UNESCO extends cooperation agreement with IHE Delft

The agreements between UNESCO and IHE Delft as well as UNESCO and Dutch Government were signed on 25 July by UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay and IHE Delft Business Director Johan Aad van Dijk, as well as the Netherlands Deputy Permanent Representative to UNESCO, Carlien Schrijvershof. The extension was also discussed during a meeting between IHE Delft Governing Board Chair Peter Glas and  UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Natural Sciences Lidia Brito as well as Monique van Daalen,  Ambassador of the Netherlands to UNESCO.  The UNESCO Executive Board approved the extension in February.

 IHE Delft is one of almost 30 Category 2 centres under the auspices of UNESCO in the field of water. These centres form part of the UNESCO “water family” which supports the  International Hydrological Programme strategy (IHP-IX), the World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP) and others.

IHE Delft Rector Eddy Moors welcomed the extension: “We look forward to continuing to be part of the UNESCO family in the years to come, by making real impact through capacity development everywhere where water-related challenges occur. We will contribute particularly to the education pillar of the ninth phase of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Hydrology Programme.”

In the agreement, IHE Delft reiterates its commitment to capacity development in water and related sectors at individual level, through its Masters programmes and other courses, and at institutional level, through capacity development and institutional strengthening activities.

The agreement states that IHE Delft focuses on strengthening capacity of government, civil society and the private sector, particularly in Africa, Asia and South America.  It also highlights the Institute’s role in promoting development and innovation through research, institutional collaboration and knowledge sharing.

In addition to implementing UNESCO's IHP-IX strategy, IHE Delft takes a lead role in initiatives like the UN-Water Capacity Development Initiative and the Global Water Education Network, launched in 2023. IHE Delft contributes to various UNESCO and UN projects, including the UN System-wide Strategy for Water and Sanitation, the UN World Water Quality Alliance, and the World Water Development Report. The Institute also supports transboundary aquifer cooperation and UNESCO’s Open Science agenda.