UNESCO-IHP, UNESCO-IHE and the International Water History Association offer course on World History of Water Management

A 5-day short course on the "World History of Water Management" will be offered in September 2010, drawing both on historical experiences from different parts of the world and on experts from the International Water History Association (IWHA) and the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID). Many of the experts are involved in the UNESCO "History of Water and Civilization" project, and in the framework of cooperation among IWHA, UNESCO-IHP and UNESCO-IHE.

The course aims to (1) provide a comprehensive overview of archaeological and historical developments in water management including water harvesting, water supply, transportation, delivery, treatment, hydraulic engineering and allocation (with contributions including the physical sciences, technology, ecology, engineering, organisation, politics, law, anthropology, and governance) in different parts of the world and within various cultural contexts; (2) develop an appreciation of the role of cultural factors that affect the management of water resources, especially at times of perceived water scarcity and (3) comprehend the historical antecedents of our current paradigm of water management and what can be learned from historical case studies on the basis of the knowledge and experience of several scholars from different countries and from the exchange of experiences to be generated between course participants and experts.

The course also constitutes a contribution to the UNESCO-led United Nations Decade for Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014).