ALEXANDRIA, VA—April 6, 2011. Mr. Robert Pietrowsky and Mr. Will Logan represented the International Center for Integrated Water Resources Management (ICIWaRM) at the World Bank’s World Water Day event. The Office of the Assistant Secretary for the Army-Civil Works (OASA(CW)), represented by Mr. Rock Salt, also participated in the event, held on 22 March in Washington, DC.
Senior U.S. government officials recognized activities that USACE has helped support, including the establishment of a Middle East Peace Network of Water Centers. The upcoming Memorandum of Agreement between USACE and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/National Weather Service on the Integrated Water Resources Science and Services (IWRSS) consortium was cited as an example of effective interagency collaboration. The Department of Interior Assistant Secretary for Water and Science, Anne Castle, thanked ICIWaRM staff for USACE collaboration with the Office of Science and Technology Policy’s Subcommittee on Water Availability and Quality. In particular, their assistance in preparing the inaugural Report to Congress on the Secure Water Act was noted.
The event was highlighted by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and World Bank President Robert Zoellick signing a Memorandum of Understanding. The agreement provides for U.S. Government support to the World Bank on water resources and related capacity development projects around the globe. It facilitates World Bank access to experts in 17 U.S. Government agencies and departments to address a wide range of water resources issues. Secretary Clinton and Under Secretary for International Organizations Maria Otero affirmed the foreign policy strategy which has elevated water development as a pillar of U.S. OCONUS (Outside Continental U.S.) engagement. The event also featured live video teleconference participation by officials at the World Water Council Meeting in Cape Town, South Africa, including presentations by the Chair of the African Minister's Council on Water (AMCOW), the Executive Director of UN-Habitat, and the Netherlands Prince of Orange.
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ICIWaRM is a UNESCO Category 2 water centre headquartered at the Institute for Water Resources in Alexandria, VA. ICIWaRM is a consortium of U.S. government agencies, university departments and non-governmental organizations committed to working together in support of the strategic program objectives of UNESCO’s International Hydrological Programme (IHP). The overall mission of ICIWaRM is the advancement of the science and practice of integrated water resources management (IWRM) to address water security and other water-related challenges by regional and global action.
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