UNESCOs work in Groundwater and Transboundary Aquifers Challenges

UNESCO´s work in Groundwater and Transboundary Aquifers Challenges and Long Term Solutions Dr. Alice Aureli UNESCO IHP Groundwater Resources Side event- THE ROLE OF THE GROUNDWATER SILENT REVOLUTION: “MORE CASH AND NATURE PER DROP : Re-thinking global water scarcity and security

“MORE CASH AND NATURE PER DROP : Re-thinking global water scarcity and security GROUNDWATER EXTRACTION J. MARGAT, UNESCO-BRGM, 2008 as in the 3 rd UNWWDR CHALLENGES Global Changes brought on by climate change, urbanization, ozone depletion, population growth, expansion of infrastructure, migration, land conversion, pollution are altering the Earth and the way it functions WATER FOOTPRINT No institution or country can face the challenges they pose alone

• Climate GLOBAL CHANGES ? GROUNDWATER + • Energy • Food SHARING WATER TRANSBOUNDARY AQUIFERS GOVERNANCE, PARTICIPATION COOPERATION

UNESCO IHP INVENTORY OF TRANSBOUNDARY AQUIFERS

More than ‘ 273 transboundary aquifer >15% of the land surface of the planet >40% of population What is missing? FINANCE+DATA+ MONITORING+ EDUCATION+ AWARENESS+ Country 1 Country 2 COOPERATION+ CHANGING ATTITUDE

NEEDS FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF TRANSBOUNDARY AQUIFERS PROPER REGULATIONS, INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY, DEMOCRATIC PROCESSES, PEACE, STABILITY, UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION on TRANSBOUNDARY AQUIFERS UNILC-UNESCO IHP 2002 -2008 “HYDROPOLITICS AND HYDROECONOMICS OF SHARED GROUNDWATER RESOURCES: EXPERIENCE IN ARID AND SEMIARID REGIONS “ MANUEL RAMÓN LLAMAS, Paper at the NATO Advanced Studies, Varna, 2006

MORE CASH AND NATURE PER DROP : Re-thinking global water scarcity and security. Are Groundwater Resources and Human Security intimately linked? YES • Dependent Economies • Dependent Ecosystems INTERDEPENDENCIES

What will happen to ASIA ? GRONDWATER DEPENDENCY J. Margat, UNESCO-BRGM 2008 T. Shah 2002 Groundwater use for irrigation: India: 240 km 3 China: 80 km 3 (IAH 2003)

What to conclude? YES The challenge we all have How to put groundwater and water resources in the mind of people? npolitical acknowledgement of the value and importance of groundwater and nsignificant national and regional financial investment to establish the physical and social frameworks for groundwater management. THANK YOU