EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The International Flood
Initiative (IFI) promotes an integrated approach to flood management
to take advantage of the benefits of floods and use of flood plains
while minimizing the social, environmental
and economic risks.

A Joint Initiative
The United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization(UNESCO) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO),
building on past cooperative successes, have launched theInternational Flood Initiative (IFI) to address existing management
gaps through a holistic approach and to provide a platform forfurther collaborative efforts. The initiative will work in close
cooperation with the United Nations University (UNU), theInternational Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS) and theInternational Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR). UN agencies
working on other aspects of flood management will also be invited
to contribute to the initiative.
IFI will assist countries to meet the Millennium Development Goals(MDGs), contribute to the UN International Decade for Action“Water for Life” (2005-2015) and the UN Decade on Educationfor Sustainable Development (2005-2014), as well as address
the issues identified in the Hyogo Framework of Action (20052025). In addition, the Johannesburg Plan of Implementationof the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD)
has highlighted the need to mitigate the effects of floods anddroughts. The international community has committed to finding
new approaches to risk management and addressing vulnerability,
which include prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response andrecovery.

Objectives The overall aim of the initiative is to build capacity in countries to understand and better
respond to floods by taking advantage of their benefits while at the same time minimizing their social, economicand environmental risks.
Strategic Activities The initiative will focus on research, information networking, education andtraining, empowering communities and providing technical assistance and guidance.
Secretariat The secretariat is located in the International Centre for Water Hazard and Risk Management(ICHARM) in Tsukuba, Japan.
INTERNATIONAL FLOOD INITIATIVE [ TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION

52.

CONCEPT

7

11

2.1 Integrated Flood Management..................................... 7

3.1 Strategic Activities...................................................................................................11

2.2 IFI’s Mission............................................................................................................................. 7

3.2 Performance Indicators.............................................................................12

2.3 IFI’s Objectives................................................................................................................ 7
2.3.1 Overall objective..................................................................................................... 7
2.3.2 Specific objectives............................................................................................. 7

3.3 Administration....................................................................................................................133.3.1 The International Flood Initiative
Advisory Committee (IFI-AC)......................................................13
3.3.2 IFI’s secretariat......................................................................................................................142.4 	Guiding Principles............................................................................................... 8
2.4.1 Living with floods................................................................................................. 8
2.4.2 Equity ................................................................................................................................................... 8
2.4.3	Empowered participation............................................................. 8
2.4.4	Inter-disciplinarity and trans-sectorality.. 8
2.4.5 International and regional cooperation... 9

 ] INTERNATIONAL FLOOD INITIATIVE

3. IMPLEMENTATION

3.4 Funding.................................................................................................................................................14

AnnexES

15

Framework for the implementation of ifi.....................16
Framework for the implementation of
IFI-IPOA..........................................................................................................................................................................17
Expected outputs of ifi’s research agenda................18
Expected outputs of ifi’s education andtraining agenda......................................................................................................................................19
Expected outputs of ifi’s information
networking agenda....................................................................................................................20
Expected outputs of ifi’s technicalassistance................................................................................................................................................................21
Acronyms.................................................................................................................................................................22

INTERNATIONALFLOODINITIATIVE
1. INTRODUCTION
1 Floods bring many benefits to floodplain areas,
including, inter alia, the role that small floods playin the maintenance of floodplain fertility and theimportance of regular flood flows to in-stream
ecosystems. However, at the same time, floods canhave devastating consequences for the communities
at risk, usually those communities that can least afford
the consequences. Strategic long-term approaches
to and investments in floodplain management are
therefore necessary to harness the benefits whileat the same time safe guarding the impacted
communities. Flooding is one of the greatest waterrelated environmental disasters known to humankind.
Whether it is due to flash or riverine floods, coastal
floods, snow melt, ice jams and mud flows, its human,material and ecological costs can be staggering.
Floods affect an estimated 520 million people acrossthe world yearly, resulting in up to 25,000 deaths
in a single year. Along with other water-relateddiseases, they cost the world economy some US$ 50
to US$ 60 billion per annum. At the same time, bothdeveloped and developing countries have benefited
from economic development in and around water
bodies. Close to one billion people -- one-sixth of the
global population, the majority of them among theworld’s poorest inhabitants – now live on the flood
plains. Developing countries with mainly agricultural
economies depend largely on their fertile flood plains
for food security and livelihood generation. The deltasof many river systems favor low-tech agricultural
practices and provide livelihoods for millions. The
wetlands in flood plains contribute to biodiversity andprovide a number of essential ecosystem services
to communities, as well as creating employment
opportunities through recreational activities.

2 An estimated 96 percent of deaths related to all
natural disasters, including floods, in the past decade

occurred in developing countries. The greatest
potential flood hazard is in Asia, where, between 1900
and 2006, over 1200 floods claimed an average of5300 lives per event and caused up to US$ 207 billion
in economic losses. The adverse effects of flooding
are not restricted to the least developed nations. The
2002 floods in Europe claimed 100 lives and caused
US$ 20 billion in damage – but it is the least developed
nations that suffer most from the adverse economic
impact on development and the high human toll.

