UNESCO Chair in Water Resources at ISU

UNESCO Chair on Water Resources was founded on March 30, 2001, in accordance with the program UNITWIN (University Twinnings) and Irkutsk State University (East Siberia) on the basis of the Faculty of Biology and Soil Science, the Faculty of Geography, the Faculty of Chemistry, the Faculty of Geology, the Biological Research Institute and Regional Inter-University Laboratory for Ecological Research. The establishment of this chair marked the acknowledgement of achievements ISU attained in research activities and training highly-skilled professionals in hydrochemistry, hydrobiology and ecology. Among other important reasons for ISU to establish the Chair in Water Resources there should be named the geographical location and closeness to lake Baikal – a unique world heritage object. ISU plays a significant role in scientific and educational activities linked with lake Baikal (research projects, monitoring projects, Baikal studies, etc.)

At present, the major international partners of UNESCO Chair in Water Resources are the University of Savoie (France), the University of Kiel (Germany), Geology University (China), and National University of Mongolia. Among important Russian partners there can be named such institutions as Buryat State University, Irkutsk Science Center at Siberian branch of Russian Academy of Sciences (Geochemistry Institute, Earth’s crust Institute and Limnological Museum). Professor Arcady. N. Matveev was appointed as сhair in 2013. The Chair is co-managed by the University of Savoie (Chambery, France).

UNESCO Chair in Water Resources’ Mission is to form and advance integrated international and interdisciplinary environment that could be favourable for research and educational projects aimed at studying lake Baikal.

UNESCO Chair in Water Resources’ functioning satisfies the objectives of the strategic development of ISU:

• To develop international relations by creating international departments and new international educational institutions in accordance with international standards;
• To create new specialties meeting the needs of the region and the country as a whole, while preserving the traditions of classical university education;
• To promote the creation of an integrated system in education and research in alliance with the Siberian branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences and other Russian and foreign universities.

Activities of UNESCO Chair in Water Resources are conducted in scientific and educational spheres.

UNESCO Chair in Water Resources's Report of progress for the period 2009-2014