functioning of the national committees for the international … · 2017-09-13 · functioning of...

Functioning of the National Committees for the

International Hydrological Programme (Version prepared for Latin America and the Caribbean)

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1. Context

The International Hydrological Programme (IHP), currently on its eighth phase, was

created in 1975 and currently counts with thirty-seven National Committees and Focal

Points (CONAPHIS for its acronym in Spanish) in Latin America and the Caribbean.

At its XI Meeting, the CONAPHIS adopted Resolution PHI/LAC XI-05 deciding to

“promote support instances for the establishment and strengthening of IHP National

Committees in the region”. This document was prepared to share information on the

functioning of CONAPHIS in Latin America and the Caribbean, including examples of

how member states, in the use of their autonomy, established their National Committees.

Annex 1 contains the recommendations from the IHP Bureau to improve the functioning

of IHP National Committees and annex 2 presents examples of three Committees in the

region.

2. IHP National Committees Mandate

In accordance to the IHP/IC-XIII/11, being the IHP an intergovernmental programme,

National Committees are constituted by decree or by other appropriate legal instrument

and run under the authority of national governments. IHP National Committees should

have a two-fold mandate, functioning as: (a) national governmental entities which provide

advice to the Government on water-related research, education and capacity building

and national policy concerning freshwater; and (b) coordinating bodies working with other

Committees of the region and of the world to achieve shared objectives concerning

freshwater, within the framework of the IHP. This implies an important responsibility for

National Committees, which should also have authority. In fact, National Committees, as

governmental bodies, should have power regarding research policies needed to support

the decision-making process for water management. For this purpose, it is indispensable

to ensure the appropriate composition of the Committee.

3. IHP National Committees Constitution

National Committees should be multi-stakeholder in membership, including scientific and

water management bodies, relevant government organizations, professional

associations and civil society. To ensure its policy functions, it is suggested that the

Committee is chaired by a person with authority regarding hydrology and water

resources, also encompassing its relationship with science, innovation and capacity

development. The Chair of the Committee – often a permanent secretary, vice-minister

or director of the main entity on hydrological resources – should ensure the transposal

of the recommendations of the Committee into governmental action. The designation of

a small Secretariat is also suggested, to support the functioning of the Committee.



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ANNEXES

ANNEX 1. Proposal on Improving the Functioning of the National Committees for

the IHP



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Link: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0011/001133/113323eo.pdf

http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0011/001133/113323eo.pdf



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Annex 2: Examples from IHP National Committees of Mexico, Chile and Cuba

Annex 2.1: National Committee of Mexico

Mexico has been a member of IHP since its creation in 1975. The National Committee

of Mexico (CONAMEXPHI) has been involved in activities since 1986, among which the

participation of Mexico is highlighted in the mapping of arid zones in Mexico, Central and

South America, carried out in accordance with FAO standards and the methodology of

the University of Chile. CONAMEXPHI has also been responsible for the organization of

four seminars on Potamology, which aimed to evaluate and encourage research in the

areas of river engineering, and surface and groundwater hydrology.

In December 2013, the X Meeting of IHP National Committees and Focal Points for the

2014-2015 biennium, as well as the "Closing Ceremony of the International Year of

Cooperation in the Field of Water", were organised with the support of the Government

of Mexico through the National Water Commission (CONAGUA) and several leading

institutions in the field of water. The Closing Ceremony of the International Year of

Cooperation in Water was attended by more than 400 participants from 60 countries and

more than 200 institutions from different latitudes, including ministries and governmental

organizations, international organizations, development banks, civil organizations, etc.

The “Technical meeting of the members of the IHP Bureau” was held in Merida in 2014.

During the meeting, Bureau members welcomed Mexico's proposal to create postal

stamps for the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of UNESCO's water programs,

to be presented by Mexico in the second half of 2015.

The same year, Mexico presented to UNESCO the initiative for the creation of a category

2 Center called "Regional Center for Water Security" headed by two flagship institutions

and leaders in the country in the field of research and development of capacities: The

Mexican Institute of Water Technology (IMTA) and the Institute of Engineering of the

National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).

The Board of Directors of CONAMEXPHI (2014-2016) has begun a process of

strengthening its Working Groups through the financing of various activities of national,

regional and international impact, with the objective of consolidating solid and lasting

partnerships for cooperation in this area of water.

In 2015, activities were carried out in line with the objectives of IHP-VIII and with the

support of the International Working Groups, including: sessions on groundwater issues,

translation of documents of the World Bank Groundwater Management Advisory Team

(GW-MATE) for the benefit of the Spanish-speaking regions; capacity building through

the "Gender and Water Sovereignty in Latin America"; development of the "Study for the

Implementation of the Principles and Practices of Ecohydrology in the Hydraulic

Development of Mexico and Latin America"; production of the document "Risk

Assessment of Hydrofluidians and Hydrofluoroses" and the "Criteria for Hazard,

Vulnerability and Risk of Flooding in Urban Areas" study; implementation of analytical



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techniques for the measurement of emerging pollutants for water reuse for direct and

indirect human consumption; and leading the preparation of reports for the World Water

Assessment Program, which will serve as inputs to the World Water Development Report.

