Torres del Paine, Chile
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Water-related centres under the auspices of UNESCO

The water-related centres under the auspices of UNESCO (category 2) work on relevant thematic and geographic priorities in their areas of expertise.
Reservoir with high water leels storing water supplies
Shutterstock/Thomas Holt
Last update:29 January 2025

Since Member States have realized the potential of these centres, the network has been rapidly expanding.
You will find the contact information for each centre below. When there is no email address available, you can reach out to the Secretariat via the dedicated email. 

Western Europe and North America

(ICIReWaRD)
Established at the University of Montpellier, France.

 

 (ICWRGC)
Secretariat German IHP/HWRP National Committee
Federal Institute of Hydrology, Koblenz, Germany

(CIMWRM)
Established in Thessaloniki, Greece.

  • School of Civil Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
    Prof. Elpida Kolokytha, Director 

     

(IGRAC)
The overall objective of IGRAC, based in The Netherlands, is to include groundwater fully in the assessment of freshwater resources of the world in order to encourage and enhance the conjunctive and sustainable utilization of both groundwater and surface water.

 

(IHE Delft)
IHE, a leading institute in the field of postgraduate water education located in The Netherlands, was a UNESCO Category 1 Institute from 2001 to 2016. In order to facilitate continuous funding beyond 2016 by the Dutch Government and allow the Institute’s activities to grow and develop for the benefit of UNESCO Member States, the Organization's 39th General Conference (November 2017) accepted the proposal to turn it into a Category 2 ‘Institute for Water Education’ under the auspices of UNESCO.

 

 (ICWC)
The centre located in Sweden will address water cooperation in its broadest sense with a primary focus on water for peace and regional development. It will perform research, publish results, and build capacity through dedicated training programmes. Its objectives are to further develop the understanding of how transboundary waters may act as a catalyst for cooperation in an increasingly complex (e.g. due to global changes) and interdependent world and to translate this understanding into concrete policy proposals and options. The centre would be based at SIWI and would build on its internationally-oriented programmes and activities aimed at seeking sustainable solutions to the world’s escalating water crisis.

 

(CWLPS)

Established in Dundee, Scotland, United Kingdom. The Dundee Centre seeks to develop and share knowledge and expertise in international, national and transboundary water law and policy.

 

Eastern and Central Europe

(ERCE)
The Centre based in Lodz, Poland,  promotes integrative multidisciplinary ecohydrological research at a catchment scale for sustainable management, protection and restoration of aquatic resources. Basic research includes: hydrology, hydrobiology, environmental chemistry, landscape processes, soil ecology, phytotechnology, environmental toxicology and genetics, population studies and mathematical modelling.

 

(IRTCUD)
IRTCUD based in Belgrade, Serbia, aims to foster advanced research development in urban water management, having expanded its field of work originally concerned with the aspect of urban drainage.

 

 (WSDAC)
The centre  based in Belgrade, Serbia, acts as a regional centre in Southeast Europe focusing on cooperation in the areas of applied research, water administration, development and promotion of adaptation strategies, capacity development, and research for application, education, and training in the area of climate change impact on water resources management and the adaptation to such impacts.

Latin America and the Caribbean

(CAZALAC)
Established in 2006. CAZALAC, located in Chile, is responsible for coordinating and articulating scientific and technologic actions aimed at the sustainable management of water resources in arid, semi-arid and sub-humid zones of the LAC region.

 

(CIH)
Centre jointly managed by the Federative Republic of Brazil and the Republic of Paraguay.

 

(CEHICA)
Established in 2010. The objective of the Centre located in Santo Domingo, in the Dominican Republic, is to generate and transfer scientific and technological knowledge related to sustainable water management in the Caribbean Island States, so as to increase the practical knowledge and improve the capacities for a more efficient use of water resources.

