About MWAR-LAC

The MWAR –LAC project is funded by the Flanders-UNESCO Science Trust Fund (FUST) and is implemented by the UNESCO International Hydrological Programme (IHP) in collaboration with the Water Center for Arid and Semi-Arid Zones in Latin America and the Caribbean (CAZALAC) located in la Serena, Chile, which belongs to the network of Category II centers under the auspices of UNESCO.

The objective of the MWAR-LAC project is to strengthen the capacity to manage the water resources of arid and semiarid areas in LAC through networking and facilitating international and regional cooperation. This will be achieved by developing pilot experiences and participating in regional projects together with relevant partners in Latin America.

The project has three main thematic priorities:

  • improved water governance as a basis to attain integrated water resources management;
  • use of modern techniques and methodologies to asses and improve water use efficiency;
  • hydro-climatic risk management including decision making;

The overall goal of the project is to contribute to improving the quality of life and alleviating the poverty of local communities in arid and semiarid environments in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), through a reduction in the vulnerability of water resources systems to global changes based on sound scientific knowledge.

Partners of the MWAR-LAC project

International partners

  • Centro del Agua para Zonas Aridas (CAZALAC), Chile
  • Inter American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI)
  • Institute for Water Resources (IWR), USACE
  • EU Joint Research Centre (JRC-Desert Action, JRC-Global Environment Monitoring Unit) and EUROCLIMA Projects
  • International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI), University of Columbia, US
  • Centro Internacional para el Fenómeno del Niño (CIIFEN), Ecuador
  • International Center for Integrated Water Resources Management (ICIWaRM), USA
  • United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and Drought (UNCCD)
  • UNESCO Chair of Eremology, Ghent University, Belgium:
  • Water Center for Latin America and the Caribbean (CAALCA), Monterrey, Mexico


National Institutes

  • Universidad de Córdoba (UNC), Argentina
  • Universidad de Río Cuarto (UNRC), Argentina
  • Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), Argentina
  • Universidad Mayor San Andres (UMSA), Bolivia
  • Universidad Mayor de San Simón (UMSS), Bolivia
  • General Water Directorate (DGA), Chile
  • University of La Serena (USerena), Chile
  • University of Concepcion (UDEC), Chile
  • Universidad Autónoma de Baja California (UABC), Mexico
  • Instituto Mexicano de Tecnología del Agua (IMTA), Mexico
  • Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos (UNMSM), Perú
  • Universidad Central de Venezuela (UCV), Venezuela
  • Universidad Nacional de los Llanos Occidentales (UNELLEZ), Venezuela
  • Instituto Nacional de Investigación Agropecuaria (INIA), Uruguay
  • Universidade Federal de Alagoas (UFAL), Brasil
  • Universidad Nacional de Colombia (UNAL), Colombia
  • National Committees of IHP in the LAC member states

MWAR LAC - Managing Water Resources in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions of Latin America and the Caribbean