The UN-Water, an inter-agency mechanism consist of more than two dozen UN agencies and programs active in water related issues, established a UN-Water Decade Programme on Capacity Development (UNW-DPC), working to enhance the efficiency in water management for the people and environment in developing regions, especially those with water scarcity in 2007. UNW-DPC is hosted by United Nations University (UNU), as a member of UN-Water, in UN-Campus in Bonn.

Since 2008, the Institute of Environmental Engineering and Management at the University of Witten/Herdecke (IEEM) had contributed to activities in training and research with UNW-DPC. To strengthen this co-operation, UNW-DPC and IEEM at the University of Witten/Herdecke have now signed a framework agreement of co-operation, to collaborate on the area of "Capacity Development for Water Efficiency".

IEEM shall contribute with its experts to education and training as well as in research for water efficiency. Building on the high technical level, which German utilities have in this field (the average water loss is around 7 %, whereas more than 50 % are lost in some developing regions with high unaccounted water for and leakage rates), IEEM brings expertise in cost-efficiency and innovations.

IEEM's Director, Prof. Dr. Dr. Rudolph, shall act as Co-ordinator of the UNW-DPC Working Group on "Capacity Building in Water Efficiency", organising and developing activities in water efficiency research and capacity development.

"For us, coming from a relatively small research institute, we now have access to the very powerful global network of the UN-Water. Even though we are recognised as among the leading institutes in water management, internationally, we would never have been able to gain so much potential and influence and contribute to the water management, as we can do in future, basing on the co-operation agreement with UNW-DPC", says Prof. Rudolph.

The Contract was signed at UN-Campus in Bonn, Germany, on 15 January.

Contact:
Institute of Environmental Engineering and Management at the University of Witten/Herdecke gGmbH
Prof. Dr. Dr. K.-U. Rudolph
Alfred-Herrhausen-Str. 44
58455 Witten, FRG
mail@uni-wh-utm.de