3 With the frequency and variability of extreme
floods changing because of urbanization, alongwith population growth in flood-prone areas, land
use changes, potential climate change and a risein sea levels, the number of people vulnerable todevastating floods is expected to rise. Disaster risk
reduction actions, in a non-stationary world, aretherefore increasingly required to build up the capacity
necessary to cope with floods.

4 Despite the long and largely successful history ofinternational and national efforts to develop structuraland non-structural systems and practices to reducerisks associated with flood hazards, many factorsthat draw people to live in flood-prone areas, suchas poverty, have not necessarily been taken into
account. These systems and practices have been
applied mainly through largely isolated sectoral
approaches. The problem is further exacerbated by
the lack of a clear understanding of how the impact
of development, the magnitude of flood hazards,
the shortage of resources and political will -- factorsthat require enhanced coordination and engagement
across disciplines – are in balance with each other.
There is a lack of application of integrated flood
management approaches worldwide.
INTRODUCTION [ 5 It is in this context that a new approach toflood management has evolved. The approach hasrecognized that flood management is an integral
part of water resource management. It also needs totake into account economic and social welfare andto ensure that resources are shared in an equitablemanner without compromising ecological sustainability.
Flood management -- through investment andredirection of resources -- offers significant
economic benefits to society and potentiallyreduces loss of life and environmental damage
from flooding.

6 UNESCO and WMO, aware of both thesignificant achievements made in flood
management in recent years and of theexisting opportunities to develop practicalsolutions within this context, have launched theInternational Flood Initiative (IFI). IFI will work inclose collaboration with UN agencies working
on other aspects of flood management. The initiative
will develop a comprehensive set of activities that willdefine the programme to be implemented.

7 The concept of the IFI builds on the successfulrecord of cooperation between UNESCO, WMO
and other partner organizations in conceptualizing,
designing and implementing flood management
actions and activities within their individual areas ofexpertise. It will provide a stepping-stone for targeted
joint activities aimed at building on past successes,
while addressing existing gaps through a holistic
approach.

8 This initiative, based on the integrated flood
management policy, aims to ensure that an end-toend process of flood management is put in place,balancing development needs and flood risks,considering structural and non-structural measures,
as well as the positive and negative impacts offloods. By applying this approach, which includes risk
management and a multi-hazard operating framework,
IFI will promote the mobilization of resources andwill also encourage networks of the UN system,
non-governmental organizations (NGOs), donor
agencies, and the insurance industry. The result will
be assistance to communities and governments inthe development of flood management strategies thatare adapted to the socio-economic, environmental
and cultural conditions of individual cases, and that ] INTERNATIONAL FLOOD INITIATIVE

provide a clear vision of how flood management
contributes to the principle of sustainable
development.

9 This initiative will be a major UNESCO and
WMO-led contribution in meeting the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs), addressing the issues

identified in the Hyogo Framework of Action (20052025), and contributing to the UN International Decadefor Action “Water for Life” (2005-2015) and the UN
Decade on Education for Sustainable Development(2005-2015). In addition, the Johannesburg Plan of
Implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable
Development (WSSD) has highlighted the need tomitigate the effects of floods and droughts. Theinternational community has committed to finding
innovative approaches to addressing vulnerability
and risk management that include prevention offlood disasters, mitigation of negative consequencesof flooding, flood preparedness, and response andrecovery. It is important to provide the means to carryforward and implement this commitment.

10 The second section of this brochure outlines theconcepts behind IFI. It begins by defining integrated
flood management as the central thematic approachand outlines its mission and objectives. As requested
by partner organizations, the principles that will guide
implementation are also delineated.

11 The third section of this brochure builds on thisconcept and focuses on the modes and mechanismsof implementation. IFI strategic activities arelaid out and a list of performance indicators tomonitor the initiative’s progress is identified. Thissection concludes with a description of institutionalarrangements and expected funding considerations.

2. THE CONCEPT
2.1
Integrated Flood 			Management
12 Integrated flood management (IFM) is a processthat promotes a holistic risk-based approach to flood
management. IFM is aimed at minimizing the humanand economic losses from floods while at the sametime maximizing the social, economic, and ecologicalbenefits from floods and the use of flood plains. It
integrates land and water resources development
within a river basin, addresses institutional challenges,
and recognizes the critical importance of stakeholder
participation and cultural diversity.

2.2
IFI’s Mission
13 IFI aims to implement WSSD recommendations- taking into consideration the physical parameters offlooding, its socio-economic conditions and the risk
a society is prepared to take in order to achieve its
development objectives.