The structure of CONAMEXPHI, from its creation until 2013, has traditionally been

shaped by its President, Secretary and thirteen Coordination and focused on the

scientific and educational aspects of hydrology and water resources management.

From 1 February 2014, aiming to embrace a multidisciplinary and intersectoral approach,

the Board of CONAMEXPHI has been composed by:

Chairperson: Mr. David Korenfeld Consultor

Vice-chair: Director General of IMTA, Mr. Felipe Arreguín

Vice-chair: Deputy Director-General for Drinking Water Drainage and Sanitation

of CONAGUA, Mr. Francisco José Muñiz Pereyra

Vice-chair: Executive Director of ANEAS, Mr. Roberto Olivares

Secretariat of National Affairs (CONAGUA), Mr. Enrique Mejía Maravilla

Secretariat of Foreign Affairs (CONAGUA), Ms. Claudia Coria

Thirteen Groups (Coordinaciones) related to eight of the Global Programs,

three to Regional Programs and two to Working Groups, detailed in the table

below.

Global Initiatives Regional Initiatives Working Groups

- HELP

- IFI

- ISI

- PCCP

- Ecohydrology

- GRAPHIC

- G-WADI

- JIIHP (Joint International

Isotopes in Hydrology

Programme)

- Water Culture

- UNESCO-WET

- WWAP

- Urban Waters

- Water and Gender



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Annex 2.2: National Committee of Cuba

The Cuban Committee was one of the first CONAPHI created in Latin America and

Caribbean (1975), as a continuation of the activities of the International Hydrological

Decade (1965-1975). It has maintained a consistent performance and presence in the

region. Within the IHP-VIII, it has organised activities and projects for cooperation and

research in the field of water science.

In early 2015, there were changes in the leadership and membership of the Committee,

maintaining the diversity of disciplines and institutions.

The CONAPHI of Cuba is composed by 22 members (6 women, 16 men). Of the total,

14 are Doctors (3 are women) and 3 Masters in Sciences, belonging to 12 management,

research and teaching institutions, which respond to the Technical, Natural and Social

Sciences.

The National Committee is chaired by the Instituto Nacional de Recursos Hidráulicos

(National Institute of Hydraulic Resources) and composed by:

Chairperson: Mrs. Yosmary Gil Leal.

Vice chair: Mrs. Gisel Pérez Wong, Instituto Nacional de Recursos Hidráulicos

(INRH)

Vice chair: Mr. Eduardo Planos Gutiérrez, Instituto de Meteorología.

Secretary: Mr Alexis Navarrete, Cuban National Commission for UNESCO.

Other members:

Institution Member

Órgano de Cuencas Hidrográficas, Instituto

Nacional de Recursos Hidráulicos - INRH

Jorge Mario García Fernández

Centro de Investigaciones Hidráulicas CIH –

Universidad Tecnológica de La Habana,

Armando O. Hernández Valdés

Facultad Geografia- Universidad de La Habana José Evelio Gutiérrez

Especialista del Servicio Hidrológico-Instituto

Nacional de Recursos Hidráulicos

Argelio Fernández Richelme

Funcionario del Ministerio de Ciencia Tecnología y

Medio Ambiente.

Cristóbal Díaz Morejón

Presidente de la Sociedad de Hidráulica de la

Unión Nacional de Arquitectos e Ingenieros de la

Construcción de Cuba

Rafael Feito

Investigador del Instituto de Meteorología Braulio Lapinel Pedroso

Jefe de Investigaciones Agrofísicas de la

Universidad Agraria de la Habana

María Elena Ruíz Pérez

Asesor de Educación Ambiental del Ministerio de

Educación.

Orestes Valdés Valdés

Directora Científica del Instituto de

Investigaciones Agrícolas del Ministerio de la

Agricultura

Teresa López Seijas



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Institution Member

Especialista de la Empresa de Investigaciones y

Proyectos de la Habana.

Orlando Laíz Averhoff

Profesor del Centro de Investigaciones

Hidráulicas de la Universidad Tecnológica de la

Habana (CUJAE).

Norberto Marrero

Especialista del Instituto de Investigaciones

Agrícolas del Ministerio de la Agricultura.

Julián Herrera Puebla


Agrícolas del Ministerio de la Agricultura

Oravides Almagro Peñalver

Profesor del Centro de Investigaciones

Hidráulicas de la Universidad Tecnológica de la

Habana (CUJAE).