 

 (CeReGas)
Signed in 2014, the centre located in Montevideo, Uruguay, will provide facilities and opportunities for advanced research on aquifer systems and groundwater resources management for scientists from Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) countries. The purpose of the Centre is two-fold: to strengthen national capacity in support of the sustainable management of aquifers in the country, and to address the needs and requirements jointly identified with other countries of the region by working in mutual cooperation. The objectives and programmes of the proposed Centre would contribute to fulfilling the objectives of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (IHP) of UNESCO.
The Regional centre for groundwater management for Latin America and the Caribbean also hosts the .

 

(CERSHI)
Institute of Engineering, National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), in collaboration with the Mexican Institute of Water Technology (IMTA), Mexico. The Centre proposes to enhance scientific cooperation at regional level and to improve the understanding on water research, with focus on water security as a framework to cross the common divides of water services and resources.

Dr Fernando J. González Villarreal, Director 

Asia and the Pacific

(RCUWM)
RCUWM, located in Iran, aims to transfer applicable scientific knowledge and to increase know-how and capacities in all cases and dimensions of urban water management in order to promote sustainable development within the region. 

 

(ICQHS)
ICQHS located in Iran, aims to promote research, capacity-building and knowledge transfer on qanats, an ancient technology based on underground water-collecting galleries still widely used, as well as the preservation of the cultural heritage that qanats and other historical hydraulic infrastructures represent.

 

International Centre for the Integrated Management of Watershed and Bio-Resources in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions (ICIMWB)
Established in Iran.

 

(HTC Kuala Lumpur)
Established in 1999. HTC Kuala Lumpur aims to promote collaboration among countries in the region through technology and information exchange, education and science. 

 

(IRTCES)
Established in 1984. IRTCES, located in China, promotes international exchange of knowledge and cooperation in the studies of erosion and sedimentation problems.
The Centre also hosts the .

 


Established in 2006. ICHARM, located in Japan, deals with water-related disasters such as floods and droughts, which are major challenges that need to be overcome in order to ensure sustainable human development and poverty alleviation.

  • Public Works Research Institute (PWRI) 
    Toshio Koike, Director

 

Established in 2009. APCE, located in Jakarta, Indonesia, aims to contribute with scientific knowledge, capacity-building, educational and dissemination activities to support, design and implement ecohydrology strategies and policies for sustainable water resources management.

 

Established in 2003. ICQHS located in Iran, aims to promote research, capacity-building and knowledge transfer on qanats, an ancient technology based on underground water-collecting galleries still widely used, as well as the preservation of the cultural heritage that qanats and other historical hydraulic infrastructures represent.

 

Established in 2012 at the Institute of Geography in Almaty, in the Republic of Kazakhstan, the objective of the centre is to foster cooperation and improve scientific understanding of present and forecasted changes in glacier, snow and water resources in the region. The centre will promote regional research, education and capacity development to assess climate change impact on glaciers and permafrost in the runoff formation zone. The results from the scientific and research activities of the centre may provide policy advice to the countries to better manage water resources in a sustainable way. The activities of the centre will contribute to achieving the strategic objectives of UNESCO’s IHP.

 


Established in 2016 at the K-Water Institute, Republic of Korea.

Africa

(ARCE)
Established in 2018 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

 

(RC-IRBM)

Signed in 2013, the centre's aim is to act as a facilitator and synergistic structure to articulate the different scientific and institutional stakeholders at local, national, regional, and international levels regarding of implementation of IRBM, particularly in the West African Region. The centre focusses on research in the area of hydro-informatics, IWRM, and socio-economic research and to provide IRBM training, tertiary education for water professionals. Functions include Coordination and implementation of cooperative research projects networking on information and knowledge exchange in West Africa Organize training courses, seminars, workshops, and meetings Produce publications and dissemination of publications.

Arab States

 (RCWH)
Established in 2014, the aim of this centre is to provide training and research opportunities; generate and provide scientific and technical information and support the exchange of information, in particular with regard to local scientific, technical and managerial knowledge, in the various domains of water harvesting.

 

(RCTWS)
Established in 2002. RCTWS, located in Egypt, provides information on the science and technology of arid and semi-arid zones and promotes policies leading to integrated and sustainable water resources management.

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