2.3.1 Overall objective
15 IFI’s overall objective is to build the necessary
in-country capacity to gain and advocate for a better
understanding and handling of hazards, vulnerabilities
and benefits associated with floods, by promoting allmeasures through the following guiding principles:• Living with floods• Equity for all stakeholders• Empowered participation• Inter-disciplinarity and trans-sectorality• International and regional cooperation
2.3.2 Specific objectives
16 IFI’s specific objectives will enable the countries to:• Improve data collection and analysis for flood
Mission Statement
The International Flood Initiative
promotes an integrated approach to flood
management to take advantage of the benefits OF
floods and use of flood plains while reducing
social, environmental and economic risks.

2.3			
IFI’s Objectives
14 The mission will be accomplished by focusing on
an overall objective, a set of specific objectives andguiding principles.

management
	Broaden
the knowledge-base with respect to the•risks and benefits of floods• Take advantage of the benefits of floods and flood
plains	Buildon and improve institutional frameworks for•flood management• Develop area-specific adaptation strategies• Develop approaches to assess and reduce 		vulnerability• Improve floodplain management in rural and 		urban areas• Optimize a mix of structural and non-structural
approaches to flood management• Improve flood forecasting and early warning forboth urban and rural areas
THE CONCEPT [ • Increase the effectiveness of forecasts and 		people-centered early warning systems
		Improve
community responses to flood•
hazards•		Strengthen coping capacity to deal withflood risks under climate change
		Develop
participatory approaches to be•
used in a variety of contexts and cultural settings•		Increase flood awareness and preparedness
with a focus on rural settings
Incorporate
flood management into school•
and university curricula•		Improve in-service training in all aspects offlood management
		Develop
financial mechanisms for•transferring risks and sharing losses from floods

2.4		
Guiding Principles
17 The implementation will be guided by fiveprinciples:

2.4.1 Living with floods
18 This principle recognizes that while it is neither
possible, nor desirable, to completely eliminate
floods, the negative impacts can be reduced by better
understanding the risks and by working towards
modifying the risk-generation processes in a holisticmanner. Flood risks result from a combination offlood hazards and societal vulnerabilities, hazard
modification and amplification, and vulnerability
enhancement due to various social processes andfactors. This approach should also draw on resourcesat the community level and benefit from its traditional
knowledge, as well as training and incentives to reveal
and use the benefits from floods.

19 IFI will assist communities and governments indeveloping culturally-sensitive and sustainable flood
management strategies as well as provide support inharmonizing structural and non-structural measuresfor “living with floods” -- through an integrated
approach to flood management

 ] INTERNATIONAL FLOOD INITIATIVE

2.4.2 Equity for
all stakeholders
20 The distribution of boththe costs and benefits offlood management mustreceive special attention
since it has both ethicaland legal dimensions.
Equity issues arise becauseof national borders and jurisdictions (transboundary
flood management), upstream and downstream
riparian rights, rural and urban interests and more
broadly, between those bearing the costs and thosereceiving the benefits. Integrated flood management
must therefore promote policy processes andoutcomes that strive to be fair and legitimate toall stakeholders. Since these also include future
generations, flood management strategies must also
promote intergenerational equity.

2.4.3 Empowered participation
21 The importance of empowering individuals andcommunities that are directly affected by floods
through participatory decision making processes is
now widely recognized as important to successful
implementation of integrated flood management
throughout the world.

22 Thus the coordinated participation of all
stakeholders -- through appropriate institutions andinnovative governance frameworks -- will be a key
mechanism at all levels of flood-related activities,
noting that flood management is a part and parcel ofsocial development.

2.4.4 Inter-disciplinarity and transsectorality
23 IFI will develop and enhance knowledge systems
on all flood-related activities, both structural andnon-structural. The initiative will also focus onassessing community vulnerabilities, as along with
their respective causes -- poverty, migration tourban centers and mega-cities, population growth,environmental degradation and lack of experienceand norms. As such, managing floods requires skills
that span the technical, social, economic, political,
and ecological disciplines and requires consideration

for natural resource
utilization which isinterlinked within
the river basin unit.
Inter-disciplinarity
will thus be the corephilosophy of allactivities undertaken by IFI. It will be carried out in aholistic manner in the context of the totality of river
basins by managing the water cycle at the catchment
scale through the promotion of integrated land andwater management to mitigate the effects of not only
floods but also droughts. All scientific knowledge,
including the economic and social sciences, andnew technologies, particularly remote sensing andInformational and Communication Technologies (ICT),
will be harnessed as appropriate.

2.4.5 International and regional
cooperation
25 The exchange and management of data,
information and knowledge will be facilitated throughexisting cooperative networks at international, regionaland national levels under the participating partners.
Cooperation in technical and scientific capacity
building will be facilitated through programmes,
initiatives and projects that are undertaken inassociation with the participating partners. The
development, promotion and transfer of appropriatetechnologies in flood management will also be
undertaken within these arrangements.

