Story | 13 2月, 2017

Successful conclusion of the online course on Water Governance and Climate Change with Basin Approach

The online course on Water Governance and Climate Change with Basin Approach was developed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) between October 5^th and December 19^th 2016; through a Moodle platform managed by the Central American Institute of Public Administration (ICAP). The online course had the participation of 25 students from Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and Panama.

Photo: UICN

The online course was directed to government representatives, municipalities, local and non-government organizations involved in the management of water, climate change, risks manage, among others. Through the contents, it was expected to deepen about theorical and legal tools, and case studies related to water and climate change on a transboundary context. The program structure had five thematic modules:

Module 01. Introduction to Climate Change, Ecosystems and Water
Module 02. Implementation of the Paris Agreement: Laws and Policies
Module 03. International Water Law
Module 04. Water Governance and Hydrodiplomacy in Mesoamerica
Module 05. Transformation of Environmental Conflicts

Each module featured recorded master classes by specialists from the Environmental Law Center and the IUCN Regional Office for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, as well as academics from the University of Strathclyde, the University of Northumbria and University for Peace. These classes were complemented with mandatory readings, forums and evaluation exercises.

Manuel Alvarenga, from El Salvador, said: “the course allows us to know a lot of valuable information to cope with future problems in a better way, and in the development of our personal or institutional functions in order to protect and preserve the water resources”. Besides, Karina Hernández, from Honduras, commented: “I learned a lot about international agreements related to water resources, the hydrodiplomacy, and conflicts between States due to the use, management and the exploitation of water. Definitely, taking the course improved my level of knowledge.”

Considering the success of this first edition of the online course, it is planned to start a second edition in the first semester of 2017.

This initiative was developed with the support of the projects: BRIDGE: Building River Dialogue and Governance and AVE: Adaptation, Vulnerability and Ecosystems; funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety of Germany (IKI-BMU).