Water education and training

Water Education and Training (WET) forms the overall support shell for the 6th phase of IHP (IHP-VI). As the priority theme, it is also interwoven with other themes as indicated in their respective objectives and suggested activities.

Focal areas

Teaching techniques and material development
Continuing education and training for selected target groups
Crossing the digital divide

The aims of this theme

The general aims of IHP activities implemented in the framework of the theme 'Water education and training' are:

to upgrade curricula and syllabi for hydrology and general water education and training
to prepare programme tools for the comprehension of the fundamentals of water interactions within the environment, other disciplines of natural science and society, as well as the incorporation of real-world project knowledge
to enable a wide audience of professionals to have access to an ever-increasing computational and computer graphics power, and to enhance critical assessment capabilities so as to avoid a false confidence in problem-solving
to strengthen IHP’s involvement in WET worldwide, through the UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education
to support capacity-building for integrated monitoring of hydro-meteorological and water quality variables necessary to achieve a proper understanding of global water resources management.

Water and knowledge: importance of capacity-building

Each of the themes within IHP-VI will aim to develop an output relevant to human capacity-building by strengthening its results with training and awareness-raising activities. It is envisaged that the available technology during the implementation period of IHP-VI will enable access to data, information and knowledge sources by a much wider community, thereby enabling the transfer of such knowledge both to water specialists and the general public.

While WET activities cover all levels and aspects of education, information transfer and training, a clear priority is to be given to higher education, including institutional capacity-building and networking, education for research at the postgraduate level, continuing professional education, and to activities targeting the training of trainers. These activities will facilitate the multiplicative effect of IHP-VI efforts within the domain of education and training.

One of the activities targeted is the further development of the UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education. The institute’s mission is to contribute to the education and training of professionals and to build the capacity of sector organizations, knowledge centres and other institutions active in the fields of water, the environment and infrastructure, in developing countries and countries in transition.