24 IFI will emphasize the involvement of all
stakeholders in flood management. Development
activities within a basin that affect and are affectedby floods are carried out under different sectors
and administrative jurisdictions. Inter-disciplinary
and inter-sectoral coordination and understanding isessential for designing and implementing institutional
reforms and participatory stakeholder processes
that promote fair and effective flood management
policies. The initiative will establish links between thescientific community, decision-makers at all levelsof government, relevant UN bodies, national andinternational organizations and NGOs. This multisectoral approach will increase the effectiveness ofprocesses and the acceptance of flood management
decisions, therefore striving towards sustainability.
THE CONCEPT [ 10 ] INTERNATIONAL FLOOD INITIATIVE

3. IMPLEMENTATION
26 The initiative will be implemented in an interdisciplinary, participatory and cooperative manner,
and will be characterized by projects of trans-sectoral
scope, as outlined in the previous section. This
implementation will be carried out bearing in mind
that flood management is an integral part of water
resources management and should aim to increase
the resulting social and economic welfare in an
equitable manner without compromising sustainabilityof vital systems. The section builds on these concepts
and will outline the strategic activities and plan thatwill dictate the preliminary actions of the initiative.
Following this, performance indicators to support andmonitor implementation are described. Finally, theadministrative and funding mechanisms are outlined.

3.1
Strategic Activities
27 Both the overall and strategic objectives in thepreceding section have set forth the broad, long-termchanges that will result from the implementation of
the initiative. The achievement of these objectives will
ultimately depend on the successful implementationof five interlinked strategic activities aimed at building
capacities in countries through: research, information
networking, education and training, empoweringcommunities with good governance, and technicalassistance. Like the objectives, these strategic
activities are guided by the principles outlined above.
Assessment of their progress will require monitoring
and coordination.

Research focused on all aspects of flood
management in an inter-disciplinary manner will
promote and support the sustainable development
and management of river basins as well as serve theneeds of local communities. This will require close
cooperation at different scales between various
sectors and research communities. Close coordinationand synergy with other on-going international
programmes, such as those of IFNet, IAHS-PUB,

Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS),
Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment (GEWEX),
Flow Regimes from International Experimental and
Network Data (FRIEND), International GeosphereBiosphere Programme (IGBP) and others is foreseen.

Information networking which incorporates both
existing networks and/or disciplinary areas not
yet networked will be developed between various
stakeholders, to provide open access to data,
information, knowledge and best practices. These will,inter alia, provide clearing house services for flood
management-related technologies – at the householdor regional level -- and provide access to flood data
as well as to multi-lingual international bibliographic
databases. Metadata networks to link all stakeholders-- connecting the technical, relief and insurance
communities -- will also be developed.

Education and training related to all aspects offlood management will focus on formal and non-formal
education at all academic levels -- from primary school
to graduate seminars. The initiative will also assist
with on-the-job training. These activities are intended
for a wide audience and not only the technicalcommunity. The scope of training will help educate
community leaders, opinion makers, journalists andmedia professionals, while also helping to sensitize
policy makers, diplomats dealing with international
water issues, law-makers, and politicians to flood
management issues. The training agenda will be
designed to form part of the UN Decade on Educationfor Sustainable Development. Knowledge institutions,which are part of the educational arm of the UN
system, notably ICHARM, will be encouraged to takepart in this endeavor.

Empowering communities with good governanceand ensuring participatory approaches in all decisionmaking will provide the final link in achieving theinitiative’s objectives, and will entail promoting andmobilizing individual and community resources.
IMPLEMENTATION [ 11The aim will be to apply networking strategies andpractices which improve the governance of flood
management in both rural and urban communities.

Technical assistance will develop local capacityand provide help where it is needed. Technicalassistance activities will range from local support
for empowering communities to assisting national
governments in establishing comprehensive national
flood management plans, as part of the overallnational integrated water resources management
strategy.

28 To design the details of the initiative, the following
focal areas will be considered, which encompass boththe above-mentioned strategic activities as well asactivities that correspond to areas of competency:

Vulnerability

29 The timeframe of IFI’s Initial Plan of Action (IFIIPOA) is ten years, coinciding with the timeframe for
the UN Decades.

The Annex provides a framework for the
implementation of the IFI-IPOA.
The Annex provides examples of the expected
products or outputs resulting from the initiative’s
activities, covering various time frames. In
accordance with the UN programming cycle, shortterm is defined as a two-year programming andbudget period, while medium-term signifies a six-year
strategic planning period, and finally long-term covers
10 years. Subsequentand more detailed plansof action concerning
the above items will be
developed through a
consultative process
among IFI partners andmember countries.

