GEF International Waters Science Conference

 

Bangkok, Thailand — The GEF International Waters Science Conference (IWSC 2012), attended by over 160 managers, scientists and officials, was held September 24-26, carrying the theme "Setting the International Waters Science Agenda for the Next Decade." The conference adopted a statement summarizing the major conclusions of the three-day conference.

 

Mr. Guo Yinfeng, Programme Specialist of the PEMSEA Resource Facility, participated in the discussion on the critical issues and needs of water systems at the global, regional and local level, focusing on the transboundary international water bodies of groundwater, lakes, river basins, large marine ecosystems (LMEs) and open oceans and how science-based policymaking can offer solutions. Aside from facilitating the exchange of good practices from the GEF International Waters projects of the last 20 years, the conference provided a venue to disseminate the results of the GEF International Waters Science Project.

 

Presentations and working group discussions helped identify emerging issues, research needs and recommendations for each of the four transboundary water bodies, as well as the possible impacts of the interaction between science and policy. The last session of the conference discussed the next steps that centered on the importance of sharing the outcomes of the conference with the pivotal agencies and decisionmakers.

 

Among others, the conference concluded that the GEF TDA/SAP process is an appropriate tool for ensuring robust science-based transboundary water body assessment and management, offering a sound methodology for linking science to policy; the establishment of project Scientific Evidence Panels and project Science Policy Forums should be considered where beneficial to the implementation of project interventions; the full IW project cycle should be based on sound scientific evidence and ensure that documentation, access, dissemination and archiving of scientific results facilitate future ex-ante impact monitoring and assessment; and the GEF IW:LEARN is the platform to capture and process such information.

 

The findings, conclusions and recommendations of the conference will be considered in formulating International Water policies for GEF phase 6 and preparation of the GEF Outlook up to 2020.