e-learning Initiatives

This section provides a gateway to water-related e-learning efforts of UN-Water members and partners organized by UN-Water focus areas. The database includes the information from an initial inventory, additional information will be added in the coming months. Feel free to provide information to ais[at]unwater.unu.edu.


View All Focus Areas    

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

List and brief descriptions of FAO e-learning tools and/or programmes on climate change
Overview facilitated e-courses offered by FAO

UN-Water Focus Areas : Climate Change (Adaptation); Water Scarcity

Course Topics : Planning for community-based adaptation to climate change; Climate and flood forecast applications in agriculture; Climate-smart agriculture; Climate change, agriculture and food security

Target Group : Local, national, and international development actors; Member states, partners
Type : moderated; self-learning; blended
Language : en, fr, es


Global Water Partnership (GWP)

Associated programme on flood management

UN-Water Focus Areas : Climate Change (Adaptation); Financing and Valuation

Course Topics : Electronic and mobile government; Institution and human resources management; Knowledge management in government; Millennium development goals

Target Group : General Public
Type : self-learning
Language : en


International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

Climate science e-learning module

UN-Water Focus Areas : Climate Change (Adaptation); ; Integrated Water Resources Management; Water Scarcity

Course Topics : Defining water requirements; Environmental flows; Modifying water infrastructure

Target Group : Professionals; IUCN staff; commissions and members
Type : self-learning
Language : en


UN Children's Fund (UNICEF)

Socio-economic policies for child rights with equity

UN-Water Focus Areas : Drinking Water, Sanitation & Health; Climate Change (Adaptation)

Course Topics : Human rights and the human rights-based approach to development;Social and economic policies to reduce poverty and ensure child rights; Public finance and social budgeting; Social protection; Children and climate change

Target Group : UNICEF staff
Type : self-learning
Language : en


UN-HABITAT (UN-HABITAT)

Information on UN-HABITAT's distance learning courses

UN-Water Focus Areas : Drinking Water, Sanitation & Health

Course Topics : Capabilities for better local governance and urban development

Target Group : Local government officials and authorities
Type : moderated
Language : en


UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)

List of e-courses offered by UNITAR

UN-Water Focus Areas : Integrated Water Resources Management; Climate Change (Adaptation); Drinking Water, Sanitation & Health; Green Economy

Course Topics : Environmental law; Green economies; Environmental negotiations; International water law; Governance in urban sanitation

Target Group : Local government officials and authorities
Type : moderated
Language : ar, cn, en, fr, jp, pt, ru, sp


United Nations Department of Economics and Social Affairs (UNDESA)

UN Public administration network online training center

UN-Water Focus Areas : Drinking Water, Sanitation & Health

Course Topics : Knowledge management in government; Millennium development goals

Target Group : Anyone interested in public administration
Type : self-learning
Language : en, ru, sp


United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

Democratic governance
E-Course on TDA/SAP approach for transboundary waters
Cap-net IWRM tutorial

UN-Water Focus Areas : Transboundary Waters; Integrated Water Resources Management

Course Topics : Integrated water resources management; Transboundary water diagnostic analysis; Governance; International water law

Target Group : Local governments, communities, and businesses; Project developers
Type : moderated; self-learning
Language : en


United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)

Online e-learning facility for green growth capacity development
E-learning course on Urban Sanitation

UN-Water Focus Areas : Green Economy; Climate Change (Adaptation); Drinking Water, Sanitation & Health;

Course Topics : Fundamentals of green growth; Liveable cities; Low carbon green growth; Sustaining growth; Urban sanitation

Target Group : Policymakers
Type : moderated
Language : en


United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)

Thematic category list of ECLAC e-courses

UN-Water Focus Areas : Integrated Water Resources Management; Water Scarcity

Course Topics : Sustainable development; Sustainable cities

Target Group : Policymakers; Practitioners
Type : moderated
Language : es


United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

Information on online water courses (UNESCO-IHE)
Educational platform for flood management
IWRM-Education [IWAS (International Water Research Alliance Saxony) & the German IHP/HWRP (International Hydrological Programme of UNESCO and Hydrology and Water Resources Programme of WMO)]

