Water Education for Climate Resilience in Asia and the Pacific: A Regional Curriculum

A fundamental element towards attaining water security, water education has been at the heart of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme since its establishment in 1975.

However, in much of Asia and the Pacific, water security remains elusive. Ensuring a water secure future for the region will require the unlocking of broader appreciation, acceptance and internalization of basic water science principles and concepts among experts and communities alike. For this, broader and more effective water education is required.

For this potential to be fulfilled, reinforced human, financial and technical resources are required to deliver education, training and capacity development across large segments of society. Not only does this require the mobilization of a much larger contingent of trainers, instructors and conveners—it requires the development of new teaching and learning approaches, methodologies and curricula.

This curriculum represents an invitation to tertiary-level educators as well as water managers and decision-makers to redouble efforts towards water security in Asia and the Pacific – and invitation grounded in a process that lies at the heart of UNESCO’s mission: the sharing of knowledge, experience and technologies – in this case among scientific, educational and water management communities across the region.