Freshwater ecosystems cover only 1% of our planet but they contain more than 10% of all species - and are essential to life on earth. Healthy rivers, lakes and wetlands are vital to societies, economies and ecosystems. They are life support systems for people and nature. Yet they continue to be undervalued and overlooked by governments...
A High-Level Symposium on Water will be hosted by the Government of Portugal with the support of UN-DESA and UN-Water, in Lisbon on 2 June 2020. The Symposium will be hosted during the 2020 United Nations Ocean Conference in Lisbon, and take place at the venue of the Ocean Conference, why those wishing to participate in the event must ensure they...
World Water Day is an international observance and an opportunity to learn more about water related issues, be inspired to tell others and take action to make a difference. World Water Day dates back to the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development where an international observance for water was recommended. The United Nations General...
World Toilet Day is about inspiring action to tackle the global sanitation crisis. Today, 4.5 billion people live without a household toilet that safely disposes of their waste. The Sustainable Development Goals, launched in 2015, include a target to ensure everyone has access to a safely-managed household toilet by 2030. This makes sanitation central to eradicating extreme...
In 2015, UN Member States adopted the historic 2030 Agenda, setting universal and transformative goals and targets, and committing to working tirelessly for their full implementation. To ensure that no one is left behind, it will be vital to track progress towards the goals. At the 2018 High Level Political Forum (HLPF), SDG 6 on water...
The inter-agency initiative, GEMI, was established in 2014 as an inter-agency initiative composed of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the World Health Organization...
The World Water Development Report (WWDR) is an annual and thematic report that focuses on different strategic water issues each year and aims to provide decision-makers with the tools to implement sustainable use of water resources. It also includes regional aspects, hotspots, examples and stories, making the report relevant to a broad range of readers,...