The worldwide ISARM (Internationally Shared Aquifer Resources Management) Initiative is an UNESCO and IAH led multi-agency effort aimed at improving the understanding of scientific, socio-economic, legal, institutional and environmental issues related to the management of transboundary aquifers.
Groundwater is the largest accessible and often still untapped freshwater reservoir on earth. Its world-wide resources are assessed at 10.5 million km³. The increasing number of regional water shortages and water crises can only be met with a rational and sustainable use of this resource. Such sustainable use requires understanding and knowledge as well as careful planning and management. Yet, information on this hidden resource is still weak in many places.
Groundwater Governance - A Global Framework for Action (2011-2015) is a joint project supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), jointly with UNESCO's International Hydrological Programme (UNESCO-IHP), the International Association of Hydrologists (IAH) and the World Bank.
GRAPHIC (Groundwater Resources Assessment under the Pressures of Humanity and Climate Change) is a UNESCO-IHP project, seeking to improve our understanding of how groundwater interacts within the global water cycle, how it supports ecosystems and humankind and, in turn, responds to complex and coupled pressures of human activity and climate change. GRAPHIC was developed to successfully achieve these objectives within a global context and represents a collaborative effort that serves as an umbrella for international research and education.
The PCCP (From Potential Conflict to Cooperation Potential) programme facilitates multi-level and interdisciplinary dialogues in order to foster peace, cooperation and development related to the management of transboundary water resources.
The Global Groundwater Monitoring Network (GGMN) is a participative, web-based network of networks, set up to improve quality and accessibility of groundwater monitoring information and to subsequently improve our knowledge on the state of groundwater resources. GGMN is a UNESCO programme, implemented by IGRAC and supported by many global and regional partners.
The Transboundary Waters Assessment Programme (TWAP) is a two year project funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), which aims at conducting the first global baseline assessment of transboundary water systems. The assessment will be carried out in five components, namely Transboundary Aquifers and SIDS Groundwater Systems, Transboundary River Basins, Transboundary Lake Basins, Large Marine Ecosystems and the Open Ocean.
