What We Do More than 100 countries participate in GEMS/Water, providing close to 4 million data entries. Data records range from 1977 to the present. GEMS/Water is a UNEP programme, and since 1978, has been hosted at Environment Canada's National Water Research Institute.

GEMS/Water develops and maintains a global freshwater quality information system with a series of national and international partners.

We provide information on global freshwater quality through a variety of mechanisms including the internet and via CD ROM to support global and regional environmental assessment and reporting processes in the United Nations system and other international agencies.

We work with partners to facilitate the formulation and implementation of programmes to build capacity of developing countries for the acquisition and management of water quality information.

GEMS/Water's hydrological counterpart is the Global Runoff Data Centre (GRDC), a WMO programme hosted by the German Government and located in Koblenz, Germany. http://grdc.bafg.de/

While the programme belongs to the whole UN system, it functionally fits into the Division of Early Warning and Assessment (DEWA) of the United Nations Environment Programme.

Policy direction for GEMS/Water is guided by UNEP’s Water Policy and Strategy, and implemented in cooperation with UNEP-GPA and UCC-Water.

The Steering Committee is responsible for interagency coordination and strategic direction.

4th Steering Committee Meeting Paris 2006 minutes (pdf)
3rd Steering Committee Addis Ababa 2003 Minutes (pdf)
2nd Steering Committee The Hague 2002 Minutes (pdf)
2nd TAG Vienna 2005 minutes (pdf)
Technical Advisory Paper No. 2 (pdf)
The Technical Advisory Group provides scientific advice and collaborative projects.
1st TAG Burlington 2003 Minutes (pdf)

Technical Advisory Paper No. 1 (pdf)

Major funding sources are gratefully acknowledged: the UNEP GEMS/Water General Trust Fund (Canada); UNESCO, IAEA, and the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs.