UNESCO Names Olcay Ünver coordinator of WWAP

Olcay Ünver, professor of water resources at Kent State University, has taken over as the new coordinator of UNESCO’s World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP).

Mr. Ünver, who is a native of Turkey, brings to WWAP a tremendous amount of global experience. While at Kent, he was one of the founding members of the Euphrates-Tigris Initiative for Cooperation (ETIC).

For 13 years he was president of the Southeastern Anatolia Project (GAP) Regional Development Administration, which aims to develop water resources through an integrated, multi-sectoral approach.

Amongst various posts, Mr. Ünver was on the Board of the World Water Council from 1995-2003, acting as Vice-President for Europe. He holds a PhD in Civil Engineering from The University of Texas and holds Master's and Bachelor's degrees from the Middle East Technical University in Ankara.

WWAP is a UN programme that seeks to develop tools and skills to achieve a better understanding of management practices and policies that will improve the supply and quality of global freshwater resources.