The main objective of the International Hydrological Programme (IHP) of UNESCO for Latin America and the Caribbean is to improve the quality of life of the inhabitants of the region through the scientific and technological development of water sciences using a multi-objective and multi-dimensional holistic approach based on the Dublin Principles, Agenda 21 - Chapter 18, Science for the XXI Century-Budapest (Chapter 2.2), the Santa Cruz de la Sierra Declaration (initiatives 47 to 57), and the declarations of the Third World Water Forum in Kyoto, Japan.

The seventh phase of the IHP, that comprises the period 2008-2013, deals with theme "Water Dependencies: Systems under Stress and Societal Responses".