International Water Security and Sustainable Management (I-WSSM) is a new category II institution under UNESCO in Korea that supports both the public and private sectors to strengthen water resilience especially related to climate change and sustainable development for developing countries. I-WSSM Center try to address global water management issues through international cooperation in capacity building and study programs.
Within this framework, I-WSSM in cooperation with the Korean government and UNESCO organize an international seminar with the theme of Water Security in Asia Pacific Region, as well as to prepare for the opening of the institution. The purpose of this seminar is to share information on current issues of water resources in the Asia Pacific region, as well as what needs to be done to overcome them.
The International Water Seminar in Asia Pacific Region was held on May 12, 2017 at Construction Engineer Hall located in the Gangnam District, Seoul City, Korea. This seminar addressing main output of UNESCO Centers for regional, national, global mission and futuristic suggestion to reach the main goal efficiently especially for the new opening Center.
APCE was invited by I-WSSM to present the institution's activities so far, as well as to share experiences related to the management of category II UNESCO institutions since its establishment to date. This seminar has been able to identify issues related to water resources management in the Asia Pacific region. The establishment of I-WSSM is expected to contribute to community capacity building related to water security. Some things to keep in mind:
- Education and training related to water resistance is a key factor
- Need to strengthen UNESCO in terms of understanding and implementation of water resistance in the world
- Need to build a strategic plan, educational program of higher education
- I-WSSM and K-Water are closely linked, graduate programs that have been done in K-Water can be done in the future
- Need to build networking and information sharing
- As a note in Iran there are 3 category 2 UNESCO institutions
- 4 Aspects of sustainability to note: political, economic, ecological and cultural
- It has been noted that there is a strong activity in the field of water related disaster