• Methodologies to account for multiple stressors• Estimating social, political, health, and ecologicalimpacts• Estimating economic impacts including benefits offloods• Mechanisms (including financial) to increase coping
capacity and resilience• Indicator development
Flood Risk Management• Multi-hazard analysis• Data for risk assessment• Hydrologic, hydraulic and economic modeling• Flood hazard mapping• Structural and non-structural measures
Governance and participation• People networking• Institutional reform• Developing stakeholder processes• People-centered early warning and emergency
management• Effective forecasting and early warning• Effective communication• Preparedness• Response to warning

12 ] INTERNATIONAL FLOOD INITIATIVE

3.2
Performance
Indicators
30 Performanceindicators to measure
IFI’s success at the end of the decade will relate to theoverall objective and will be developed in relation to
the following:• reduction in human flood casualties• reduction in flood economic losses• improvements in the benefits of flood plain use• improvement in the functioning of flood plain
ecosystems

31 The indicators will need to be designed to reflect
the variability in the magnitude and frequency ofdisasters, population movements and other risk
related drivers.

32 Qualitative performance indicators that could bemonitored during the decade include:• increase in coping capacity• improvement in institutional effectiveness and•governanceincrease in stakeholder involvement

3.3
Administration
3.3.1 The International Flood
Initiative Management Committee(IFI-MC)34 The Management Committee (IFI-MC) consistsof representatives from the secretariats of theconstituent organizations, as well as representatives ofthe scientific community participating in the initiative,
including IAHS, IAHR, IIASA, river basin commissions,civil society, the private sector and the insurance
industry, to jointly implement the flood management
agenda and action plans. The constitution and theterms of reference of the Management Committee canbe found in the Annex. The Management Committee
will support the Advisory Committee (IFI-AC). The
Committees will meet concurrently.

33 In relation to the specific objectives of theinitiative, performance indicators for activities under
the initiative may include measures of:• The availability of products (such as guidelines,

workshops, courses and tools) developed under
the initiative• The uptake/application of products developed
under the initiative• The ability of the products to reduce the loss oflife and property damage associated with flood
disasters• Increased information available on social, economicand environmental aspects of flood events• Increased awareness of the social, economic andenvironmental aspects of floods• Enhanced flood preparedness and community
response to flood hazards• Established effective forecasting and early warning
systems• Improved quality of flood warnings (lead time andaccuracy)

3.3.2 The International Flood
Initiative Advisory Committee(IFI-AC)
35 In order to provide effective coordination at theinternational level, an IFI Advisory Committee(IFI-AC) has been established, which is comprised ofelected representatives of the IHP Inter-governmental
Council (through the IHP Bureau), the WMO
Commission for Hydrology (through its Advisory
Working Group), UNU and ISDR. The Director of
ICHARM will act as its Secretary (see Section 3.3.3)
and provide support services to the Committee. IFI-AC
members will report to their respective constituent
bodies. The constitution and the terms of reference of
the Advisory Committee are outlined in Annex.

IMPLEMENTATION [ 13

3.3.3 The IFI secretariat
36 To coordinate IFI activities, a small secretariat will
be located in the International Center for Water Hazard
and Risk Management (ICHARM), in the Public Works
Research Institute (PWRI) in Tsukuba, Japan. The
Secretariat will report to the IFI-AC.

3.4
Fundingothers) and are developed under the new cross-cutting
WMO Programme on Natural Disaster Prevention
and Mitigation (DPM) that was endorsed by the
13th session of the WMO Congress in May 2003.

39 Once IFI has a more detailed work plan, it will
be strongly placed to seek extra budgetary funding
which will support a wider range of activities. Funding
agencies, such as the World Bank, regional banks,
Official Development Assistance (ODA) and other
donors could make contributions and benefit from IFI’s
activities.

37 It is essential to note that this initiative is not anentirely new programme. In its initial stages, activities
will be those already being undertaken under existing
budgetary constraints.

38 Furthermore, in the case of WMO, the activities
that will be undertaken include those which also fallwithin other technical areas of WMO related to flood
management (such as Quantitative Precipitation
Forecasting (QPF), Radar Rainfall Estimation, andThe following publications were used in developing this concept paper(1) UNU, Two Billion People Vulnerable to Floods
by 2050; Number Expected to Double or Morein Two Generations Due to Climate Change,
Deforestation, Rising Seas, Population Growth,News Release, 2004.
(2) International Federation of Red Cross and Red
Crescent Societies, World Disasters Report: Focus
on Reducing Risk, 2002.
(3) IPCC, Climate Change 2001: The Scientific Basis.
Contribution of Working Group 1 to the Third
Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panelon Climate Change, Cambridge University Press,
Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, 2001.

14 ] INTERNATIONAL FLOOD INITIATIVE(4) United Nations General Assembly, Resolution
A/RES/58/217.
(5) United Nations, Dept. of Public Information,
Johannesburg Declaration on Sustainable
Development. The final text of agreements
negotiated by Governments at the World Summit
on Sustainable Development, Johannesburg,
2003.
(6) WMO, Integrated Flood Management Concept
Paper, the Associated Programme on FloodManagement, Geneva, 2004.

INTERNATIONALFLOODINITIATIVE
ANNEXESADVISORY COMMITTEEINTERNATIONAL FLOOD INITIATIVEMANAGEMENT COMMITTEEINTERNATIONAL FLOOD INITIATIVE

Terms of ReferenceTerms of Reference•

Provide a forum for the identification of the activities of theparticipating organizations that will comprise IFI

Manage the implementation of the activities under IFI.

