGRAMME [ 17

HOW WE WORKUNESCO’s water family operates as a global network that works together toimplement the organization’s strategic goals.UNESCO hosts the IHP Secretariat and provides seed funding that is multiplied many times over through cooperation with implementing partners. IHP is the only intergovernmental programme of the UN system devoted to water research, water resources management, education and capacity building. The IHP Secretariat serves UNESCO’s 193 Member States, through the IHP National Committees, other governmental bodies, and academic and research institutions in the implementation of the programme. UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education – an integral part of UNESCO – is the educational arm. Twenty-six agencies of the UN system cooperate through the World Water AssessmentProgramme (WWAP) to provide an ongoing global assessment of the state of the world’sfreshwater resources. The programme is hosted and led by UNESCO. UNESCO’s Regional and Cluster Offices assist in the implementation of IHP in the regions. Water-related Institutes and Centres under the auspices of UNESCO work on relevantthematic and geographic priorities in their areas of expertise. Since Member States have realizedthe potential of these centres, the network has been rapidly expanding. UNESCO’s Water-related Chairs are established as teaching or research positions at universities or research institutes around the world. 18 ] THE IMPACT OF GLOBAL CHANGE ON WATER RESOURCES: THE RESPONSE OF UNESCO’S INTERNATIONAL HYDROLOGY PROGRAMME

INTERNATIONAL HYDROLOGICAL PROGRAMME [ 19

ACRONYMSCHRSFRIENDGEOSGESTGEWEXGRAPHICG-WADIGWESGWSPCenter for Hydrometeorology andRemote SensingFlow Regimes from InternationalExperimental and Network DataGlobal Earth Observation SectionGlobal Evaluation of SedimentTransportGlobal Energy and Water CycleExperimentGroundwater Resources Assessmentunder the Pressures of Humanity andClimate ChangeGlobal Network on Water andDevelopment Information in AridLandsGroundwater for EmergencySituationsGlobal Water Systems ProjectISIIUGSNGOPCCPUNUNESCOUNUUNU-EHSWATCHWMOWWAPWWDRInternational Sediment InitiativeInternational Union of GeologicalSciencesNon-Governmental OrganizationsFrom Potential Conflict to CooperationPotentialUnited NationsUnited Nations Educational, Scientificand Cultural OrganizationUnited Nations UniversityUnited Nations University Institute forEnvironment and Human SecurityWater and Global ChangeWorld Meteorological OrganizationWorld Water Assessment ProgrammeWorld Water Development ReportHELPHydrology for Environment, Life andPolicyIAHSInternational Association ofHydrological SciencesICHARMInternational Centre for Water Hazardsand Risk ManagementICIWaRMInternational Center for IntegratedWater Resource ManagementIFIInternational Flood InitiativeIGRACInternational Groundwater ResourcesAssessment CentreIHPInternational Hydrological ProgrammeIPCCIntergovernmental Panel on ClimateChangeISDRInternational Strategy for DisasterReduction20 ] THE IMPACT OF GLOBAL CHANGE ON WATER RESOURCES: THE RESPONSE OF UNESCO’S INTERNATIONAL HYDROLOGY PROGRAMME

