OPEN SESSIONS

This debate series "The race towards the 2015 target: the water engagement" is intended to demonstrate citizens' involvement and engagement on water issues through their support to international cooperation projects and their participation in management and poverty eradication initiatives. These sessions are open to the general public and free. The sessions will take place in Spanish at the Paraninfo of the University of Zaragoza.

Cooperation in action: the Water Alliance

The Water Alliance, which is based in Zaragoza, is an initiative that has a fundamental impact on the countries of Central America. The objectives of the Water Alliance are to expand and improve access to drinking water and basic sanitation in an efficient and sustainable manner. The Alliance involves public institutions, water corporations, research centres, associations and foundations from Spain and Central America. The projects promoted by the Alliance have directly benefited and improved the access to water supply or sanitation of around 100.000 people in Central America. Moreover, the local population is now using the available water resources in a more efficient manner.

The current and future activities of the Alliance will be presented. Special attention will be dedicated to the results of recent evaluations focusing on the improvement of cooperation interventions in the water sector.

• Introduced by: United Nations Office to Support the International Decade for Action 'Water for Life' 2005-2015 (UNO-IDfA/UNW-DPAC).
• Panel: Víctor Viñuales, Mª Jesús Cajal, Water Alliance; Manuel Calderón Chévez, Mayor of León, Nicaragua; César Sampeiro Blanco, AMVISA, Vitoria, Spain; Javier Rodríguez Melón, Social Participation, Municipality of Zaragoza, Spain.

Change in action: integrated solutions for cities of the future

The cities of today’s world are facing major challenges in water management. These challenges require solutions that look beyond conventional strategies. Today, cooperation between a wide range of actors is needed in order to agree on and adopt the most effective solutions.

In this session, the city cases and valuable experiences of Cali and Bogotá (Colombia), Lima (Peru), and participation processes in integratedriver basin planning and management, such as the case of the Ebro River, will be presented. These experiences indicate that it is possible to reduce water consumption, to improve water quality, to re-use water for green zones in the cities and to enhance integrated management at the river basin level. The key for a successful change towards more sustainable practices lies in the participation and engagement of a wide variety of different groups of citizens.

• Introduced by: United Nations Office to Support the International Decade for Action 'Water for Life' 2005-2015 (UNO-IDfA/UNW-DPAC).
• Moderator: Tomás Sancho, World Council of Civil Engineers (WCCE).
• Panel: Alberto Galvis, Cali, Colombia; Mónica Sanz, Bogotá, Colombia; Gunther Merzthal, Lima, Peru; Manuel Omedas, Ebro River Basin Authority (CHE).

Target 2015: Water to fight poverty

The United Nations International Decade for Action 'Water for Life' 2005-2015 coincides with the set time frame for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which aim to reduce by half the proportion of people living without access to drinking water and basic sanitation. Water is essential for enjoying a good health and quality of life, and crucial for improving the future perspectives of people living in the world’s poorest countries. These aspects have been discussed in the most recent Millennium Summit, where the world’s governments reinforced their commitment to fight poverty and agreed on the actions that need to be undertaken. Participants in this Summit and authoritative international experts will discuss the current situation and progress in developing countries.

• Introduced by: United Nations Office to Support the International Decade for Action 'Water for Life' 2005-2015 (UNO-IDfA/UNW-DPAC).
• Moderator: María Dolores Campos, Journalist and Councillor of the Zaragoza City Council.
• Panel: Alberto Tejada-Guibert, Director Director a.i. Division of Water Sciences, UNESCO; Antonio Embid, Professor of Water Law at the University of Zaragoza; Helena Caballero, Water and Environment Advisor, UNO-IDfA/UNW-DPAC.

Speakers

Alberto Galvis, Cinara Institute, University of El Valle, Cali, Colombia

Alberto Galvis is a Sanitary Engineer and has a master’s degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering. He is professor of the Cinara Institute at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of El Valle, Cali, Colombia. He also is founding member of the Cinara Institute and member of different research groups in water supply and integrated water resources management. He was the first director and member of the founding group of the postgraduate programme in environmental and sanitary engineering of the University of El Valle. He is director of international cooperation programmes with different institutions in Europe and Latin America and director of research and development programmes with the participation of water and sanitation institutions. He is coordinator of the SWITCH project at the University of El Valle. He currently is professor and researcher in various themes including water and sanitation technologies and applied mathematical modelling in sanitary and environmental engineering.

