International Hydrological Programme

Council and Bureau

IHP Intergovernmental Council


The planning, definition of priorities, and supervision of the execution of IHP are ensured by the Intergovernmental Council. The Council is composed of 36 UNESCO Member States elected by the General Conference of UNESCO at its ordinary sessions held every two years. Equitable geographical distribution and appropriate rotation of the representatives of the Member States are ensured in the composition of the Council. Each of UNESCO’s six electoral regions elects Member States for membership in the Council.



The term of office of members of the Council is four years, and members are immediately eligible for re-election. To retain continuity, only half of the Council members are elected each second year for the four-year period, so that in each biennium half are newcomers and the other half have already acquired experience. The Council normally meets in plenary session once every two years. Extraordinary sessions may be convened under the conditions specified in the Rules of Procedure.



IHP Bureau

At the beginning of its first session following a session of the General Conference at which elections to the IHP Council have been held, the Council elects a chairperson and four vice-chairpersons. These, with the chairperson of the previous Bureau as ex-officio member, constitute the Council’s Bureau. The composition of the Bureau so formed reflects an equitable geographical distribution, each representing UNESCO’s six electoral regions. The members of the Bureau remain in office until a new Bureau has been elected.



The IHP Bureau discharges, inter alia, the following duties:

  • fix, in consultation with the Secretariat, the dates of the sessions of the Council and of its committees and working groups, in accordance with the general guidelines of the Council;
  • prepare the sessions of the Council, in consultation with the Secretariat;
  • supervise the implementation of the resolutions of the Council, and report at each session of the Council, on the status of implementation of the prescribed phases of project execution and, in particular, follow the activities of the Council’s committees and working groups;
  • prepare for the Council all reports requested by the General Conference of UNESCO;
  • discharge all other duties which it may be assigned by the Council.



    • Composition of the IHP Bureau (2008-2010)


    Chairperson
    Mr Abdin Mohd Ali Salih (Group Vb - Arab States)
    Member IHP National Committee of Sudan
    Professor, Faculty of Engineering
    University of Khartoum
    Mailing address:
    PO Box 15030 Amarat Office
    Khartoum, Sudan
    Tel: + 249 1 22 206006; + 249 9220 19710
    Fax: + 249 1 83 776030
    Email: abdinsalih@gmail.com

    Vice-Chairpersons
    Mr Johannes Cullmann (Group I - Northern America and Western Europe)
    IHP/HWRP – Sekretariat Koblenz
    Postfach 200253
    56002 Koblenz, Germany
    Tel: + 49 261 13 06 53 13
    Fax: + 49 261 13 06 54 22
    Email: cullmann@bafg.de

    Mr Pavol Miklanek (Group II - Eastern and Central Europe)
    Chairman, Slovak National Committee for UNESCO-IHP
    Institute of Hydrology SAS
    Racianska 75
    83102 Bratislava 3, Slovakia
    Tel: + 42 12 44 25 93 11
    Fax: + 42 12 44 25 93 11
    Email: miklanek@uh.savba.sk

    Mr Benedito Braga (Group III – Latin America and the Caribbean)
    Director, Agencia Nacional de Aguas
    Chairperson, Brazilian IHP National Committee (COBRAPHI)
    Setor Policial, Area 5, Quadra 3, Bloco M
    70610-200, Brasilia DF, Brazil
    Tel: +55 61 21 09 54 31
    Fax: +55 61 21 09 54 15
    Email: benbraga@ana.gov.br

    Mr Kaoru Takara (Group IV - Asia and the Pacific)
    Member, IHP National Committee of Japan
    Professor, Kyoto University
    Gokasho, Uji
    Kyoto 611-0011, Japan
    Tel: + 81 774 38 4125
    Fax: + 81 774 38 4130
    Email: takara@flood.dpri.kyoto-u.ac.jp

    Mr Mbangiseni P. Nepfumbada (Group Va - Africa)
    Chief Director, Water Resources Information Management
    Department of Water Affairs and Forestry
    P/Bag x313
    Pretoria 0001, South Africa
    Tel: +27 12 336 8787
    Fax : +27 12 336 6662
    Email: nepfumm@dwaf.gov.za
    LINKS
    IHP Statutes
    The IHP Statutes were approved by the General Conference of UNESCO at its 18th session and amended at its 20th, 21st, 23rd, 27th and 28th sessions.

    IHP Rules of Procedure
    The IHP Rules of Procedure were approved by the Council at its first session and modified in accordance with the amendment of the Council’s Statutes by the General Conference of UNESCO at its 21st, 23rd and 28th sessions. The IHP Council amended article 26 on ‘secret ballot’ at its 14th session.

    History of the Council and its Bureau (from 1975 to the present) [PDF - 140 KB]

    Official documents of the 43rd session of the IHP Bureau (3-5 June 2009)



    Final Report of the 18th session of the IHP Council (9-13 June 2008) [PDF - 342 KB]


    Official documents of the 18th session of the IHP Council (9-13 June 2008)