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Canada Invests in UNEP's GEMS/Water
The UNEP website reports that the Canadian Minister of the Environment Jim Prentice announced that Canada will invest $2.5 million over five years to support the United Nations Environment Programme's (UNEP) Global Environment Monitoring System GEMS/Water, an international water science program aimed at understanding inland quality issues around the world.
This will allow the program to expand, adding data quality management activities, water assessments and capacity building - offering training and advice to least-developed countries on how to set up water sampling programs. These funds are in addition to Environment Canada's core annual support to the program.
GEMS/Water provides evidence-based information on the state and trends of global inland water quality required for the sustainable management of the world's freshwater. GEMS activities, which include assessments of freshwater lakes and rivers, maintenance of a global water quality database and management of an international network of participating countries, support global environmental assessments, water resource management and economic and environmental decision making.
More than 100 countries participate in GEMS/Water, along with several United Nations agencies and other organizations. Many participate by sharing the information they collect on water quality and other data that can be compiled for regional and global assessments.
- More information can be found on the UNEP website: http://www.unep.org
- and on the GEMS water website: http://www.gemswater.org/