Alberto Tejada-Guibert, Director a.i. Division of Water Sciences, UNESCO

José Alberto Tejada-Guibert, Director a.i. of the Division of Water Sciences of UNESCO since September 2009, was previously Deputy Secretary of the International Hydrological Programme of UNESCO. He joined the Organization in 1996. His major specializations are on surface water hydrology and water resources systems analysis and planning. He was in charge for a few years of the urban water management programme of IHP, among other activities. He obtained his Civil Engineer Diploma (Hydraulics) from the National Engineering University of Lima, Peru in 1970. Thereafter, Stanford University awarded him a M.Sc. degree in Civil Engineering/Engineering-Economic Planning Programme, and the IHE of Delft, Netherlands granted him a Diploma in Hydrological Engineering (with distinction). At Cornell University he obtained his Ph.D. degree in Water Resource Systems with a minor in Economics; his doctoral research dealt with the application of stochastic dynamic programming to the operation optimization of multireservoir systems. In the early to mid 70’s he worked for the Peruvian National Rural Water Supply Plan (Ministry of Health) and for the Executive Directorate of Project Olmos (Ministry of Agriculture), a major irrigation/hydropower project on the northern Peruvian coast, attaining the post of Head, Planning Office. In the period 1976-1978 he was the Water Resources Systems specialist in the feasibility study of the Puyango-Tumbes Project, a binational Peru-Ecuador multipurpose project. As a partner in a consulting firm in Peru for eight years (1978-86), he was Technical Manager and Head, Systems and Hydrology. During the period 1980-83 he was Visiting Professor at the Graduate Programme of the National Agricultural University, Lima. In 1985-1986 he acted as Adviser to the Peruvian Electricity Master Plan. He entered the UN system in 1990, working from 1990 to 1995 as Technical Assistance Expert in the Water Master Plan of Yemen and in the strengthening the national Hydrology Service of Bangladesh. In addition to producing well over 100 technical reports, he has published in several specialized journals and in proceedings. He was co-author and editor of the UNESCO-IHP book “Frontiers in urban water management: Deadlock or hope” published in 2001 by IWA Publishing.

César Samperio Blanco, Aguas Municipales de Vitoria (AMVISA), Vitoria, Spain

Gunther Merzthal, Regional Coordinator on urban agriculture and forestry, IPES Promoción del Desarrollo Sostenible, Coordinator of the SWITCH Project in Perú

Mr. Merzthal is coordinator and an active member of multidisciplinary teams working on urban management issues, including urban agriculture, solid waste management, wastewater management, VIH/AIDS and participative governance issues. He also provides technical advisory services to local governments, NGOs and city community organizations of Latin America and the Caribbean for the development of participative processes, diagnosis, strategic planning, implementation, monitoring and assessment of development projects in these areas. Mr. Merzthal has a wide experience in designing, planning and implementing knowledge management and information strategies at regional level. He has worked for different UN programmes, including the Urban Management Programme for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), a joint undertaking of UN-Habitat, UNDP and the World Bank, and for regional international organizations. He has also collaborated with various international and regional organizations and networks and with NGOs in different countries of the LAC region. As coordinator of the SWITCH project, he has lead the multidisciplinary research team in charge of implementing case studies of experiences in wastewater treatment and wastewater reuse for irrigation in agriculture and green zones in cities and periurban areas. This team has also been in charge of analysing the legal and normative framework related to wastewater use. Mr. Merzthal has also actively participated in the formulation of national policy guidelines for the promotion of wastewater use; these guidelines have been approved by the Ministry of Building and Sanitation in November 2010.

Helena Caballero Gutiérrez, Advisor Water and Environment, United Nations Office to Support the International Decade for Action ‘Water for Life’ 2005-2015

Helena Caballero was appointed as Adviser on Water and Environment for UNW-DPAC in September 2007. Ms. Caballero holds a postgraduate degree in Economy and Law of the European Union and an Advanced University degree in Biology. Prior to her appointment, Ms. Caballero served as President of the Duero Hydrographical Confederation and President of the Duero Water State Company, where she was in charge of projects related to the construction of water supply, waste water and irrigation infrastructures and of environmental management projects. In July 2006 she was awarded the "rivers still alive" prize of the AEMSS association and, in August 2007, she was awarded the "Atapuerca environment" prize. Before this, and for several years, she worked as an environmental adviser in the Spanish region of Castilla y Leon, focusing on spatial planning of protected areas, biodiversity risk assessments, best practices for sustainable development and environmental awareness.

