UNESCO Chair on Knowledge Systems for Integrated Water Resources Management was awarded to COMSATS , Wah Campus, by the Education Sector at the UNESCO HQ, Paris, vide their letter No. ED/THE/HED/14/024 dated 05 February 2014. The Agreement between UNESCO and COMSATS University was signed between Director General UNESCO and Rector COMSATS University (CU) on 06 February 2014 in Islamabad at the office of the Federal Minister for Science and Technology during the Director General’s official visit to Pakistan.
UNESCO Chair in Knowledge Systems for Integrated Water Resources Management was established in 2014 at CIIT-Wah, Pakistan. The purpose of the Chair is to promote an integrated system of research, training, information and documentation on water resources management, facilitating high-level international collaboration for researchers and teaching staff of the university and other institutions in Pakistan with those in other parts of the world. The establishment of the UNESCO Chair is a milestone in the history of CIIT since it can now be ranked among a select group of institutions focusing on water resources management.
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Goal 5 Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women
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Goal 6 Clean Water and Sanitation and, in particular, the target to ‘Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes and reverse the loss of environmental resources’
These goals will be achieved by capacity building and training (especially disadvantaged groups, including women) in hydro-informatics and sustainable water resources management in trans-boundary context to address the challenge that more than a billion people live under conditions of physical water scarcity and many lack sustainable access to safe drinking water.
Prof. Dr. Muhammad Abid, Tamgha e Imtiaz , Director Campus delighted to serve
as the UNESCO Chair on Knowledge Systems for Integrated Water Resources
Management, COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI), Wah Campus from January
2021.
As per the agreement framework with UNESCO, the Chair is actively playing its
role in attaining the following specific objectives
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Increase the skills, capacity, networks and potential of leaders and
prospective water managers and policy makers notably through a
coordinated suite of transboundary integrated water management (IWRM)
modules addressing key issues in this field
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Strengthen and sustain institutional capacity by providing for collaboration
and institutional development via professional courses, student exchanges,
professional internships and flexible learning
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Develop tools, case studies and insights on transboundary IWRM that
extends global knowledge and supports IWRM
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Cooperate closely with UNESCO and existing UNESCO Chairs on relevant
programmes and activities.
Prof. Dr. Muhammad Abid, T.I., received his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from
the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland, UK in 2000. He is presently
working as Director CUI Wah Campus. He is also the Director Interdisciplinary
Research. He has served as Dean Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at GIK
Institute and CUI.
In recognition of his outstanding services, he has been awarded Civil Award
Tamgha-e-Imtiaz, PAS Gold Medal Award, HEC Outstanding Research Award, HEC
Best University Teacher, MOSS Prize from the EU, and others. He has been the
national coordinator for Design, Builds, and Fly competition for 9 years on behalf
of STEM HEC. He is a Fellow of IMechE, Vice Chair Pak Chapter, and a Lifetime
member of the Pakistan Engineering Council. He is a Mentor for the UNIDO
CleanTech program, Coordinator for DICE IET Pak Chapter, Chair Impartiality
Committee for CeSP, and judge for Intl design competitions and many other
national and international platforms.
Prof. Abid has completed a number of international and national projects funded
by EU, USAID, NSF, HEC, IDB, PSF, NCSF, Tubitak, defense sector and industry and
has substantially benefitted Pakistan for its Socio-Economic Developments
through technology and human resource development in the areas of Defense,
Health, Water, Energy, Climate Change and National Industrial needs. He has
signed certain MoUs with international universities across the globe.
As Chair holder he is closely working with national and international community
and governmental and non-governmental organization under Intergovernmental
Hydrological Program (IHP), USAID, PCRWR and others to address water issues.
