Fundação Centro Internacional de Educação, Capacitação e Pesquisa Aplicada em Águas

Integrated River Basin Management

wendel — Mon, 21 May 2012 18:29:39 +0000

UNESCO-HidroEX, model for the World

wendel — Mon, 21 May 2012 17:32:29 +0000

HidroEX,UNESCO Center (category II) focused on education, building capacities and applied research on water issues, implemented by the Minas Gerais State government and with the support of the Federal Government, in Frual, in the region of the Triangulo Mineiro, can be considered as a model for the world.
This statement was expressed by the rector of the Institute on Education for Water (IHE-UNESCO ), András Szöllösi-Nagy, an authority in water resources in the world. This Thursday, may 3rd he visited the facilities of UNESCO-HidroEX and knew about the project, already in construction, City of Waters.
Accompanied of Science, Technology and Higher Education, Secretary of State, Narcio Rodrigues and Richard Meganck, UNESCO Advisor, Mr. Szöllösi-Nagy was positively impressed with the advances of UNESCO-HidroEX, due to the investments of the Federal and Minas Gerais State Government, which, up to now, sum more than R$100 million.
Mr. András Szöllösi-Nagy visited Frutal five years ago, when UNESCO-HidroEX was inaugurated in its provisory installations. “Of the 22 UNESCO-Centers category II, around the world, UNESCO –HidroEX certainly is already a reference”, he stated. The rector also said that in the middle term, UNESCO-HidroEX will turn a Center Category I, such as IHE Center. “Certainly it will be one of the fisrt to conquest the patronage from UNESCO.
According to Mr. Szöllösi-Nagy, management of water resources is one of the main preoccupations in the world, and there is a lack of professionals in this area. He said that Minas Gerais State government through HidroEX, will contribute positively in this way, producing intellectual professionals, researchers, managers and specialists, not only in Brazil, but also in Latin America, Caribbean and Africa.
““You cannot imagine the importance of a center such as this for the world, which is focused on water related problems, taking in consideration that in the short term we will have nine billion people living in our planet”, stated Mr. Szöllösi-Nagy
Secretary Narcio Rodrigues expressed that UNESCO-HidroEX is preparing all paperwork necessary to become into na IHE in LatinAmerica and the Caribbean, owned by the United Nations.
After visiting the facilities of UNESCO-HidroEX and the project about the implementation of the City of Waters, Mr. András Szöllösi-Nagy stated that the Center fulfills all the requirements considered to become part of the Global IHE Campus.

Unesco-HidroEX participates of the 1st Regional Consultation for Groundwater Governance.

wendel — Mon, 21 May 2012 17:29:33 +0000

Dr. Norma Angelica Hernández-Bernal, geographer and Environmental Engineer researcher and professor, just return from Montevideo, Uruguay, where she represented UNESCO-HidroEX for the three days Consultation Meeting for Groundwater Governance. This meeting gathered specialists from 23 countries in the water resources field in order to seek for solutions which will help to guide proposals and models to make underwater governance more effective.
It was the first Regional Consultation out of five, which will be held around the world for the Project Groundwater Governance: A Global Framework for Country Action, promoted by the UN Found for the Environment (GEF), UNESCO, through the International Hydrological Program, FAO, International Hydrologists Association and World Bank with the sponsorship of the Government of Uruguay.
The main point of interest during the event was the need of making of this hidden resource a more visible one. “It is already difficult the preservation and valorization of superficial water, now imagine how much must have to be done to show the importance of groundwater resources” the specialists expressed. But it is important to highlight that it is in underground that the water resources compound 97% of drinkable water of the planet.
During this stage of the consultation, more than a hundred government authorities, renowned technicians, NGO’s representatives and other entities from civil society and inclusive, the media will evaluate and will offer suggestions on actions directed to find ways to prevent, improve and restore aquifers around the world allowing that the usage will turn sustainable. “We need to show that instead of being a problem, groundwater can be a solution for many cities, which nowadays are dealing with water supply problems”, expressed Dr. Ricardo Hirata, professor and researcher from Sao Paulo University (USP).
At the inauguration, Graciela Muslera, Minister of Regional Planning and Environment of Uruguay, highlighted the characteristic of Uruguay as a country with a history of articulations and agreements, also because it shares with Brazil and Argentina its water resources. She recommended to seek formulas in order to give a more visible dimension to groundwater and to search for a more sustainable usage which can guarantee water supply for Latin-American countries. “We must act considering the fragilities and threatens and count always with the participation of international community which must also be responsible for our water resources”, she said.
The minister of Foreign Affairs of Uruguay, Luis Almagro, remembered the cyclic droughts that Uruguay and the southern region of the continent has suffered and, even though every problem demands and individual solution, there are common ways which can be reached. Finally, Gretchen Kalonji, UNESCO’s Natural Sciences Director, said that she hopes that the review of the 3 day work can help to take future decisions which can guarantee the sustainable usage of groundwater resources.
Besides this first consultation, there will be other which are already planned for the different regions of the world: Africa (Nairobi, Kenya); Arab countries (Amman, Jordan); Asia (Beijing, China); Europa (Delft, Netherlands). The main objective is to gather contributions to improve groundwater governance, now in a diagnose stage.
The project, with a cost of US$4,5 million to be performed in 3 years, will show the real state of the resource, will perform a diagnostic which will complement the first stage of the consultation with the input of the information on each meeting, and will seek for viable solutions for the problems which will arise from the 5 consultations events. Source: Aguaonline.

