• UNESCO.org/
• Natural Sciences/
• Freshwater/
• IHP/
• Water and society/

• Themes
• Global changes and water resources
• Integrated watershed and aquifer dynamics
• Land-habitat hydrology
• Water and society
• Water education and training
•  

• Worldwide
• 
  
• Africa
• Arab States
• Asia and the Pacific
• Europe and North America
• Latin America and the Caribbean
•  

Water and cultural diversity - Database and CoP

The project will create an informative and interactive database and community of practice around water and cultural diversity. The website will provide the interface between policy and science.

More about the website structure (graphic)

Concept for the Database

The second step of the Water and Cultural Diversity project will consist of a database on the topic. This database aims to collect all relevant information related to Water and Cultural Diversity and to make it accessible to a wide group of users. All interested stakeholders and visitors on the webpage can access the information. The database will contain four main sections – news and events, Library, directory of experts and organizations, and a glossary.

The News and Events section will contain a list of relevant conferences, meetings, workshops, symposia and seminars related to water and cultural diversity.

The library will consist of three sub-sections:

• Journal articles and other publications (or their links)
  
• Conventions and other legal instruments
  
• Policy guidelines and research methodologies

It will be a collection of case studies and other research categorized by the four focal areas of the project, conventions related to the topic, as well as on existing examples of methodologies and policies that have successfully integrated social and cultural factors into water sciences and management

The directory will consist of experts and institutions that are working on the topic of water and cultural diversity, and will form the basis of a network, to be strengthened further in the next step.

Concept for the Community of Practice (CoP)

The concept of CoP refers to a group of people who have a common interest and share information and ideas to find solutions and recommendations for a certain topic or problem. The members of the group interact regularly either direct (face-to-face) or virtual on a platform. The latter will be especially created for the CoP on the Water and Cultural Diversity Project’s website.

An interactive space will be provided, where information and opinions are shared among members and users. Some features will be accessible to all, while others are reserved for registered members only. The CoP will act as a platform through which members of the group can exchange technical information and experiences. For outsiders, it will also form an information resource on water and cultural diversity.

The community will be open to different users of all countries, including local communities and other stakeholders. These stakeholders can participate in the discussion and exchange their ideas. Knowledge and experiences can be shared with colleagues from all around the world who have similar interests and expectations.

The web-based platform aims to provide tools in forms and time frames needed by the group to facilitate their exchange in order to achieve the longer-term objectives of the project—namely, development of methodological guidelines and policy recommendations for mainstreaming cultural diversity in integrated water resources management.

The communication platform on the web is expected to be designed in the first half of 2008, and a testing phase will follow during the second half of the year. The official launch of the CoP is expected to take place in 2009.

Go back to the main page of water and cultural diversity.

If you would like more information or would like to be involved in this new initiative, please contact Lisa Hiwasaki