Yaset Martínez

Funcionario de la Fundación Antonio Núñez

Jiménez

Armando Fernández Soriano

Especialista Centro de Estudios Demográficos de

la Universidad de la Habana

Gilberto J. Cabrera Trimiño


Agrícolas del Ministerio de la Agricultura

Felicita González Robaina

The Committee decides and provides auspices to events, workshops, and congresses;

analyses topics of interest related to water resources and water sciences, through

workshops and seminars, such as the "Hydrology, new techniques and applications”

workshop. It also disseminates scientific and technical information through a virtual

network between its presidency and members.



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Annex 2.3: National Committee of Chile

The CONAPHI-Chile is the National Committee for the International Hydrological

Programme (IHP). It is a national organism created by petition of UNESCO for the State

of Chile in 1975, under the responsibility of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

It is composed by a number of governmental, academic scientific and private

organizations. These joined under a strategy that seeks an interdisciplinary and inter-

sectoral, approach to meet the engineering and water management challenges in the

country, from a scientific, educational, and social aspect.

Delegate members of the CONAPHI, act on behalf of their institutions, providing a

multidisciplinary and a real vision that allows to identify problems, suggest solutions,

and survey the level of work being done in the country.

Officially, CONAPHI-Chile meets once a month, having as headquarters by regulation,

the one that corresponds to its Secretary General, who maintains permanent contact

with delegates and their institutions throughout the month.

Monthly CONAPHI meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The Chilean Committee for the International Hydrologycal Programme, CONAPHI-Chile,

is composed by 38 institutions, several of which participate in the Committee informally,

but are nonetheless considered to be an integral and fundamental part of the Committee.

One of the main achievements of this Committee has been the creation together with

UNESCO of the water Centre for arid and semi-arid zones of Latin America and the

Caribbean, CAZALAC.



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Table 1. List of Members and participating institutions CONAPHI-Chile

Source: www.phi.cl

N° Institution Participates Name

1 Dirección General de Aguas

(DGA) President Carlos Estévez Valencia

2 Universidad de Talca (UTalca)

Vicepresident, Coordinator of the

programme Water and Forest

Systems

Roberto Pizarro Tapia

3 Ministerio del Interior y

Seguridad Pública Secretary General Carolina Morales Calderón

4 Dirección de Obras

Hidráulicas (DOH) Secretary (S)

Francisco Javier Voullième Plaza

de los Reyes

5 Comisión Nacional de Riego

(CNR)

Treasurer,

Website manager, Coordinator of

the Programme Hydrological

Engineering for Irrigation and

Drainage Management

Leonardo Pizarro Fuentes

6 Superintendencia de Servicios

Sanitarios (SISS)

President of the Education

Commission,

Web, Facebook

Dalia Chiu Stange

7 Servicio Agrícola y Ganadero

(SAG)/Universidad Mayor

President of the Dissemination

Commission Sergio Antonio Jerez Arriagada

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Asociación Latinoamericana

de Hidrología Subterránea

para el Desarrollo A.G. -

Capítulo Chileno (ALHSUD

Chile)

Programme Coordinator Carmen Copier Mella

9 Universidad de Santiago de

Chile (USACH) Member Diana Quevedo Tejada

10 Universidad de Concepción

(UDEC) Programme Coordinator José Vargas Baecheler

11 Empresa Aguas Andinas S.A.

President of the Programme

Coordinating Commission,

Coordinator of the Programme

Urban Waters

Berroeta Bustos Carlos

12 Centro de Información de

Recursos Naturales (CIREN)

President of the Science and

Technology Commission Juan Pablo Flores Villanelo

13 Ministerio de Relaciones

Exteriores (MINREL) Member Mercedes Meneses Zárate

14 Ministerio de Desarrollo Social

(MIDESO) Member



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15 Corporación de Fomento de la

Producción (CORFO) Member José Luis Gómez Avendaño

16 Dirección de Obras

Hidráulicas (DOH)* Member Rodrigo Mansilla Vicencio

17

Servicio Hidrográfico y

Oceanográfico de la Armada

de Chile (SHOA)

Member Jenny Maturana Acevedo

18 Dirección Meteorológica de

Chile (DMC) Member Enrique Garrido

19 Corporación Nacional Forestal

(CONAF) Member Wilfredo Alfaro

20

Sociedad Chilena de

Ingeniería Hidráulica

(SOCHID)

Member José Vargas Baecheler

21 Instituto Nacional de

Hidráulica Member Karla González Novion

22 Universidad de Chile (UChile) Member Alejandro León Steward

23 Pontificia Universidad Católica

de Chile (PUC) Member Sebastian Vicuña Díaz

24 Universidad Católica del Norte

(UCN) Member Leonardo Romero

25 Universidad de La Serena

(USerena) Member

26 Pontificia Universidad Católica

de Valparaíso (PUCV) Member Andrés Fernández

27 Universidad de Valparaiso Member David Poblete

28 Universidad de Tarapacá

(UTA) Member Amador Torres Hernández

29 Instituto de Investigaciones

Agropecuarias (INIA) Member Gabriel Sellés Van Schouwen

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Asociación Interamericana de

