The regional workshop targeted at Caribbean university lecturers and researchers took place on June 5th and 6th, 2013 in Barbados and saw the participation of more than ten (10) lecturers from Barbados, Belize, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United States Virgin Islands. Also participating in the workshop were Water Resources Management Students of the CERMES and a few stakeholders from regional non-governmental organisations (NGOs) with an interest in water sustainability based in Barbados.
Participants at the first-ever Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) Knowledge Management workshop in the Caribbean held on June 5th and 6th, 2013 in Barbados.
The workshop introduced participants to the online Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) Toolbox developed by the Global Water Partnership (GWP) based in Stockholm Sweden and its partners and clearly demonstrated how the tool could be incorporated into the lecturers’ teaching in water resources management at their respective universities.
The IWRM Toolbox is a free online database with a wide range of resources and tools that provide support in finding solutions to water related problems. It is a unique knowledge platform where experiences in water resources management can be shared.
For most of the participants it was their first time learning about the existence of the IWRM Toolbox. The two-day workshop saw a wealth of knowledge sharing take place among the tertiary level practitioners who were able to share information through presentations on existing programmes and courses offered at their universities in the area of water resources management and how the IWRM Toolbox could fit into their teaching.
University lecturers are seen here sharing knowledge on the water resources programmes offered at their universities.
It was evident through the exchange of knowledge and experiences and interactive sessions that there were significant and varied university courses in the area of water resources in the region. This came as a surprise to many of the participants in the workshop who were generally inspired to foster avenues for collaboration to work towards building awareness on the IWRM Toolbox and creating case studies from the Caribbean for the Toolbox.
Dr. Danka Thalmeinerova, Senior Knowledge Management Officer of the Global Water Partnership (GWP) based in Stockholm is seen here delivering a presentation aimed at introducing participants to the IWRM Toolbox.
The workshop which was facilitated by Dr. Danka Thalmeinerova and Mr. Kenge Gunya, representatives of the Knowledge Management team from the GWP Secretariat in Stockholm was very interactive which allowed for fruitful discussions. One major group activity involved participants coming up with ideas for potential case studies from the region for inclusion in the Toolbox.
Participants expressed that they found the workshop to be very valuable and that they would make their students aware of the IWRM Toolbox. Additionally, many stated that they were eager to continue learning about existing resources and web-based tools such as the IWRM Toolbox which can support their work. There was also a consensus by participants that universities across the region should work more closely together in supporting water resources management education.
From the workshop, it was clear that the focus on water education in the region is expanding. It was suggested by workshop participants that some sort of coordinating body or mechanism for networking amongst the various universities should be established to support more effective knowledge sharing on available resources and tools to support water resources management education; both within and outside of an academic environment.
GWP-C is committed to working more closely with the Knowledge Management team of the global Secretariat to follow-up on possible case studies for the IWRM Toolbox and ways of building greater awareness on the IWRM Toolbox in the Caribbean.