EU Launch of the Dundee UNESCO Centre

Access to water and sanitation has been identified by the UN as one of the Millennium Development Goals and a key factor in developing international security. The United Nations Millennium Development Goals call for halving the number of people without access to adequate drinking water and sanitation by the year 2015 and call upon states to take action to reduce poverty around the world. The years 2005 to 2015 have been declared the International Decade for Action: “Water For Life”. The Dundee UNESCO Centre for Water Law, Policy and Science, was established under UN resolution in October 2005 and seeks a new way to tackle these issues. At the core of its activities is the belief that we can succeed in developing a new generation of “water champions” - a new critical mass of “local water leaders”, who will identify and respond to the global water challenge at the local level. An integral part of this task is finding new ways to operationalise interdisciplinary and multi-disciplinary approaches to water resources management, locally, regionally and globally. The Dundee UNESCO Centre will be the first centre in the world to develop legal frameworks to help address the pressing problems related to the management of the world’s water resources. The new centre will develop policies to bridge the gap between science and law in areas of water conflict and will fulfil a key role in developing transparent, enforceable and responsive water policies. You are cordially invited to take part in an afternoon discussion on water issues and EU initiatives, to mark the EU launch of the new Dundee UNESCO Centre for Water Law, Policy and Science in Brussels on Tuesday 28 November 2006. The event will take place in Scotland House, Rond-Point Schuman 6, 8th floor, Brussels (BELGIUM). The launch, followed by a cocktail reception will be hosted by Sir Alan Langlands, Principal and Vice Chancellor, University of Dundee and Mr Tim Craddock, Ambassador, Permanent Delegate of the United Kingdom to UNESCO.