UNESCO Work on Early Warning Systems
AWCI Session for the 15th AOGEO Symposium

Abou Amani | Director of Water Sciences Division | UNESCO

Water, SDGs and other related agendas
Water connects and is at
the centre of SDGs andother related agendas:

ParisAgreement
NDC
HLP Water& Peace

HLPW

UNCCD, CBD

HELP Water& Disasters

Water Action
decadeUrban
AgendaWater &Climate Coalition
WMO, UN system

IHP-IX “Science for a Water Secure World in a Changing Environment” (2022-2029)
Five priority areas: Scientific research and innovation
 Water Education
Sustainability

intheFourthIndustrialRevolution

including Bridging the data-knowledge gap

 Integrated water resources management under conditions of globalchange Water Governance based on science for mitigation, adaptation andresilience
34 expected outputs
150 Key activities (draft implementation Plan)

Mobilizing UNESCO Water Family
Aims to advance hydrological knowledge by supporting scientificresearch programmes

36 Category 2Centres

71 Chairs

169
National
Committees

WWAPMobilizing UNESCO Water Initiatives
As a programme at the global level, IHP covers a wide spectrum of initiatives:

Flow Regimes from InternationalExperimental and Network Data

Hydrology for the Environment, Lifeand Policy

IWRM

World's Large
Rivers Initiative

MARManaging Aquifer Recharge

UWMP

Urban Water Management
Programme

Integrated Water Resources
Management
Global Network on Water andDevelopment Information in Arid
Lands

Internationally Shared Aquifer Resources
Management

International Initiative onWater Quality

Water Information Network
SystemFrom Potential Conflict toCooperation Potential

WHYMAPWorld Hydrogeological Map

Groundwater Resources Assessment
under the Pressures of Humanity and Climate ChangeIHP-IX thematic working groups for operational implementation

Ecohydrology andWater Quality

Water Governance based on
Science for Mitigation,
Adaptation and Resilience

Scientificresearch andinnovation

HydrologicalSystems, Rivers,
Climate Risk andWater-FoodEnergy Nexus

Water Education in the 4th
Industrial Revolution including
Sustainability

Thematic
open-ended
workinggroupsBridging the data andknowledge gap

Integrated Water
Resources Management
under conditions of Global
ChangeGroundwaterand Human
Settlements

Thematic OEWG
1. Scientific Research and Innovation
Thematic working
groups
2. Water Educationin theFourth
Industrial Revolution
including•Theme leader(from IHP
SustainabilitySecretariat)
3. Bridging• thedata and knowledge gap
Facilitation
4. Integrated andWater Resources
coordination
Management under conditions of GlobalChange
5. Water Governance based on Sciencefor Mitigation, Adaptation and Resilience
Additional cross-sectoral groups:
1. Hydrological Systems, Rivers,
Climate Risk and Water-Food-EnergyNexus
2. Groundwater and Human
Settlements
3. Ecohydrology and Water Quality;

IHP IX (2022-2029) Science for a Water Secure World in a Changing Environment

IHP-IX “Science for a Water Secure World in a Changing Environment” (2022-2029)• 1.6 Scientific knowledge, methodologies and tools in addressing water-related
disasters, such as flood and drought elaborated and/or enhanced towards timely
forecasting• 4.2 Research on upstream-downstream river uses for hydropower, navigation, fishery,leisure activities, water supply, drought risk management and flood risk management
conducted and shared by the scientific community and UNESCO Water Family tominimize socio-economic and ecological consequences• 5.1 Awareness raising of decision makers at all levels on the importance of sciencebased water governance by the UNESCO Water Family supported, to enhance theoverall resilience of communities to effects of global change• 5.5 Capacities of the scientific community and decision makers strengthened on newframeworks and tools, to underpin water governance and build resilience

UNESCO: Early Warning Systems

UNESCO has expanded its work in EWS initiatives through
IHP and the IFI, G-WADI and IDI Flagship Initiatives.
Some milestones are:
• Drought Monitor for Africa (2010)• Indus-Integrated Flood Analysis System (IFAS) (2010)• Global near-real-time rainfall estimates (iRain) (2011)• Flood and Drought Monitor for Latin America and theCaribbean (2014)• Chilean Flood and Drought Monitor (2016)• Implementation of National Flood and Drought EWS insouthern African countries (2019 onwards)• Transboundary Flood EWS in Western Africa andZimbabwe/Mozambique (2020 onwards)

UNESCO: Early Warning Systems (Africa)
Regional Flood Early
Warning System (FEWS)
prototype for Niger andVolta River Basin on Data
Integration and Analysis
System (DIAS)• AGRHYMET, NBA, VBA and 11
countries of the Niger and Volta
River basins• E-Learning: Training of Experts(ToE)• E-Learning: Training of Trainers(ToT)UNESCO: Early Warning Systems (Africa)

Flood and Drought
Monitor Platforms• Continental:
Africa• National:– Zimbabwe– Mozambique– Malawi– Namibia– South Africa

Zimbabwe

NamibiaMozambique

South Africa
MalawiAccessible en: https://en.unesco.org/disaster-risk-reduction/ews-water

UNESCO: Early Warning Systems (Worldwide)• https://rainsphere.

eng.uci.edu/• An integrated
system for global
satellite
precipitation dataand information
developed by CHRS
and UNESCO

Climate Risk Informed Decision Aanalysis (CRIDA)
Outreach and Capacity Building• Framework to identify potential water security
risks in hydrological systems providing a stepwiseplanning process to identify and address thechallenges for sustainable water resourcesmanagement through a five-step approach• Online course on UNESCO Open Learning• 814 participants in the English version• 369 participants in the Spanish version• 11 case studies from around the world (Sri Lanka,Thailand, Philippines, Colombia, Chile, Mexico,Ecuador, Zambia, Sweden, Germany and UnitedStates of America)• COP27: launching of English, Spanish, French andArabic manuals and online courses

Interactive themes of the Water Conference
1. Water for Health: Access to safe drinking water,hygiene and sanitation (SDG 6.1, 6.2, 6.3 and SDGs 1, 3,4, 5, 17);
2. Water for Development: Valuing Water, Water-EnergyFood Nexus and Sustainable Economic and Urban
Development (SDG 6.3, 6.4, 6.5 and SDGs 2, 11, 12);
3. Water for Climate, Resilience and Environment: Source
to Sea, Biodiversity, Climate, Resilience and DRR (SDGs6.5, 6.6, 7, 11.5, 13, 14, 15);
4. Water for Cooperation: Transboundary andInternational Water Cooperation, Cross Sectoral
Cooperation and Water Across the 2030 Agenda (SDG
6.5, 6.b and SDG 16, 17);
5. Water Action Decade: Accelerating the implementationof the objectives of the Decade including through theUN SG’s Action Plan.

Thank you
Division of Digital Business Solutions(DBS)
Mr Abou Amani
Director of the Water Sciences Division
UNESCOa.amani@unesco.org