UN-Water Focus Areas : Integrated Water Resources Management; Drinking Water, Sanitation & Health; Water Scarcity; ; Climate Change (Adaptation); Transboundary Waters; Financing and Valuation

Course Topics : Wetland management; Flood management; Water transport and distribution; Water quality assessment; Water and environmental law and policy; Urban drainage and sewerage; Solid waste management

Target Group : Water sector professionals; Decision maker; University students
Type : moderated; blended; self-learning
Language : en


United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Thematic category list of UNEP e-courses
Introduction to remote sensing
Marketplace for environmental training and on-line resources platform (MENTOR)

UN-Water Focus Areas : Climate Change (Adaptation); Transboundary Waters; Green Economy

Course Topics : Environmental assessment; Remote sensing; Technology support; Outreach and communication; Information and data sharing

Target Group : Local government officials
Type : moderated
Language : en


United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

UNHCR e-learning

UN-Water Focus Areas : Climate Change (Adaptation);

Course Topics : Emergency response, Coordination

Target Group :
Type : self-learning
Language : en


United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)

UNIDO e- learning services

UN-Water Focus Areas :

Course Topics : Persistent organic pollutants

Target Group : Local, national, and international development actors; Member states; Partners
Type : self-learning
Language : en, ru


United Nations University (UNU)

List of online learning resources from UNU
Home page for the UN Water Virtual Learning Center (WVLC)
Institute for Water, Environment and Health

UN-Water Focus Areas : Integrated Water Resources Management; Drinking Water, Sanitation & Health; Transboundary Waters; Water Scarcity; Climate Change (Adaptation)

Course Topics : Climate; Natural disasters

Target Group : Universities
Type : moderated; self-learning
Language : en


UN-Water Decade Programme on Capacity Development (UNW-DPC)

UN-Water thematic focus area list of e-learning resources

UN-Water Focus Areas : Integrated Water Resources Management; Drinking Water, Sanitation & Health; Water Scarcity

Course Topics : Urban water governance and management

Target Group : Officials and decision makers involved in water resource management
Type : moderated (planned); self-learning
Language : en


World Bank Institute (WB)

Home page of The World Bank's e-Institute
Water-related e-courses in The World Bank's e-Institute

UN-Water Focus Areas : Climate Change (Adaptation); Drinking Water, Sanitation & Health; Water Scarcity; Financing and Valuation

Course Topics : Improving performance of irrigation services provision; Climate-smart agriculture through sustainable land-water management

Target Group : Government officials in developing countries
Type : moderated
Language : en


World Health Organization (WHO)

Health academy e-learning eourses

UN-Water Focus Areas : Drinking Water, Sanitation & Health;

Course Topics : Water for Life

Target Group : Health Workforce
Type : moderated; self-learning
Language : en, fr


World Meteorological Organization (WMO)

Thematic category list of WMO e-courses
WMO/COMET courses on Hydrology and E-learning
IWRM-Education [IWAS (International Water Research Alliance Saxony) & the German IHP/HWRP (International Hydrological Programme of UNESCO and Hydrology and Water Resources Programme of WMO)]

UN-Water Focus Areas : Climate Change (Adaptation); Water Scarcity; Integrated Water Resources Management

Course Topics : Integrated flood management; Hydrology; Meteorology

Target Group : WMO centers
Type : moderated; self-learning
Language : en, es


World Trade Organization (WTO)

WTO e-learning Platform

UN-Water Focus Areas : Green Economy;

Course Topics : Water Pollution, Environmental Services

Target Group : Government officials from developing and least-developed, WTO members and observers
Type : moderate; self-learning
Language : en, fr ,es