It will be part of the Inow Asia project, whose main objective is to contribute to the postgraduate training of universities in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam in the field of water.
The Solidarity Foundation of the University of Barcelona (UB) takes part in the project Inow Asia: Development of Innovative multilevel formation programs for the new water leading professionals in Southeast Asia, coordinated by the University of Girona (UdG) and approved by Erasmus+ programme, under the Capacity Building call, in the field of higher education. The project will start in January 2021 and last for three years.
Apart from the conventional problems related to safe drinking water supply and sanitation, countries on the Southeast shore of Asia face severe challenges that affect population health and economic activities through drastic water supply scarcity and lack of sanitation, severe droughts and floods, deforestation and threats to biodiversity.
Therefore, to address these challenges, the aim of Inow Asia project is to collaborate with universities in Cambodia (Institute of Technology of Cambodia and University of Battambang), Laos (National University of Laos and Souphanouvong University) and Vietnam (Hanoy University of Science – Vietnam National University Hanoy and Can Tho University) to develop and implement complementary courses in the field of integrated and innovative water resources management and sustainable development.
To this end, European Higher Education Institutions – including the UdG, the UB Solidarity Foundation, the University Paul Sabatier Tolouse III, the IRD (Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement) and the WUSMED (World University Service Mediterranean) – will share their knowledge and experience in the implementation of innovative master programmes in water resources management.
The main idea is to jointly design training modules on water resources to complement the masters and PhD programs in related fields already existing in Southeast Asia, as well as to co-design and implement water-oriented living labs.
The UB Solidarity Foundation has experience in WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) projects that have promoted natural based solutions for water treatment in countries such as Senegal and Vietnam. Between 2016 and 2018, together with the Gaston Berger University (UGB) of Saint-Louis (Senegal), the UB Solidarity Foundation contributed to the sustainable management of waste water and sanitation services in the Saint-Louis region; including the installation of an ecological treatment plant for the treatment and reuse of wastewater on the UGB campus. Moreover, between 2010 and 2013, together with the National University of Vietnam, the UB Solidarity Foundation set up an industrial waste water treatment plant with ecological systems in a seafood manufacturing industry in Halong Bay, which is the first infrastructure of its kind (Constructed Wetlands) in the Southeast Asia.
Regarding the Inow Asia project, the vision is to incorporate into the water labour market a new generation of Asian leading professionals in the field of water, with a global view of the sector challenges, a strong background in sustainable water management, and a specific approach to the local demands.
This news is related to the following SDG of 2030 Agenda:
