Panel of Experts on Freshwater

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Panel of Experts on Freshwater
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Resolution 18 (Cg-XIV)

• Requests the Secretary-General
• (1) To provide the resources required to develop
  the proposal for the Panel of Experts on Fresh
  water that will
• (a) Define its terms of reference
• (b) Describe how the Panel will operate
• (c) Define, in this initiative, the role of WMO,
  other United Nations organizations and
  international agencies working on water issues
  and
• (d) Determine the level of resources that will be
  required
• (2) To invite and engage these United Nations
  organizations and international agencies in the
  further development of this initiative
• Further requests the Executive Council to monitor
  the process that would lead to the establishment
  of a Panel of Experts on Fresh water with a view
  to implement this initiative and to invite the
  Commission for Hydrology to provide support

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Alternatives Considered by Advisory Working
Group of CHy(Internalised)

• In Option I
• CHy could call for nominations for the
  constitution of such a Panel from within its own
  Members, eminent experts from outside and
  representatives from other UN organizations and
  international agencies to serve in the Panel.

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Alternatives Considered by Advisory Working
Group of ChyExternalised

• In Option II
• the Panel could be developed in collaboration
  with other international agencies active in water
  sector in such a way that it is ultimately owned
  by all UN agencies having a water programme. In
  this option, the developed proposal would be
  brought forward to the UNWater.

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Panel of Experts on Freshwater The Proposal

• Purpose
• Provide a scientific basis for the assessment and
  generation of in-depth knowledge on nature and
  extent of freshwater resources and their response
  to Climate Change, Pollution and other
  socio-economic changes.
• Provide a scientific and technical platform to
  identify priority areas that need collaborative
  and individual action
• Provision of an Early Warning Platform to address
  Water Crisis
• Serve as public information and media platform.

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Organizational Structure

• Ownership UN-Water
• Task Teams
• Data and Information Acquisition and Management
• Water Related Hazard Management
• Ecological Issues in Water Resources Management
• .
• .
• Secretariat
• Constituent Bodies of UN-Water Agencies (Through
  UN-Water)

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Roles and Resources

• ROLES
• WMO as an initiator to contribute in form of
  provision of science based information on
  freshwater resources, their variability,
  predictability and hazard potential
• UN-Water to assume guiding and coordinating role
  for contribution from different organizations
• Other International agencies would also be
  invited to participate
• RESOURCES
• Members of UN-Water and other participating
  agencies to share
• Level of Resources required would depend on the
  extent and scope of the activities undertaken by
  the Panel

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Inputs from UN-Water

• A number of expert panels with variants already
  exist
• The HLCP has been insisting on having a lean
  structure for the UN-Water
• The economic cost of such a panel would prohibit
  participation by other UN Agencies
• There would be legal problems on the reporting
  mechanism
• A similar proposal from UNESCO three years ago
  was not found feasible

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Existing International Review Mechanisms in Water
Sector

• Millennium Project Task Force (MPTF) on Water and
  Sanitation
• UN Secretary Generals Advisory Board on Water
  and Sanitation
• Commission for Sustainable Development
• WORLD WATER ASSESSMENT PROGRAMME under UN-Water

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Thank you
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HWR Programme
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HWRP Basic SystemsStandardisation and Capacity
Building

• Guide to Hydrological Practices 6th Edition
• about 40 CHy experts involved
• CD-ROM of WRA handbook distributed to all Members
• 84 professionals from RA I trained on Canadian
  HOMS components
• Volume II Hydrology of ETR guidelines published
  in English
• Support to the regular courses (3)

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HWRP Basic SystemsWHYCOS

• WHYCOS Launched in 2004
• Volta-HYCOS (with funding from FFEM, France)
• Niger-HYCOS (AFD, France)
• SADC-HYCOS Phase II (EU and The Netherlands)
• Country consultation meetings
• Mekong-HYCOS
• HKH- HYCOS
• CARIB-HYCOS (In consultation with the RA-IV, WGH
  and IRD)
• Guidelines for the implementation of HYCOS
  projects final draft has been prepared and will
  be placed before the CHy
• Comprehensive report on the status of WHYCOS
  projects is under preparation by the VP of CHy

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HWRP Forecasting and Application

• WMO Flood Forecasting Initiative Regional
  Workshops
• DMC, Nairobi, July 2003 for East African Region
• Pretoria (October 2003) for Southern Africa
• Valencia (March 2004) for Ibero-American
  countries -120 participants from 20 countries
• West Africa 3rd trimester 2004

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HWRP other issues

• WMO is involved in developing 3 of the 15
  chapters of a Joint World Water Development
  Report being prepared under the auspices of
  UN-Water.
• Joint UNESCO/WMO Committee on Floods-Task team
  formed (however the meeting could not take place
  due to the non availability of convenient dates,
  expected in July 2004)
• International Decade Water for Life A Decade
  for Action WMOs activities have to be defined.
• World Water Day 2004 with theme Water and
  Disasters was coordinated and the message be
  informed and be prepared was introduced
• Associated Programme on Flood Management

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Thank you