Jean-Francois Donzier
The 2016 Distinguished Associate Award was presented by IAH President Ken Howard to Jean-François Donzier, General Manager of the International Office for Water and Technical Secretary of the International Network of Basin Organizations (INBO). He was a Governor of the World Water Council at its creation in 1997 and a GWP Steering Committee Member for 6 years.
As a General in the French National Corps of Engineers in Bridges, Water and Forestry, he was entrusted with high level positions in the French administration at the Ministry of Agriculture and the Prime Minister’s office. For this work, he was recognized nationally as a Knight of the Legion of Honor, Officer of the National Order of Merit and Commander of the French Order of Agricultural Merit. His interest in groundwater goes back many decades to his time in the Moroccan Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform when, in 1974, he conducted a study of the alluvial aquifer of the “Oulia of Rabat and Sale”. As Deputy Director of Agriculture and Forestry in Haute-Savoie, he was involved in Franco-Swiss negotiations to prepare the international agreement for joint management of the Geneva region transboundary aquifer, which is still quoted as a good model for such agreements. As Director at the French Ministry of Agriculture and manager of the French National Fund for Rural Water Supply he underlined the obligation to establish groundwater protection measures in water catchments and aquifers used for drinking water.
Whilst at INBO, Jean-François has promoted the phrase “Basins of rivers, lakes and aquifers” and become very supportive of the work of IAH and UNESCO-IHP on transboundary aquifers and their management and also on the conjunctive management of groundwater and surface water through IWRM at basin level. Recently at COP-21 he promoted the Paris Pact on adaptation to climate change of water resources management in basins and aquifers, which has been signed by 348 organizations world-wide. It is this contribution to greater recognition of the importance of groundwater resources, their wise use and sound management which the award specifically recognises.