•

Guide the integration of these activities in a manner thatreflects the principles of IFI•

Identify gaps and future requirements in relation to theobjectives of IFI•

Make recommendations to the participating organizations
on additional activities that should be considered to beundertaken by those organizations•

Review and report back to their respective constituent
bodies on the effectiveness of IFI against the agreed
performance indicators

Membership•

Representative of the UNESCO IHP Inter-governmental
Council•

Representative of the WMO Commission for Hydrology•

Representative of ISDR•

Representative of UNU

Membership•

Representative of the UNESCO IHP Secretariat•

Representative of the WMO Secretariat•

Representative of ISDR Secretariat•

Representative of UNU•

Representative of ICHARM•

Representative of IAHS•

Representative of IAHR•

Representative of IIASA•

Representative of ICLR

Secretarial Support
International Centre for Water Hazard Risk Management (ICHARM), Tsukuba, Japan.

ANNEXES [ 15

FRAMEWORK FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF IFI
InitialPartnersand Lead

EducationandTraining

Information Empowering TechnicalNetworking Communities Assistance

UNU,
WWAP,
IAHR

IAHR,
UNU

UNU,
WWAP

Estimating social,political, health, andecological impacts

IAHR,
IHP,
UNESCO-IHE

IAHR,
IHP,
UNESCO-IHE

ISDR,
IHP

ISDR

ISDR

Estimating economic
impacts including
benefits of floods

UNESCO-IHE

UNESCO-IHE

UNESCO-IHE,
ISDR

ISDR

ISDR

Mechanisms (including
financial) to increase
coping capacity andresilience

IAHR,
UNU,
ICHARM

IAHR

ISDR

ISDR

Indicators

UNU, WWAP,ICHARM

UNU

UNU, WMO,
WWAP, ISDR

ISDR

IAHS, UNESCO, WMO, IAHS,FRIEND,
UNESCO,UNUFRIEND, UNU

WMO, IAHS,
UNESCO,FRIEND

WMO,
IAHS

Data for risk
assessment

IAHR, IAHS,
UNESCO,FRIEND,ICHARM, UNU

IAHR, IAHS,
UNESCO,FRIEND,ICHARM, UNU

IAHR, IAHS,
UNESCO,FRIEND,ICHARM, ISDR

IAHR,
ISDR,
IAHS,
UNESCO

Hydrologic, hydraulicand economic
modeling

IAHR, IAHS,
ICHARM,
UNESCO, UNU

IAHR, WMO,
IAHS, ICHARM,
UNESCO, UNU

IAHR, WMO,
IAHS, ICHARM,
UNESCO

IAHR, WMO,IAHS,
UNESCO

Flood hazard mapping

IAHS, ICHARM,
UNU

IAHS, ICHARM,
UNU

WMO, IAHS,
ICHARM

Structural and nonstructural measures

IAHR ,IHP,(ICHARM),
UNU

IAHR, IHP,
IAHR,
WMO, ICHARM, (ICHARM)
UNU

TopicsVulnerability

Methodologies toaccount for multiple
stressors

Governance and participation

Flood Risk Management

Multi-hazard analysis

UNU

IAHS, ICHARM,
UNESCO,
WMO

Research

People networking

ISDR

ISDR,
UNU

Institutional reform

ISDR

ISDR,
WMO

Developing stakeholder
processes

ISDR

ISDR

16 ] INTERNATIONAL FLOOD INITIATIVE

WMO

WMO,
IAHS
IAHR,
WMO

WMO

FRAMEWORK FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE IFI-IPOA
InitialPartnersand Lead

People-centred early warning and emergency
management

Topics
Effective forecastingand early warning

EducationandTraining

Information Empowering TechnicalNetworking Communities Assistance

IAHR,
UNESCO-IHE,
IHP,
UNESCO,FRIEND,ICHARM

UNESCO-IHE,
UNU,
WMO,
ICHARM,
IAHR

ISDR/PPEW,
UNU,
WMO,
IAHR

ISDR/PPEW,WMOICHARMWMO

ISDR/PPEW

ISDR/PPEW

Preparedness

UNU,(ICHARM)

ISDR/PPEW,(ICHARM)

ISDR/PPEW

Response to warning

UNU,(ICHARM)

ISDR/PPEW

ISDR/PPEW

Effective
communication

WMO,
ISDR,
ICHARM

Research

IAHR,
WMO

ANNEXES [ 17

EXPECTED OUTPUTS OF IFI’s RESEARCH AGENDA

Medium-term products

Short-term products

Research agenda outputs

Agencies
currently
involved

1. Risk assessment methodologies, risk management tools and risk communication (for objective
and subjective risks)

IAHR, UNU, IAHS, WMO,ISDR, ICHARM

2. Enhanced understanding, forecasting and management of flash floods in urban areas and aridzones as well as those resulting from dam breaks and dike breaks

