U.S. Water Resources Conference in support of UNESCO’s IHP

A one-day workshop led by NSF and USGS in support of UNESCO’s IHP is to take place on June 27, 2008, in Washington, DC, at the U.S. Department of State.

The conference is to explore how to accelerate application of U.S. technology and knowledge to solve water resources and water quality management problems in developing countries. The participants will include high level representatives from U.S. agencies with interests and responsibilities for water, the Director General of UNESCO, Ambassador Louise Oliver, and leading U.S. scientists.

Expected outcomes are:

1. Recommendations for greater infusion of US science and technology into addressing water issues in developing countries.
2. Direct input into an upcoming international conference involving several hundred people that will be sponsored by the US Committee on Hydrology (with UNESCO) on “Water Scarcity, Global Change, and Groundwater Management Responses” and to be held December 1-8, 2008 in Irvine, CA

Two major topics for the June meeting will be integrated water resource management in semi-arid and arid regions, and meeting needs for potable water and sanitation in the rapidly expanding urban environments of developing countries.