PHOTOSFRONT COVERAerial photos of arctic tundra wetlands© shutterstock / George Burba Boats inPokhara Nepal Fewa Lake © shutterstock/ Carlos Neto Flood affected childreneat snack with tea at flood relief campestablished at Razzaqabad area in Karachion Tuesday, August 31, 2010 © shutterstock /Asianet-Pakistan Rizwan Ali/PPI Imagesblue sky © shutterstock / Mycola Mining inthe quarry © shutterstock / xtrekxPAGE 5Flood, poverty kids playing © shutterstock/ Distinctive Images Dead Trees in theforest around a lake with low water levels© shutterstock / Stephen BonkPAGE 11Soil erosion © shutterstock / Neil BradfieldPAGE 12Indian people work at Dhobi Ghat inMumbai on November 5, 2009. Dhobi Ghatis the world ’ s largest outdoor laundry.© shutterstock / Jan S.PAGE 17Flood © shutterstock / Daniel Loretto Childof the Lobi ethnic group August 12, 2009 inGaoua, Burkina Faso © shutterstock / HectorConesa Army offcials rescue a man fromthe flood hit area via helicopter on August28, 2010 in Sukkur © shutterstock / Asianet-PakistanPAGE 1Green sunny field © shutterstock / SantiagoCornejoPAGE 2Boy drives a bike in desert © shutterstock /nmediaPAGE 3Crowded street scene from Old Delhi,India © shutterstock / JeremyRichards City highways, Bangkok,Thailand, SE Asia© shutterstock / Vladimir Koletic A poorstreetside girl holding her toddler brother,in India © shutterstock / thefinalmiracle Contrast of the Poverty and Wealth inSalvador of Bahia, Brazil © shutterstock /Vinicius Tupinamba Burning pine needles inthe forest © shutterstock / Oleg DolenkoPAGE 4Weary immigrants on a fishing boatintercepted by the Spanish coastguard offthe island of Tenerife, July-October 2007© UNHCR / A. Rodríguez Garbage piled upon the coast of the ocean © shutterstock/ Cozyta Flood Brisbane Queenslanddeclared natural disater January 12, 2011in Brisbane, Australia © shutterstock /andesign101 Black ploughed field underPAGE 6Hills of SaPa Vietnam © shutterstock / PhilipDate The view on the Lofoten islands,Norway © shutterstock / AnilahPAGE 7Solitary tree flooded on sea water© shutterstock / Edwin Verin A child carrieshousehold items while passing throughthe rubble of houses on August 29, 2010 inNowshera, the homes were destroyed byflood waters © shutterstock / Asianet-PakistanPAGE 8Dead tree and rocks in arid landscape© shutterstock / Suzanne Long Poor motherwith baby begging in the streets of NewDelhi, India © shutterstock / DhoxaxPAGE 9Lake Sarez, Tajikistan © UNESCO / A. MishraPAGE 10Man drinking water from tank, South India© shutterstock / Paul Prescott Woman withwater jug, Rajasthan, India © shutterstock /Kailash K Soni Cambodian girl pumpingwater into a basin © shutterstock / IrinaOvchinnikovaPAGE 13Herd of zebra at Masai Mara Kenya© shutterstock / Eric Isselée Iguana inhumid tropical environment of Amazonia© shutterstock / Natalia MachedaPAGE 14Aerial photos of arctic tundra wetlands© shutterstock / George Burba A littleNepalese porter in the Himalaya onNovember 20, 2009 in Gorkha District, Nepal© shutterstock / Zzvet Group of workersrepaired water pipe © shutterstock / MikhailOlykainen Cascade falls over mossy rocks© shutterstock / Dvande Inle Lake duringmonsoon season. Inle Lake is a freshwaterlake located in the Shan Hills in Myanmar© shutterstock/ Dirk OttPAGE 15Boats in Pokhara Nepal Fewa Lake© shutterstock / Carlos NetoPAGE 16Flood affected women gather for food reliefat a distribution area within a relief camp onAugust 28, 2010 in Hyderabad © shutterstock/ Asianet-PakistanPAGE 18Dried land near Brisbane © shutterstock/ Ximagination Portrait of two gorkhaschildren in national clothes on December 17,2009 in Gorkha District, Nepal © shutterstock/ ZzvetPAGE 19Navy offcials evacuate flood affected peoplewith the help of hovercraft at Behram Ketion August 22, 2010 in the Thatta District.© shutterstock / Asianet-Pakistan Aftab Ahmed/PPI Images Flood-affected children filltheir water pots at drinking water tanks onAugust 30, 2010 in Hyderabad © shutterstock/ Asianet-Pakistan Tuk-tuk taxi navigatingthrough the flood after the heaviestmonsoon rain in 20 years in the capitalon August 14, 2009 in Bangkok, Thailand© shutterstock / Thor Jorgen UdvangBACK COVERBaltic coast with eroded beach and landslideafter storm © shutterstock / Arvydas KniukTEXT ADAPTED BY BOZENA BLIXGRAPHIC DESIGN AND PRODUCTION MH DESIGN / MARO HAASPRINTED BY STIPA This document is printed on 100% recycled paper.