The objective of the conference is to present the results of the UNESCO FRIEND (Flow Regimes from International Experimental and Network Data) research programme that have stimulated cooperation to meet local and regional needs. A focus of the conference will be to discuss how advances in analytical techniques and process hydrology are improving our assessment of water resource variability and the impacts of environmental change. The conference will give high priority to establishing links with related international programmes and with related disciplines of groundwater hydrology, ecohydrology and climatology.