26 January 2001
UN Agencies' Workshop on WCD Report in February '01

Klaus Töpfer, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Program, UNEP, has invited UN agencies and organisations to participate in the 'United Nations Workshop on the follow-up to the World Commission on Dams'.

The workshop was originally scheduled for February 2001 but has been postponed to provide agencies sufficient time to consult .It will review and identify issues and opportunities for follow-up activities by UN agencies and organisations arising from the Commission's report - Dams and Development.

In announcing this UN Workshop, UNEP stated that "it is committed to exploring the widest dissemination and implementation of the results of the Commission's work among the international community……the work of the WCD has illustrated that the debate around dams is also a debate around the pathways of development and its recommendation have broad relevance within the current development discourse, and in particular the ongoing development work of the UN agencies."

The workshop is expected to address activities both at institution specific levels (eg. FAO - food - security and irrigation; WHO - health and impact assessment; UNESCO - water and cultural heritage) as well as within the broader context of UN policy initiatives such as Kofi Annan's Millenium Report, the Rio plus 10 Conference and the Global Compact Initiative.

For further information :
Takehiro Nakamura
UNEP Narobi
takehiro.nakamura@unep.org