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CATHALAC and the United Nations University, International Network on Water, Environment and Health (UNU / INWEH) agreed to establish and operate in CATHALAC a Water Virtual Learning Center (WVLC) of the United Nations, that would meet the needs of the Latin America and the Caribbean region. The main purpose of the WVLC is to improve the water resources management and services of the Latin American and the Caribbean region by improving training and education in the water sector.
Background:
In the midst of a water crisis, our countries face a decline in freshwater sources, besides its poor handling threatens the health of people and ecosystems. On the other hand, in the past decade, 90% of the natural disasters were related to water, such as floods, drought and pollution. Fortunately, access to drinking water seems an achievable goal in most Latin American and Caribbean countries, although not the same thing happens with the sanitation, since this requires greater efforts and investments. In any case, the protection and sustainable management of the environment is a critical need, as much as the investment in the physical infrastructure. In addition it requires an appropriate management of risks to prevent these from becoming catastrophes.
A critical factor that contributes to the water crisis is the need for more local capacity for effective resource management. CATHALAC and UNU-INWEH are trying to resolve this challenge through a distance education program focused on Latin America.
Course objective
The curriculum offers a wide basic coverage of principles and practice of the IWRM giving the student knowledge on natural sciences, engineering, health, governance, public administration, social sciences, economics, resource conservation, strategic planning, as well as aspects of the program and project management. The integration within the program is reinforced by the "Four Pillars" reference structure of the UNU / INWEH for the development of skills and other integrated topics.
Graduate profile
This Diploma course gives participants a comprehensive knowledge through the concept of Integrated Water Resources Management. Students will be exposed to alternate approaches to address water management to provide realistic and practical solutions according to different realities.
Diploma award
Students who successfully complete the program, will be awarded a UNU Diploma in Integrated Water Resources Management.
Who should apply to this Diploma?
This Diploma Course is aimed at the professional staff of various government spheres, hydroelectric companies, related to the supply and sanitation services, members of local organizations, water resources promoters and personnel interested in the opportunities and knowledge of best water management practices.
Virtual platform
The content of the diploma course is available through a virtual learning platform, supported by the Internet. It consists of 10 courses totaling 250 hours of instruction.
Two classroom courses will be developed, one at the beginning and another at the end. It will also provide remote advice service via the Internet to participants, conferences and a virtual dashboard for participants and instructors.
Diploma course structure
- Course #1: Introduction to Integrated Water Resources Management
This course provides an introduction to the fundamental concepts, skills and knowledge required to understand and manage water resources. Students acquire a general idea about the detailed information to be presented in subsequent courses. - Course #2: Water Transfer
The course is designed to provide a basic understanding of the hydrological cycle; processes and measurements; factors affecting the movement and behavior in the terrestrial, coastal and lake environment; surface and underground environment; the concept of river basin and the impact of time and climate. - Course #3: Terrestrial Ecosystems and Impacts on Land Use Change
This course will introduce students to ecological concepts; the role of the natural environment in the hydrological cycle; the effects of land use changes on the water processes; the impacts of water on the earth; tools for water analysis; aspects of land use planning, control and conservation. - Course #4: The Aquatic Ecosystems
This course is designed to provide an understanding of the physical, chemical, biological and ecological aspects of the streams, rivers, lakes, wetlands, estuaries and groundwater systems. - Course #5: Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Impact Assessment
This course builds directly on the knowledge gained in the previous course to examine the impacts of anthropogenic activities on the aquatic environment and the methods for measuring such impacts. - Course #6: Water Use
This course examines the different direct human-induced water uses and the various impacts of these uses. Additionally, the course examines human consumption of water and aspects of public water provision. - Course #7: Sewage
This course examines in detail, the problems resulting from the point and non-point discharges; waste treatment processes; best management practices; monitoring and evaluation approaches and; urban versus rural environments. - Course #8: Governance and Community-Based Approaches
This course is designed to introduce the concepts and practices for community-based management of water resources; local and international governance; community's involvement and gender issues. - Course #9: Organizational Infrastructure and Management
This course examines the problems, concerns and the different finance, budget, infrastructure, management and planning approaches, and public administration and projects management. - Course #10: Implementation of the Integrated Water Resources Management
Personalized case studies, practical illustrations of the IWRM concepts and procedures and investigative techniques so students can assess their own IWRM needs through a tutoring format.
International Advisory Committee:
To ensure the quality of the curriculum, an International Advisory Committee of academic experts has been established. The committee members are:
- Professor Janos Bogardi, Department of Hydraulics and Hydrology, Wageningen. Agricultural University and Senior Educational Specialist, IHP, UNESCO, Paris, France.
- Dr. John Hobbie, Senior Scientist and Co-Director, the Ecosystems Centre, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, USA.
- Professor Saburo Matsui, Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies, Department of Technology and Ecology, Kyoto University, Otsu City, Shiga, Japan.
- Professor Bruce Mitchell, Department of Geography and Associate VP Academic, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
- Professor John Okedi, Environmental Consultant and former Executive Director, National Environment Management Authority.
- Dr. Andras Szollosi-Nagy, Deputy Assistant Director General Secretary of the International Hydrological Program, UNESCO, Paris, France.
- Professor Jose Tundisi, President, International Institute of Ecology, São Carlos, Brazil.
Applications and entry requirements:
Applicants must complete a form available on CATHALAC’s web page (http://www.cathalac.org/education). To enter the program, applicants must hold an undergraduate degree from a recognized institution, and have his/her employer approval to participate in the course.
Applicants will be selected based on: their academic qualifications, their willingness to participate and meet the pilot phase evaluation requirements, and their willingness to complete the program in a specific time period.
