Professor Shahbaz Khan
UNESCO
Biography
Shahbaz Khan is the Chief of Water and Sustainable Development Section of the United Nations Education, Science and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) based at Paris, France. Shahbaz has an outstanding multidisciplinary background in water law and policy, management, civil engineering, IT, GIS & Remote Sensing, economics and integrating societal water demands with the environment. He received his Master and PhD degrees in water resources technology and management from the University of Birmingham, UK. His other major qualifications include Master of International Environmental Law from the Macquarie University, Australia and Master of Applied Environmental Economics, Imperial College, University of London, UK.
Shahbaz has won the highest accolade for international leadership in water management from the Director General of UNESCO as the co-leader of the 2009 UNESCO team award on “managing water hazards through an integrated approach”, 2008 Sato Prize from Japan for innovations in water management in paddy rice and 2008 and 2009 Best paper awards by the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage. For his outstanding contribution to the sustainable irrigation management in the Murray Darling Basin, Australia he previously received prestigious Australian awards for example the Peter Cullen Land and Water Australia Eureka Prize and CSIRO Research Excellence Medal. His recent achievements include global assessment of water education needs, coordination of the Water Allocation Chapter of the World Water Assessment Program (WWAP) and development of Integrated River Basin Management Guidelines. Globally he is credited for stakeholder driven water research that is now recognised as the world’s best practice through the UNESCO’s Hydrology for Environment, Life and Policy (HELP) Program which is now active in 91 river basins in 67 countries working with over 600 organisations. He is also the managing editor of the Cambridge University Press International Hydrologic Series.
Further information about Shahbaz Khan can found at the following websites:
- http://typo38.unesco.org/en/shahbaz-khan.html
- http://www.clw.csiro.au/staff/KhanS/
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shahbaz_Khan_(hydrologist)
Abstract: The Changing Physical and Social Environment: Hydrologic Impacts and Feedbacks
Shahbaz Khan, Chief Water and Sustainable Development Section, UNESCO, Paris, France
The physico-chemical operating environments of the hydrological cycle are rapidly changing due to new stresses caused by unprecedented rates of population increase, unsustainable levels of development and escalating greenhouse emissions. Rising temperatures in many parts of the world are responsible for instabilities of climate patterns causing intensification of hydrological cycle leading to extremes events. These extreme events are responsible for new stresses on the hydrological cycle causing water scarcity, floods and environmental degradation. When water is too little, too much or too dirty, society needs trans-disciplinary approaches to understand complex water, environment and sustainable development feedbacks. Water management across spatial and temporal scales and geopolitical boundaries is becoming a major international challenge, on who should invest, how to share costs and how to share benefits between stakeholders with huge disparity in socio-economic conditions. Hydrologic sciences have been innovative in dealing with issues of time and space scales by integrating with other spatial sciences to analyse complex water systems. The new water stresses caused by global change, need scientists to be courageous to proactively engage stakeholders from problem definition to research design and delivery of appropriate solutions by taking on board community knowledge as well as expectations. Water scientists, water lawyers, social scientists and policy makers now face the challenge to provide models of good governance of sustainable river basins through greater transparency, accountability and public participation. This paper will highlight keys for success from international river basins for ecologically sustainable water management and role of science to promote principles of equity and sustainability at the river basin level.
