Cooperation between UNESCO water resource centers in the United States and the Dominican Republic

UNESCO has designated 66 international and regional institutes and centers as Category II Institutes and Centers, under the auspices of UNESCO. Nominated by member nations, these institutes and centers are recognized by UNESCO for their contributions to the achievement of UNESCO’s strategic program objectives and program priorities and themes. Supported directly by member states, these institutes and centers are not legally part of the Organization, but are associated with it through formal arrangements approved by the UNESCO General Conference.


The International Center for Integrated Water Resources Management (ICIWaRM) was established by the U.S. Army Institute for Water Resources (IWR) in 2007 in collaboration with U.S. institutions and organizations sharing an interest in the advancement of the science and practice of integrated water resources management (IWRM) around the globe. It was formalized as a UNESCO category 2 water center in October 2009 with the signing of an agreement between the U.S. Government and UNESCO. It is the first such center in the United States.

Bob Pietrowsky, Director of IWR (right)
 and Frank Rodríguez, Executive Director of INDRHI (left)
sign the memorandum of understanding

Earlier this summer on June 30, Bob Pietrowsky, Director of the IWR, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Frank Rodriguez of the Instituto Nacional de Recursos Hidraulicos (INDRHI) of the Dominican Republic. The MOU facilitates cooperation between the UNESCO ICIWaRM Category II center hosted by the IWR in Alexandria, VA and the Centro para la Gestion Sostenible de los Recursos Hidricos en los Estados Insulares del Caribe (The Center for the Sustainable Management of Hydorlogical Resources in the Island States of the Caribbean (CEHICA), also a UNESCO Category II Center) hosted by INDRHI.