UNESCO- HidroEX presents today the Education Project on Water Issues in Cape Verde

wendel — Mon, 21 May 2012 17:23:18 +0000

Alexandre Saad, vice-president of UNESCO-HidroEX, participated today, May 7th in Praia (Cape Verde) the opening of the workshop “Water, Education and School environment”, which is being realized by UNESCO’s International Hydrological Program and by the National Executive Secretary of Cape Verde.
After de opening ceremony a visit to the UniPeaget (Jean Peaget University of Cape Verde) was done, where the participants of the workshop knew about the work of the University which follows the principles of the Swiss pedagogue. The university offers 25 courses and serves 2,400 students with 12 Master courses and 3 new courses on Renewable Energy, Medicine and Translation within Interculturality.
On Wednesday, may 8th, Mr. Saad will make a presentation of the water education projects of UNESCO-HidroEX, among them the one on “Agent Cousteau” which will be developed by the Minas Gerais Government along with Cousteau Society, and which will be applied in public schools of the Brazilian State of Minas Gerais, beginning in the municipalities of Frutal and Uberaba.
Today, Mr Saad will have a meeting with the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, also president to the National Commission of Cape Verde for UNESCO, Dr Antonio Correia e Silva. They will talk about the cooperation agreements which will be signed among UNESCO-HidroEX and Cape Verde.
Representatives from São Tomé and Prince, Angola, Guinea Bissau, Mozambique and Cape Verde are also participating from the workshop. The event, which will finish on the 9th of may, looks forward developing a curriculum within the participation of the representatives of each country for Education and Water, certifying the alignment with national politics and plans of development for the elaboration of a manual for teachers. On the other hand, it looks forward developing the adequate training of teachers in this matter.

UNESCO defines City of Waters as a “model of innovation”

wendel — Fri, 04 May 2012 13:49:33 +0000

Foto: Alexandre Saad

In a meeting with the Secretary for Science, Technology and Higher Education of the Brazilian State of Minas Gerais, Narcio Rodrigues, the UNESCO general director Irina Bokova praised the initiative of the Brazilian state in establishing the UNESCO-HidroEX City of Waters and defined it as model of innovation that has been used by UNESCO to encourage the establishment of other projects around the world.

“I give the example of HidroEX to all of those who come to me with the intention of creating a UNESCO center”, said Bokova during the meeting at UNESCO headquarters, in Paris. On the occasion, Narcio Rogrigues delivered a document signed by the governor of Minas Gerais, Antonio Anastasia, which describes the progress in establishing the City of Waters, in Frutal (Triângulo Mineiro).

The document also states the interest of the Minas Gerais government in creating the Minas Inhotim Water Observatory through the Minas Gerais State Department for Science, Technology and Higher Education (SECTES). This center will monitor all information related to 17 large drainage basins throughout the world, contributing also to controlling the management quality and preventing the occurrence of natural disasters.

Irina Bokova was formally invited to make a new visit to the state of Minas Gerais in order to announce these projects involving UNESCO and the Brazilian Government. At the end of the meeting, Narcio Rodrigues declared the intention of turning HidroEX into a UNESCO global campus for Water Education, with actions focused on Latin America and the Caribbean.

This issue will be discussed in September by UNESCO’s Executive Board. If the application is submitted, HidroEX may become the second UNESCO’s Category I center in the whole world.

In the meeting with Bokova, the Brazilian Ambassador to UNESCO, Maria Laura Rocha, the HidroEX vice-president, Alexandre Saad, the UNESCO advisor, Richard Meganck, and the representative of UNESCO-HidroEX in Paris, Igor Tameirão were also present