IAHR, IAHS, WMO, ISDR,ICHARM, UNU

3. Improved methodologies for estimating flood benefits and flood damages for various land uses
(agriculture, urban, peri-urban, industrial)

IAHR,
UNU

4. Establishment of flood susceptibility indicators based on community vulnerability and resiliency

UNU

5. Comparative assessment of institutional models for flood management

WMO

1. Methodologies for reliable inundation mapping

IAHR, IAHS, WMO,UNESCO, ICHARM

2. Probabilistic laws for non-stationary extreme events under changing environment (climate
variability and change, land use and population change)(IAHR), IAHS, UNESCO

3. Understanding trade-offs between structural and non-structural flood management measures
under different socio-economic conditions

UNESCO

4. Improvement of combined physical and stochastic distributed hydrologic models for morereliable real-time runoff forecasting

IAHR, IAHS, UNESCO

5. Improved methodologies for estimating flood benefits and flood damages for various land uses
(agriculture, urban, peri-urban, industrial)

UNESCO,
UNU

6. Tools for group-based multi-objective decision-making with multiple stakeholders

IAHR

7. Comparative analysis of socio-economic incentives and instruments in flood management
8. Understanding flood anthropology for the description of traditional technologies (nature fornature) in flood management

UNESCO

9. Improved communication strategies for effective flood warning and forecasting(UNU), IAHR, WMO,(ISDR), ICHARM

10. Enhanced understanding of psycho-social impacts of flooding on individual and family responses
11. Strategies for effective flood mitigation investment schedulingLong-term products

1. Improved medium-term flood forecasting incorporating medium- and long-term weather
prediction

IAHR, IAHS, WMO,UNESCO

2. Understanding trade-offs between structural and non-structural flood management measures
under different socio-economic conditions
3. Tools (data assimilation, downscaling, remote sensing) for warning and forecasting of ungauged
basins

UNU, (IAHR), IAHS,
UNESCO, ICHARM

4. Tools for hydro-meteorology triggered land-slide prediction

WMO

5. Improved management of floods caused by ice jams

WMO

6. Procedures for ecologically-sound flood management
7. New design criteria for non-stationary flood computation
8. Strategies for effective flood mitigation investment scheduling18 ] INTERNATIONAL FLOOD INITIATIVE

IAHS

EXPECTED OUTPUTS OF IFI’s EDUCATION AND TRAINING AGENDA

Long-term
products

Medium-term products

Short-term products

EDUCATION AND TRAINING agenda outputs

Agencies
currently
involved

1. Synthesized flood preparedness guidelines on flood emergency for communities (countryspecific)

WMO, ISDR

2. Training courses and manuals for community leaders, decision makers, technical persons on
various aspects of flooding, such as preparedness planning, flood fighting and flood recovery

UNU, (IAHR),
WMO,
UNESCO-IHP-IHE, ISDR,ICHARM

3. Post-evaluation conferences/lessons learned of case studies highlighting best practices on all
aspects of flood issues

UNU, IAHS, ISDR

4. International network of flood-related institutions to cooperate on producing training materials
for various user groups

UNU, UNESCO-IHE,
ICHARM

1. Production of teaching material for training courses at various levels

IAHS, UNESCO-IHE,
ICHARM, UNU

2. Training courses and manuals for community leaders, decision makers, technical persons on
various aspects of flooding, such as preparedness planning, flood fighting and flood recovery

UNU, WMO,UNESCO-IHE, ICHARM

3. Post evaluation conferences/lessons learned of case studies highlighting best practices on all
aspects of flood issues

UNU, IAHS

4. International network of flood-related institutions to cooperate on producing training materials
for various user groups(UNU), (IAHR), ICHARM

5. Popularized publications, books, videos and public education programs dealing with different
aspects of flood preparedness, flood fighting and flood recovery in different cultural and socioeconomic settings

WMO, UNESCO-IHP,
ISDR

1. Introducing the concept of living with floods in school programs through text books andteaching materials

WMO, UNESCO-IHP,
ISDR

2. Curricula for undergraduate disciplinary programs and integrated curricula for inter-disciplinary
graduate programs promoting inter-disciplinary thinking

WMO, UNESCO-IHE,
ICHARM

3. Enhanced public awareness through various international events on various aspects of flood
management (campaign, media, web)

(UNU), WMO, UNESCO,ISDR, (ICHARM)

ANNEXES [ 19

EXPECTED OUTPUTS OF THE IFI’s Information Networking AGENDA

Long-term
products

Medium-term products

Short-term products

Information Networking agenda outputs

Agencies
currently
involved

1. Global hydrological database on extreme flood events

IAHS, ICHARM, UNU

2. Database for the description of the various aspects of floods (physical, economic and social)

IAHS, ICHARM, UNU

3. Open access multi-lingual CDS/ISIS-based international bibliographical database on flood
literature and reports (published and informal)

