The Global Environment Facility (GEF) International Waters Science Conference 2012 (IWSC 2012) conference report has been published.
The report identifies several findings, including the need to: address gaps in data availability; improve stakeholder participation, including indigenous knowledge; use holistic approaches; use scientifically sound area-based management of open oceans; and engage with livelihood issues.
20 November 2012: The final report of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) International Waters Science Conference 2012 (IWSC 2012) has been published. The conference discussed the theme “Setting the International Waters (IW) Science Agenda for the Next Decade” and discussed how to strengthen scientific management of water systems at local, regional and global levels.
The report identifies several findings, including the need to: address data availability gaps; improve stakeholder participation, including indigenous knowledge contributions; use holistic approaches; use scientifically sound area-based management of open oceans; and engage with livelihood issues.
The conference convened in plenaries and working groups on water body types – aquifers, lakes, rivers, open oceans and large marine ecosystems (LMEs) – and on the science policy interface. The report provides a summary and key findings, messages and recommendations from each plenary. The IWSC 2012 recommendations are anticipated to inform the development and implementation of the GEF-6 IW Strategy.
The conference took place from 24-26 September 2012, in Bangkok, Thailand. The conference was organized by several agencies and organizations, including the GEF, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the UN University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH). [Publication: Conference Report of GEF IWSC 2012]