Ingeniería Sanitaria y

Ambiental - Capítulo Chileno

(AIDIS)

Member Gerardo Ahumada Theoduloz

31 Colegio de Ingenieros

Agrónomos A.G. Member Gabriel Sellés Van Schouwen

32 Universidad Mayor (UMayor) Member Sergio Antonio Jerez Arriagada



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33

Parque Metropolitano de

Santiago, sección Bosque

Santiago (PARQUEMET)

Member Jaime Méndez Parada

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Centro Regional del Agua

para Zonas Áridas y

Semiáridas de América Latina

y el Caribe (CAZALAC)

Member. Coordinator of the

Programme G-WADI Gabriel Mancilla Escobar

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Organización de las Naciones

Unidas para la Educación, la

Ciencia y la Cultura

(UNESCO)

Member Koen Verbist

36 Instituto Forestal (INFOR) Member Christian Little

37 CODELCO Chile Coordinator of the Programme

Ecohydrology Francisco Riestra Miranda

38 Colegio de Geógrafos Member Elir Rojas Calderón

CONAPHI-Chile is headed by a Board of Directors, whose President is the Director

General of water of the Ministry of Public Works of Chile. The Vice President and

Secretary General are elected by the members. CONAPHI-Chile has also three

commissions working in the field of management: The Commission on Science and

Technology, the Broadcasting Commission and the Commission of Finance and

Treasury. There is a coordination group for IHP programs, responsible of ensuring the

compliance of the work of the coordinators of the various programmes, namely, ISI, IFI,

Ecohydrology, etc.



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Heads of the Committee usually meets before the extended session, with the aim of

preparing a monthly session with issues and agreements defined by the board. Meetings

are arranged whenever necessary to define other items related to requests from

UNESCO, preparation of activities in the framework of the CONAPHI, or for the

elaboration of proposals for the Committee and budgeting.

The CONAPHI-Chile has seven active programs. Each of the programme coordinators

for CONPAHI Chile, is invited periodically to the expanded meetings to share the work

done and to be developed; provide information on the participation of national and

international researchers associated; and to count on the support of the Committee for

the development of new initiatives.

The Comittee organizes work days that attract politicians, researchers and managers of

the private and public sector (see annex 1, on the report of the workshop of the year

2015 and meeting of national committees and focal points); it hosts events of all kinds

related to water management; it presents awards to outstanding students of pre and post

degree on water issues; and performs annual awards. All this has been delivering with



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growing recognition among the water and scientific community and the political arena,

which provides the CONAPHI with strong credibility in the areas addressed, although the

expression of different actors was always welcome.

CONAPHI-Chile, through its relationship with UNESCO, has a working relationship with

distinguished researchers from the world and particularly from Latin America and the

Caribbean. This allows a quick connection to bring specialists to Chile or for Chilean

specialists to contribute in other latitudes. Therefore, it is a very good vehicle of

connection with the outside and that can enhance the external image of Chile in an area,

such as water resources, where the country has strengths.

The CONAPHI, by definition, is the adviser to the Government of Chile in matters related

to the International Hydrological Program of UNESCO. This program, which has multiple

dimensions, can constitute a good guide for Chile in aspects related to water engineering

and management. Furthermore, it can also be a factor of incorporation of Chile to this

program in terms of influencing it and lending its capacities for its development. An

example of this is the formation of the UNESCO Program, "Water and forest systems",

which has been an initiative proposed by our country and is being incorporated into the

International Hydrological Program.

CONAPHI-Chile creates a space to:

a) Discuss and propose public policies in a context of participation of the various

national actors.

b) Establish instances of collaboration among national and international institutions

related to water resources.

c) Define gaps and ways to overcome challenges, in terms of water management

and governance.

d) Generate instances of mass dissemination of specific knowledge in hydrological

engineering, together with other national bodies such as the Ministry of education.

e) Support the interweaving of actors in the context of scientific research into water,

which according to figures from the CONAPHI-Chile does not exceed 0,0025% of

the GDP PIB; 160 times less than the 0.4% that goes into I+D, and well below from

the average of OECD countries.

f) Establish frameworks that aim to highlight water culture as an environmental value,

essential for the sustainable management of natural spaces in the 21st century.

g) Finally, CONAPHI-Chile has operated for more than 40 years gaining increasing

knowledge; therefore, if this inertia is maintained and increased with minimal

resources, it could constitute an element of advice and high public discussion and

analysis, allowing the definition of policies, the integration of efforts and strategies



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and the generation of better instances that favor the generation of a culture of care

and good water management.

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