IAHS, ISDR

4. Open access and reviewed depository of proven methodologies and tools for flood prediction,
analyses and management

IAHS, WMO, ISDR

5. Network between IFI and relief and humanitarian agencies

ISDR

1. Database of data-type relevant to the various aspects flood management

IAHS

2. Compilation of available DEM data and other spatial datasets (land use) in the appropriate
resolution for flood management(IAHS),UNU

3. Open access international depository of flood-related legal instruments, policies andcomparative studies

WMO

4. Cooperative network between IFI and the insurance industry

UNU

5. Network between IFI and relief and humanitarian agencies

ISDR

1. Global hydrological database on extreme flood events

IAHS, ICHARM

2. Compilation of available DEM data and other spatial datasets (land use) in the appropriate
resolution for flood management(IAHS)

3. Cooperative network between IFI and the insurance industry

UNU, ISDR

20 ] INTERNATIONAL FLOOD INITIATIVE

EXPECTED OUTPUTS OF THE IFI’s TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

Long-term
products

Medium-term
products

Short-term
products

Technical assistance outputs

Agencies
currently
involved

1. Help design cooperative agreements for flood-related activities in transboundary watersheds

WMO

2. Flood emergency management manuals and procedures

WMO, ISDR

3. Flood relief and recovery manuals and procedures

ISDR

1. Facilitation of jointly coordinated flood fighting in transboundary watersheds

WMO

2. Design and construction of appropriate methodologies for flood mitigation measures at local
scale

WMO

3. Assessment of individual and community flood vulnerability exposure

UNU (case by case)

4. Provide assistance to governments in designing national strategies for flood reduction

UNU (case by case),
WMO

1. Provide assistance to governments in designing national strategies for flood reduction

UNU (case by case),
WMO

ANNEXES [ 21Acronyms
APFM

Associated Programme on FloodManagement

IIASA

International Institute for Applied Systems
Analysis

CSD

Commission on Sustainable Development

IPCC

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

DESD

UN Decade on Education for Sustainable
Development (2005-2014)

ISDR

International Strategy for Disaster
Reduction

DPM

WMO’s programme on Natural Disaster
Prevention and Mitigation

IWRA

International Water Resources Association

FRIEND

Flow Regimes from International
Experimental and Network Data

IWRM

Integrated Water Resources Management

JPOI

Johannesburg Plan of Implementation

GEOSS

Global Earth Observation System of
Systems

LDC

Least Developed Countries

GEWEX

Global Energy and Water Cycle Experiment

MDGs

Millennium Development Goals

GWP

Global Water Partnership

NEPAD

New Partnership for African Development

HELP

Hydrology for Environment, Life and Policy

NGOs

Non-Governmental Organizations

IAHR

International Association of HydraulicEngineering and Research

NMHSs

National Meteorological and Hydrological
Services

IAHS

International Association of Hydrological
Sciences

ODA

Official Development Assistance

PWRI

Public Works Research InstituteIAHS-PUB

Predictions in Ungauged Basins

QPF

Quantitative Precipitation Forecasting

ICHARM

International Centre for Water Hazard and
Risk Management

UN

United Nations

ICID

International Commission on Irrigation andDrainage

UNU

United Nations University

UNU-EHSICLR

Institute of Catastrophic Loss Reduction

Institute for Environment and Human
Security

ICT

Information Communication Technologies

UNESCO

United Nations Educational, Scientific andCultural Organization

IFI

International Flood Initiative

UNESCO-IHE

UNESCO Institute for Water Education

IFI-AC

IFI’s Advisory Committee

IFI-IPOA

IFI’s Initial Plan of Action

UN-Water

United Nations Committee on Fresh Water

IFI-MC

IFI’s Management Committee

WBI

World Bank Institute

IFM

Integrated Flood Management

WCP

World Climate Programme

IFNet

International Flood Network

WMO

World Meteorological Organization

IGBP

International Geosphere-Biosphere
Programme

WSSDWorld Summit on Sustainable Development

WWAP

World Water Assessment Programme

IHP

UNESCO’s International Hydrological
Programme

WWC

World Water Council

22 ] INTERNATIONAL FLOOD INITIATIVE© unesco-IHP September 2007
Photographs:

n p. 5: iStockphoto.com/Alexey Popovsky n p. 6: SXC, iStockphoto.com/Pathathai Chungyam, Lucilla Salimei

n p. 8: UNESCO/Michel Ginies, iStockphoto.com/Luke Daniek n p. 9: Gary Heayes n p. 11: iStockphoto.
com/AVTG n p. 12: iStockphoto.com/Andreas Kaspar, UNESCO/Gary Masters, iStockphoto.com/Danny Bailey
n p. 14: iStockphoto.com/Abdulrazak n p. 15: iStockphoto.com/Scott Leman n p. 16: iStockphoto.com/
Bridgette Braley

Design: Maro Haas, Le Pré St Gervais - France
Printed by SEP - Nîmes - France

IHP/2007/IFI/2