World Water Assessment Programme

The United Nations World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP) monitors the world’s freshwater resources. WWAP provides recommendations, develops case studies, enhance assessment capacity at a national level and inform the decision-making process. Founded in 2000, it is the flagship programme of UN-Water and is housed in UNESCO.[1]

Its primary product, the UN World Water Development Report, is a periodic, comprehensive review providing an authoritative picture of the state of the world’s freshwater resources.

Background

In 1998, the Sixth Session of the Commission on Sustainable Development stated that there was a need for regular, global assessments on the status of freshwater resources. In response to this recommendation, the member organizations of UN-Water (known then as the ACC Subcommittee on Water Resources) decided to undertake a collective UN system-wide continuing assessment process. Founded in 2000, the flagship programme of UN-Water, the World Water Assessment Programme coordinates the production of the UN World Water Development Report (WWDR), with as aim to report on the status of global freshwater resources and the progress achieved in reaching the Millennium Development Goals related to water.

The growing global water crisis threatens the security, stability and environmental sustainability of developing nations. Millions die each year from water-borne diseases, while water pollution and ecosystem destruction grow, particularly in the developing world. Over the past few decades there has been an increasing acceptance that the management of water resources must be undertaken with an integrated approach, that assessment of the resource is of fundamental importance as the basis for decision-making and that national capacities to undertake necessary assessments must be fully supported. Management decisions to alleviate poverty, to allow economic development, to ensure food security and the health of human populations as well as preserve vital ecosystems, must be based on our best possible understanding of all relevant systems.

Mission Statement

This UN-wide programme wants to influence leaders in government, civil society and private sector, so that their policies and decision-making that affect water promote sustainable social and economic development at local, national, regional and global scales. WWAP also seeks to equip water managers with knowledge, tools and skills so they may:

Objectives

The Programme's objectives are to:

Promote gender equality;

Activities

WWAP is the reporting mechanism of UN-Water. It produces the UN World Water Development Report (WWDR) and related materials, policy papers based on the findings of the WWDR, and a series of side publications.[2]

One of WWAP’s objectives is to assist countries in enhancing their national capacity for water resource assessment. One of the ways WWAP does this is by facilitating the development of case studies and including their findings in the WWDRs. These case studies provide an in-depth analysis of the state of freshwater resources and related challenges that directly affect the livelihoods of people around the world.[3]

WWAP is the coordinating organization for UN-Water’s Task Force on Indicators, Monitoring and Reporting.[4]

The ‘From Potential Conflict to Cooperation Potential’ (PCCP) program contributes to WWAP and is housed within UNESCO’s International Hydrological Programme (IHP). PCCP facilitates multi-level dialogue in situations where water users need support to manage their shared water resources in a peaceful and equitable manner.[5]

Reports

UN World Water Development Report 3: Water in a Changing World (2009) http://www.unesco.org/water/wwap/wwdr/wwdr3

Related Materials:

UN World Water Development Report 2: Water: A Shared Responsibility (2006) http://www.unesco.org/water/wwap/wwdr/wwdr2

Related Materials:

UN World Water Development Report 1: Water for People, Water for Life (2003) http://www.unesco.org/water/wwap/wwdr/wwdr1

Related Materials:

Other publications

Side Publications series

These publications provide more focused, in-depth information and scientific background knowledge on the world’s water issues, and a closer look at some less conventional water sectors. http://www.unesco.org/water/wwap/wwdr/wwdr3/side_publications.shtml

See also

References

  1. http://www.unesco.org/water/wwap
  2. http://www.unesco.org/water/wwap/wwdr/
  3. http://www.unesco.org/water/wwap/wwdr/wwdr3/case_studies/
  4. http://www.unwater.org/TFindicators.html
  5. http://www.unesco.org/water/wwap/pccp/

External links

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