The IHP-HELP Centre for Water Law Policy and Science will be hosting a visit on 15th and 16th November from Professor Dr Abdalla Abdelsalam Ahmed, Director General, UNESCO-CWR, O.I.U., Khartoum, Sudan.‌

The UNESCO Chair in Water Reso‌urces-Sudan (UNESCO-CWR) was established in 1994 following the agreement signed by the UNESCO Director General and the Vice Chancellor of the Omdurman Islamic University on behalf of the Sudan Government.  UNESCO-CWR serves the local, regional “the Nile Basin, Eastern and Central Africa, and Shared Aquifers”, as well as international water community.   The meeting will allow for the discussion of potential joint research and teaching initiatives.

During his visit, Professor Ahmed will meet with the University Principal and Vice Principal, Water Law Centre staff and also enjoy a showround of the NERC Satellite Receiving Centre.

Professor Chris Spray recently delivered a talk entitled ‘Local governance for ecosystem services’ at the ‘Thinking about the environment differently’ seminar as part of the Scottish Government’s Rethinking Wellbeing seminar series.  The three part series is organised in collaboration with Scotland’s Futures Forum, Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH).  This was the first seminar in the series and explored environmental decision-making, values and beliefs – what they mean and how they can be applied in practice to re-build a more sustainable economy and improve community wellbeing.  The event was targeted at MSPs and their researchers.

Fifteen years ago, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a framework convention for bodies of water shared by two or more countries. The UN Watercourses Convention, as it is called, lays out a set of principles that should be addressed when negotiating international water management agreements.  Read more on the support for the Convention in the Circle of Blue article here.

Professor Geoffrey D. Gooch, IHP-HELP Centre Director, has been awarded a Carnegie Research Grant by the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland. The grant will allow Professor Gooch to visit and work with colleagues at the Mekong Research Group, a research group of the University of Sydney, Australia. Previously known as the Australian Mekong Resource Centre, and still using AMRC as shorthand, it was established in 1997 and is located within the School of Geosciences. AMRC is a leading international centre of expertise on development, natural resource management and the environment in the Mekong Region. It is devoted to research, education and community engagement and to serve as a focal point for information, dialogue and activities in support of an equitable and sustainable development path for the region. Professor Gooch will visit the Centre in November 2012.

Professor Gooch is pictured on the Mekong River at Kratie, Cambodia.

Scottish Water in collaboration with the IHP-HELP Centre for Water Law, Policy and Science present ‘The next war will be fought over water’ during the British Science Festival on 6th September 2012.  Professor Chris Spray is joined by an illustrious panel of speakers from academia, government and industry to debate the fight over water.   For further information and to register please visit the British Science Festival website.