Welcome to UN-Water

UN-Water participates in UN General Assembly Special Event on Water Governance

UN-Water recently participated in the special event of the UN General Assembly Economic and Financial Committee on "Enhancing Governance on Water" on 06 November at the UN Headquarters in New York. The event featured Dr Colin Chartres, Director General of the International Water Management Institute, Professor Aaron Wolf of Oregon State University and Programme Director in Water Conflict Management and Transformation; and Dr. Nikhil Chandavarkar, Secretary to UN-Water, as well as Ertugrul Apakan, Permanent Representative of Turkey to the UN. The event featured an interactive dialogue with the delegates of the UN's 192 member states on key issues related to the current and emerging challenges in governing scarce water resources followed by a press conference, held directly after.
Summary of General Assembly's Special Event on Water

Event Website including Webcast of press conference

Background Document on Special Event

Fifth session of the Meeting of the Parties to the UNECE Water Convention
Geneva, 10-12 November 2009

The meeting will mark an important milestone in the improvement of transboundary water management in the UNECE region and beyond. It will be an opportunity to review the progress achieved and to reflect on and prepare for the challenges that lie ahead. Hot issues such as climate change adaptation and transboundary cooperation or implementation and compliance will be discussed.
Visit the UNECE website

More UN-Water related events

Side Event on UN-Water Global Assessment Reports at Africa Water Week

UN-Water supports co-ordination among UN agencies’ efforts to monitor the state and utilization of the world's water resources. Associated assessment reports focus on status, trends, and progress against international development targets, on responses and their impact, as well as on challenges and emerging issues. The side-event will present these three UN-Water assessment reports and stimulate a discussion on how these reports respond to specific water and sanitation related challenges facing Africa.
Background note & Programme of side event

The UN-Water Seminar: Managing water in times of global crises – how can the UN system step up its efforts?

Mr. Jan Eliasson. Photo: Mikael Ullén/SIWI

Report on the UN-Water Seminar on global crises which focuses on Three three central pillars for moving beyond crises: (i) no peace without sustainable development; (ii) no sustainable development without peace; and (iii) no sustainable development without respect to human rights...
Download the Report (PDF)

IYS one year later:
interview with Clarissa Brocklehurst

Clarissa Brocklehurst, UNICEF's Chief of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), is the coordinator of UN-Water’s Task Force on Sanitation. Last year, the Task Force assumed a leadership role in global advocacy and capacity building during the International Year of Sanitation. In this interview we asked her about what the Task Force is now doing as a follow-up to IYS.
Go to the interview with
Clarissa Brocklehurst

UN-Water Presents Key Messages on Water & Climate Change for COP 15

Water is the primary medium through which climate change influences the Earth's ecosystems and therefore people’s livelihoods and well-being. Climate change adaptation, therefore, is mainly about water. On November 3 UN-Water presented its key messages on water & climate change as a contribution to COP 15 in Copenhagen this December.
UN-Water Key Messages on Climate Change and Water - English - (PDF 314Kb)

Español - (PDF 320Kb)

Regional Workshop on 'Water Loss Reduction in Water and Sanitation Utilities'

The UN-Water Decade Programme on Capacity Development (UNW-DPC), UN-HABITAT and the Bulgarian Water Association (BWA) are jointly organizing the Capacity Development for Improving Water Efficiency: Regional Workshop on 'Water Loss Reduction in Water and Sanitation Utilities', in Sofia, Bulgaria 16-18 November 2009. The workshop is aimed at decision-makers responsible for water supply and sanitation in major cities from countries in South Eastern European.
Go to the UNW-DPC web site for more information

More resources for children and young people

We've added some more links and documents to our new page of educational materials that have been produced by UN-Water members and partners for children and young people. These resources come in a variety of languages and a variety of media. They include web sites, videos, games, stories and other publications. We've added the Messages for Youth from the World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP) and links to quizes and games developed by the UN's Cyberschoolbus and the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN/ISDR). Check them out.
Go to the resources for children and young people page