
The UNESCO Institute For Water Education upskills experts in tackling challenges associate with the planet’s most precious resource.
Located in Delft, close to Rotterdam and Den Haag, IHE Delft was established in 1957 and has so far trained around 25,000 water professionals from 190 countries. Many alumni hail from countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
The setting speaks volumes, with much of the Netherlands below sea level and the country long-since fighting a battle against encroaching seas, water-logged marshland and — perhaps less widely reported — increasingly frequent drought. A place where water boards — or authorities, as they are now named — have democratically elected members accountable to public vote every four years. Remarkably, these organisations once even had the power to hand out death sentences.
Back in the 21st Century, IHE Delft delivers short courses and online modules, an MSc programme in Water and Sustainable Development, PhDs, diplomas, and customised training. Work here informs government leaders, scientists, engineers, and consultants, but what exactly does this mean in practice?
A recent visit to this institution taught us a number of things. Not least about the natural pattern of rising and falling tidal levels that plays out over millennia, and the rapid increase in this process triggered by melting ice caps in the past half century. And the challenge of keeping the Netherlands above the waterline in the long-term future — an unenviable and possibly impossible task. This video explains more about how the organisation functions, and what it offers water management professionals — whether they attend in person or access support online.
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