Informative booklets
and Pedagogical Handbooks
published by the different Sectors

 Best Ethical Practice in water use
   ( English, French)

Published in 2004 by COMEST (World Commission on Ethics concerning Scientific and Technologic Knowledge), this Booklet aims on "the Ethics of Freshwater Use", common good for human kind, the management of which must be transparent and respect 9 basic principles: Human dignity, Participation, Solidarity, Human equality, Common good, Stewardship, Universal access to information, Inclusiveness respecting the interest of all, Empowerment of the users.

Through 5 examples, the Booklet tries to answer the necessity of promoting new ethical practices, respecting human rights and basic liberties, and fair management of water resources in an interdependent world. The focal points of these practices being: Human dignity, Empowerment of the communities and Cultural diversity.

Five examples insist on Policy, Access between and across generations, Responsibility:
"The Story of Lake Biwa: how Japan is mastering the interaction of nature with humankind",
"Lessons from South Africa: a new legacy framework for local governance's good practice",
"Forest sustain water: traditional assets for sustainable development in the Philippines",
"Women acting locally in the Andes",
"Trans-national management (Drainage Basin of the Nile) and bio-regions for conflict resolution".
Since they put into light public awareness, voluntarist policy and dialogue between users, those actions provide us with good examples to promote the Governance, from the local to the trans-national level.

The Booklet is available for free at:

UNESCO
Social and Human Sciences Sector
Division of Ethics of Science and Technology
1, rue Miollis
F- 75732 Paris Cedex 15