First TWAP Groundwater Regional Workshop held in Montevideo for the Americas region

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The first regional meeting for the Groundwater component of the Transboundary Waters Assessment Programme (TWAP) was organised in Montevideo from 9-11 December 2014.

The TWAP Groundwater assessment is based on the contribution of national experts on groundwater from all over the world. To bring partners together, TWAP Groundwater organises Regional Workshops.  

The TWAP Groundwater component  is a follow-up of the UNESCO Internationally Shared Aquifer Resources Management (ISARM) Initiative. Therefore the meeting in Montevideo was largely attended by those experts who had been closely collaborating in the framework of ISARM Americas in the past.

The objectives of the Regional Montevideo meeting were:

  • To introduce the Groundwater component of TWAP as a follow up   to ISARM
  • To take stock of the currently available knowledge in groundwater management in the region
  • To ensure that all parties are familiar with the methodological approach of the TWAP
  • To provide guidance to national experts for  the data collection process
  • To agree on next steps and project follow up

The assessment will help to advance the knowledge about transboundary aquifers in the Americas, and as such will add value to the work of ISARM. It is expected that the assessment will prove to be a useful tool to assist countries in characterizing the current state of their transboundary aquifers and to identify issues of concern in transboundary water systems, which will require attention. At the same time, TWAP will help to raise the awareness about transboundary aquifers at the international level and provide platform for multilateral and bilateral donors for future consideration of their targets.