United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
UNESCO’s Water Science Programme was founded on the International Hydrological Programme (IHP), which has evolved from an internationally coordinated hydrological research programme into an encompassing inter-governmental programme to facilitate research, education and capacity building, and enhance water resources management and governance.
By delivering education and training, providing data and information, developing and testing tools and methodologies IHP contributes directly and/or indirectly to SDG 6 and its targets. Further to its contribution across SDG 6’s targets UNESCO along with UNECE are co-custodian agencies for the indicator 6.5.2 on transboundary water cooperation.
In August 2018, they jointly produced a report presenting the global indicator baseline. http://www.sdg6monitoring.org/indicators/target-65/indicators652/ Considering the entire water cycle, UNESCO IHP also contribute to implement many other goals that are related to water such as those on poverty reduction and equality [1, 10, 16] , agriculture [2], health [3], education [4], gender [5], energy [7], the economy and infrastructure [8 – 12], climate change and resilience [13], and the environment [14, 15]. Furthermore, IHP also provides contribution to achieve SDG 17, by enhancing global partnership for sustainable development, complemented by multi stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources, to support the achievement of the sustainable development goals in all countries, in particular developing countries.
UNESCO’s World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP) coordinates the work of UN-Water 31 members and 39 partners in the UN World Water Development Report (WWDR), the flagship report on freshwater providing an authoritative picture of the state, use and management of the world’s freshwater resources.
The annual WWDR provides the thematic backbone of the World Water Day and focus on relevant interlinkages between SDG 6 and other SDGs (e.g., water and jobs, nature-based solutions, leaving no one behind, water and climate). WWAP coordinated also the production of the UN-Water SDG 6 Synthesis Report.
In addition, WWAP implements transdisciplinary projects, science-policy dialogues, develop case studies, and enhances capacity at a national level and inform policy and decision-making process.
Gender project
WfWP SC members are members of the working group and act as experts for the UNESCO WWAP gender project.
Side-event on ‘Climate-resilient water management approaches’ at COP25 UN-Water 19 December, 2019 On 10 December 2019, the UN-Water Expert Group on Water and Climate, organised the side event “Climate-resilient Water Management Approaches” at the twenty-fifth session of the Conference of … Read more
UN-Water launches Policy Brief on Climate Change and Water UN-Water 11 September, 2019 The science is clear: the global climate change crisis is increasing variability in the water cycle, thus reducing the predictability of water availability and demand, affecting water quality, exacerbating water s … Read more
6th International Symposium on Knowledge and Capacity for the Water Sector UN-Water 19 August, 2019 IHE Delft is now accepting abstracts for the 6th International Symposium on Knowledge and Capacity Development for the Water Sector. Hosted on May 27-29, 2020 in Delft, the Netherlands, the Symposium … Read more
World Water Week in Stockholm 2019 UN-Water 8 August, 2019 The 2019 edition of World Water Week takes place on 25-30 August in Stockholm, Sweden. During the week, UN-Water will convene various activities, sessions and events. UN-Water events and sessions Leaving No One Behind, the UN World Water Dev … Read more
HLPF side event highlights the critical role of water to achieve the SDGs UN-Water 29 July, 2019 During the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) held 9 – 18 July 2019, a side event titled ‘Water, crucial to achieve the SDGs under review at the HLPF 2019’ was organized by the … Read more