Editor in Chief: Prof. G.O.K Obasi
Former Secretary General, World Meteorological Organization, Geneva.

Call for Papers (Deadline 31 March 2004)

Background

In order to effectively manage and develop water resources, there is an undeniable need to assess the availability, distribution and management of water regarding its quantity and quality attributes; its utilization (both consumptive and non-consumptive) and ecosystem functions. In addition to these, there is the need for a continuous updating of the state-of-the-art techniques for observing and monitoring the entire scientific profile of terrestrial freshwater resources, as well as analytical and management tools to facilitate effective planning for utilization. This should be complemented with the appropriate measures to address the economic, ecological, political, institutional and cultural aspects of water and its interrelations with the human society.

A key limitation to providing the appropriate policy framework for the management and development of water resources in Africa is the paucity of information flow on:

  • Assessments and monitoring of the resources at national, sub-regional and continental levels,
  • Research work or experiences gained, in the process of scientific investigation, to improve the knowledge base of the resources

This limitation can be attributed to the absence of any effective outlet for the dissemination of such experiences and knowledge on the continent. The African Water Journal fills this important vacuum.

African Water Journal

The pilot edition of the African Water Journal was launched during the Pan-African Partnership and Implementation Conference on Water held from December 8-13, 2003 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. (Click here to download a free Pilot Edition).

Papers are hereby invited from all water sector professionals and practitioners for publication in the next edition of the Journal which will be published in June 2004. All contributed papers to the Journal shall be peer-reviewed according to the following criteria:

  • Quality of Analyses
  • Quality of Data
  • Completeness of Information
  • Consistency in use of Indicators
  • Quality of Writing
  • Adherence to adapted structure.

Thematic Areas

To ensure that the Journal contributes effectively to future versions of the African Water Development Report, the following thematic areas have been adopted in consonance with the World Water Development Report (WWDR):

  1. Meeting Basic Needs – for safe and sufficient water and sanitation.
  2. Securing the Food Supply – especially for the poor and vulnerable through the more effective use of water.
  3. Protecting Ecosystems – ensuring their integrity via sustainable water resource management.
  4. Sharing Water Resources – promoting peaceful cooperation between different uses of water and between concerned states, through approaches such as sustainable river basin management.
  5. Managing Risks – to provide security from a range of water related hazards.
  6. Valuing Water – to manage water in the light of its different values (economic, social, environmental, cultural) and to move towards pricing water to recover the costs of service provision, taking account of equity and the needs of the poor and vulnerable.
  7. Governing Water Wisely – involving the public and the interests of all stakeholders.
  8. Water and Industry – promoting cleaner industry with respect to water quality and the needs of other users.
  9. Water and Energy – assessing water’s key role in energy production to meet rising energy demands.
  10. Ensuring the Knowledge Base – so that water knowledge becomes more universally available.
  11. Water and Cities – recognizing the distinctive challenges of an increasingly urbanized world.


To be considered, papers must be written in English or French and address any of the thematic areas. They should be between 8-12 pages and formatted according to the Guidelines for Authors of the United Nations University Press (below). All papers should be submitted by 15 March, 2004 to:

Stephen Donkor
Africa Water Journal
UN-Water/Africa
United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
P.O. Box 3001
Addis Ababa
ETHIOPIA
Tel:+251-1-443422
Fax: +251-1-514416
email: donkor@un.org

Papers received shall be reviewed and the authors of selected papers would be informed of the acceptance of their papers for publication by 30th March 2004. Revised papers are to be submitted by the 15th April, 2004.

United Nations University Press: Style Guidelines for Contributors

1. Manuscripts or papers: should be consecutively paginated, printed from a uniform computer software format. Please use 12pt font size for ease of editing. Double space all text and tables. Manuscripts should be free from handwritten corrections, staples etc. Full justification, A4 page layout (NOT Letter). Margins: 1.0 top/bottom, 1.25 sides.

2. Bibliographical References and notes: For single author volumes the Press uses a single reference/endnote section at the back of the book. For multi-author or edited volumes, endnotes /references are placed at the end of each chapter. The author/date citation system is preferred. Please double space notes/references. Do NOT use footnotes. Do NOT use references embedded in the text.

Incomplete and inconsistently formatted references cause more production delays than any other editing problem.

Please follow the examples given.

i. For Books: Robert A. Dahl, Polyarchy: Participation and Opposition, New Haven: Yale University Press, 1971, pp. 1-9.

ii. For Journal articles: Raul Alfonsin, “Never Again’ in Argentina,” Journal of Democracy, Vol. 4, No. 1, 1993.

iii. A Reference to a Chapter in a Multi-author Book: José Zalaquett, “Balancing Ethical Imperatives Against Political Constraints: the Dilemma of New Democracies Confronting Past Human Rights Violations,” in Neil J. Kritz, ed., Transitional Justice. How Emerging Democracies Reckon with Former Regimes, Washington, DC, United States Institute of Peace Press, 1995.

iv. Conference Papers: John Smith, “A History of Canada,” paper presented at the International Studies Association Conference, Los Angeles, 2001, March 22-23, unpublished.
v. Newspapers: Brian Velasquez, 1989, “Mongolia and the West,” New York Times, 7 January, p. 8.

3. Headings: Please ensure that different levels of subheadings are clear, and do not number or letter subheadings (i.e. provide an actual title).
e.g. A head (Capital), B head (Bold), C Head (Italic).

4. Figures and Illustrations: Please call all graphs, charts, photos, etc. ‘Figure’. All figures other than the authors original work should be sourced correctly see below, and permission to use applied for.

Fig. 1. Land reserves in southern Sumatra (Source: Bloggs 2000; reproduced by permission of….)
Fig. 2. Distribution of mangroves in Thailand

All illustrations and figures should be originals or clean, (first generation photocopies). Each individual figure/illustration (if drawn), should be stored on a separate electronic file on disk. A hard copy of the individual figure/illustration should also be provided.

Management of Journal

The African Water Journal is joint flagship publication of the following major stakeholders of the African water sector:

  1. The United Nations Agencies organised as UN-Water/Africa coordinated by the Economic Commission for Africa
  2. The African Water Forum
  3. The United Nations University INWEH Programme
  4. African Water Research Institutes and Universities
  5. The African Water Task Force
  6. The Global Water Partnership branches in Africa.