Javier Rodríguez Melón, Social Participation, Municipality of Zaragoza

Manuel Calderón Chévez, Mayor of León, Nicaragua

Manuel Omedas, Head of the Planning Office of the Ebro River Basin Authority, Spain

Manuel Omedas is Head of the Planning Office of the Ebro River Basin Authority, Spain. He is graduated in political sciences, sociology and civil engineering, and a specialist in integrated water resources management at basin level. He has worked for more than 30 years for the Ebro River Basin Authority, a reference at international level, and this has allowed him to have a first-hand view of the legal, economic, social and technical aspects of the management of the largest river basin in Spain. He is author of several publications and presentations about water management. He has also participated in more than a hundred projects related to the construction of infrastructures in rural areas.

María Jesús Cajal, Coordinator of the Water Alliance, Ecología y Desarrollo (ECODES)

Mónica Sanz, Institute of Environmental Studies (IDEA), National University of Colombia

Mónica Sanz is from Colombia. She has a Master of Science in Biology by the University of Los Andes, Bogotá, a D.E.A by the University of Orleans, France, in ‘Land use planning, development and environment’, and is currently working on a PhD on ‘Sustainable Water Management and Small Enterprises in Colombia: An Approach to Conflict Resolution’ at the UNESCO-IHE Institute. She also has postgraduate courses in Negotiation and in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution by the University of Los Andes, Colombia. As a biologist, Mónica is interested in multidisciplinary approaches for coping with today’s environmental challenges. She has been responsible of a research project on cleaner production for a tanner’s community in Colombia. She is currently leading the SWITCH project at the Institute of Environmental Studies (IDEA) of the National University of Colombia.

Víctor Viñuales, Director of Ecología y Desarrollo (ECODES)

Víctor Viñuales is a sociologist, co-founder and director of the NGO Ecología y Desarrollo, President of Nexos, and member of the Board of Directors of SpainSiF (the Spanish Forum for socially responsible investing). Mr. Viñuales is also part of the Board of Directors of the Spanish Association of Foundations, member of the Advisory Board of Greenpeace, of the Social Board of INDITEX, of the Advisory Board of the Spanish Cooperation Fund for Water and Sanitation of the Government of Spain, and of the panel of experts in sustainability of Sol Meliá. Since 2007, Víctor is also associate professor of the Programme of Corporate Social Responsibility of the IE Business School. He is also author of the Toolkit for change builders (2008) and co-author, with Antonio Estevan, of Water efficiency in cities (2001).

Moderators

María Dolores Campos, Delegate Counsellor in Infrastructure and the Water Cycle, Zaragoza City Council

Ms. Campos has a master’s degree in Information Sciences by the Autonomous University of Bellaterra (Barcelona), with a specialization in Journalism, and holds a PhD in Public Relations. She is founder and director of DUCAM, a communication and image agency, since 1996. Ms. Campos has been responsible for press, communication and image issues at the Huesca City Council and responsible for press and communication issues at the Department of Land Management, Public Works and Transport of the Government of Aragon. She has been chief editor of the Gran Encyclopaedia of Spain, responsible of the culture, national, international and economy sections and chief editor of regional information at the newspaper El Día de Aragón; she has also been director of the magazine Andalán. She regularly writes articles for the Heraldo de Aragón and collaborates with the radio stations SER, Onda Cero and RNE. She is author of “Aragonese women”, published in 2001, and has received a communication award from the Aragonese Women Institute. In June 2003 she was appointed as Delegate of Environment, Waste Management and Public Cleaning at the Zaragoza City Council. In June 2007 she was appointed delegate counsellor of Environment and, in June 2010, delegate counsellor in Infrastructure and the Water Cycle at the Zaragoza City Council.

Tomás Sancho, Vice-president of the World Council of Civil Engineers (WCCE)

Tomás Sancho has a professional experience of more than 25 years, four years working for the public administration as president of the Ebro River Basin Authority, one year as hydraulics and railways projects manager, seven years at managerial level in private companies, thirteen years working in hydraulics engineering in the public administration and in the private sector. Tomás Sancho is Vice-president of the World Council of Civil Engineer (WCCE) and president of its permanent water committee. He is also vice-president of the World Committee on the Right to Water – Zaragoza Club, member of the Water and Energy Commission of the School of Civil Engineers and member of the Commission on the Environment of Tecniberia/Asince. Mr. Sancho is also member of the advisory committee to the Spanish Cooperation Fund for Water and Sanitation.