Nov 7th – 11th 2011, Porto Alegre, Brazil.

This training of trainers’ course is part of a collaborative programme between Cap-Net/UNDP and APFM/WMO to capacitate water professionals, capacity builders, local authorities and other stakeholders to manage urban floods in the context of integrated water resources management. The focus of the programme is on development of sustainable flood management for cities.
Floods have increased impacts during the last decades due to increased concentrations of population in flood risk areas in urban environment, together with effects of climate variability. Floods account for 50% of natural disasters total impacts on the population and the population most vulnerable are in developing countries. Urban population reaches 50% of total population worldwide and it has been forecast by United Nation that in 2050 urban population will be about 70%. Every person born in cities in the coming years will put strong pressure on natural resources whilst occupying small spaces with a combination of potential hazards such as floods.
The main source of flood hazard has been land use in flood risk areas and the increased frequency of floods due to impervious areas in dense urban areas. The reasons for population vulnerability in developing countries included weak Institutions, lack of urban planning and outdated storm-water and flood plain management.
It is within this framework, and contributing to capacity building towards these understandings, that Cap-Net/UNDP, WMO/APFM, IPH/UFRGS. Rhama and Cap-Net Brasil organise a training of trainers’ course. It is expected, that workshop participants –representing capacity building networks and other organizations- are committed to multiply and share learning’s in these subjects in their own environments. Completing the workshop, a training package will be available to support and facilitate this process.

Objective
The aim is to develop an integrated and interdisciplinary vision on urban flood management. Introduce managers and decision makers to the knowledge of integrated and long term sustainable flood management for cities.

Target group

The workshop will mainly target participants with capacity building responsibilities in order to ensure replication and scaling-up of programmes and impacts. The workshop will in particular target participants with knowledge and experience in capacity building and research in the field of urban flood management who can transfer the knowledge to professionals of any background working in the urban environment, and decision makers in general.
In this context, participants are expected to come from multidisciplinary backgrounds. Participants will be experienced trainers (with experience in some aspects of flood management in the context of water management) in a position in capacity building that allows them to take this training forward at the local or regional level. The expected number of participants is 25, respecting gender and geographic balance.

Methods
The workshop will use adult learning tools, focusing on participants sharing their own experiences, and guided by the introduction of new conceptual approaches and tools. There will be a combination of short lectures, practical exercises, group work and discussion. The course will be supported by training materials developed on urban flood management. Contents will also be generated by other partners and course participants. Participants are encouraged (and expected) to bring in experiences with the application of water resources management for urban flood management. Modules will be supported by specific cases to be brought in by the participants. Each participant will be given the materials used in the training and a package containing useful resources introduced during the course.

Organisation
The course will be hosted by the Institute of Hydraulics Research – University of Rio Grande do Sul in Porto Alegre, Brazil. The course is part of Cap-Net global programme of action.
The duration of the course will be five days and it will take place from 7 to 11 of November 2011, in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

For further information please contact:Rhama:

Carlos Tucci
tucci@rhama.net
Tel: +55 51 30136329

IPH/UFRGS: André Silveira
andre@iph.ufrgs.br
Tel: +55 51 33086686

CapNet-Brasil: Ninon Machado and Priscila Gomes
ninon@institutoipanema.net, priscila@institutoipanema.net
Tel: + 55 21 81680011

Cap-Net: Kees Leendertse
kees.leendertse@cap-net.org
Tel: +27 12 3309074

WMO/APFM: Giacomo Terruggi
GTeruggi@wmo.int
Tel: +41 22 7308354