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Presentation of the World Water Development Report 2022 to the European Parliament

On 25 March the UNESCO World Water Assessement Programme WWAP and MEP Water Group organized the annual event to present the conclusions of the World Water Development Report 2022 at the European Parliament

Groundwater challenges and opportunities: the Water Hack at EXPO Dubai

A Water Hackathon was organized for young students on World Water Day at EXPO Dubai by the UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme and the Italian Ministry of Education

Launch of the Italian translation of the UN World Water Development Report 2022

The translation of the United Nations World Water Development Report 2022 in Italian was presented on 22 March on occasion of World Water Day

The 7th International Day of Women and Girls in Science Assembly

The Assistant DirectorGeneral for UNESCO Natural Sciences Shamila NairBedouelle will address the UN members states and other participants in the 7th International Day of Women and Girls in Science Assembly taking place on 11 February 2022 in virtual format from UN Headquarters in New York The event organized by the Royal Academy of Science International Trust RASIT aims to recognize the role of women and girls in science not only as beneficiaries but also as agents of change including in view of accelerating progress towards the achievement of SDG 6 Clean Water and Sanitation The 7th Assembly on the theme Equity Diversity and Inclusion Water Unites Us will bring together women in science highlevel government officials representatives of international organizations and the private sector to discuss the water nexus in achieving sustainable development It will showcase best practices strategies applied solutions and experiences in addressing the SDG6 challenges and opportunities through the Cansu Global Media Room On this occasion the World Water Assessment Programme of UNESCO will also take the floor presenting the work in water and gender with particular focus on the Call for Action to Accelerate Gender Equality in the Water Domain which can be considered a wakeup call for eliminating gender inequalities from the maledominated water sector in which women continues to be critically underrepresented Urgent action in this field will be key to the achievement of a watersecure world Several members of the Call for Action Multistakeholder Coalition will be speaking in different panels and conversation thereby highlighting the need to gendertransformative action and the relevance of the Call for Action Initiative to reaching this objective In Panel 1 Conversation 1 Women in Science for Water and Society Bridging Voices to Action Ms Silvia Rafaelli Senior Researcher Director of Centro Regional Litoral of the Argentina National Institute of Water will speak on her work and vision to achieve water security for all In Panel 1 Conversation 2 Reviving Peace through sciencebased water diplomacy Ms Mary Khimulu Chairperson of Kenya Water Sector Trust Fund Board of Directors will make an intervention regarding mediation in water disputes preventive diplomacy and transboundary water resources management In Panel 2 Conversation 2 Financing Innovative Scienceand Green Technologybased Water Solutions and Programs will see the participation of Ms Neeta Pokhrel Chief of Water Sector Group Sustainable Development and Climate Change Department of the Asian Development Bank She will discuss how to strike the balance between financing innovation and traditional knowledge in water projects and programmes See the agenda

February 11, 2022

Building capacities in the Arab region on "Valuing Water"

Following the launch of World Water Development Report WWDR 2021 Arabic in Cairo Water Week 2021 the UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme WWAP and UNESCO Doha Office with the financial support of the Sultan Bin Abdulaziz AlSaud Foundation and in cooperation with the Water Sciences and Technology Association WSTA Ministry of Environment Water and Agriculture MEWA and the Secretariat General of the Gulf Cooperation Council GCC SG are organizing an online training on the theme of the Report 2021 Valuing Water The training in Arabic will target countries that are in the UNESCO Doha Office cluster Contents of the training will be presented through four online sessions that will take place on 151621 and 22 February See the programme This training will be the fourth following the suit of the ones that took place in 2018 Cairo Egypt 2019 Beirut Lebanon and 2021 online Close to 200 water professionals directly benefitted from these capacity development activities

February 10, 2022

Water and Gender: WWAP indicators implemented in Argentina

The genderresponsive indicators for water assessment monitoring and reporting developed by UNESCO WWAP to close the gap of sexdisaggregated water data have been succeffully implemented in a pilot study in Argentina The results of this exercise have been collected in the case study publication Enfoque metodológico para la aplicación de los indicadores de agua y género de UNESCO WWAP el ejemplo de Argentina The case study and outcomes are presented online on 7 December at 12 Arg time The event is organized in collaboration with INA Instituto Nacional del Agua of Argentina and the Ministry of Public Works of Argentina To participate kindly subscribe here

December 6, 2021

Launch of the World Water Development Report 2021 Arabic edition

The launch of the Arabic edition of the United Nations World Water Development Report WWDR 2021 took place on 24 October on the opening day of Cairo Water Week Mr Engin Koncagul the UNESCO WWAP Senior Programme Officer was the Master of the Ceremony for the event and welcomed the participants on behalf of UNESCO WWAP and other coorganizers of the session Mr Bisher Imam the OfficerinCharge of UNESCO Cairo Office was the Chair of the Opening Ceremony In the highlevel opening of the session Mr Mohamed AbdelAti Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation of Egypt Dr Abdulaziz bin Muhareb AlShaibani Deputy Minister for Water Affairs the Ministry of Environment Water and Agriculture of Saudi Arabia and Dr Abdul Aziz Al Magushi Assistant DirectorGeneral for Media and Cultural Affairs Sultan bin Abdulaziz AlSaud Foundation of Saudi Arabia took the floor Speakers expressed appreciation to UNESCO and the UNWater family for production of the UN World Water Development Report and to Sultan bin Abdulaziz AlSaud Foundation for supporting its Arabic translation Following the content presentation by Mr Koncagul on main findings and key recommendations of WWDR2021 representatives from FAO and UNDP talked about agriculture and governance aspects respectively UN ESCWA representative underlined the importance of the theme of the Report Valuing Water in the Arab region The representatives of UN agencies underlined one UN aspect of the WWDR series showing UN family at work Mr Pedro ArrojoAgudo the Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation sent a video message which was shown at the event Closing remarks were done by Dr Hammou Lamrani Senior Expert The League of Arab States Videos of speeches from high level speakers and other video pills will soon be shared on WWAPs youtube channel Complimentary copies of the Report were presented to the speakers and to the audience UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme is in consultation with Sultan bin Abdulaziz AlSaud Foundation of Saudi Arabia for to identify potential venue for a training in the Arab region that will focus on 2021 edition of WWDR

October 27, 2021

Cairo Water Week: Launch of the Arabic version of United Nations World Water Development Report 2021

Since 2018 the World Water Development Report WWDR series are translated into Arabic with the generous support of Sultan Bin Abdulaziz AlSaud Foundation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Following 2017 Wastewater The Untapped Resource 2018 Naturebased solutions for Water and 2020 Water and Climate Change editions of WWDR the Arabic version of 2021 Report focusing on the theme Valuing Water has been recently completed WWDR2021 Arabic will be shared with the international audience in a highlevel event that will take place on the opening day of Cairo Water Week 24 October 2021 Among high level speakers are His Excellency Mr Mohamed AbdelAti the Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation of Egypt His Excellency Eng Mansour bin Hilal Al Mushaiti ViceMinister of Environment Water and Agriculture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Dr Abdul Aziz Al Magushi the Assistant Director General for Media and Cultural Affairs of Sultan Bin Abdulaziz AlSaud Foundation Representatives of FAO UNDP UNESCWA UNESCO Cairo Office and the League of Arab States will also take the floor Mr Pedro ArrojoAgudo the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation will join the event via a videomessage Mr Engin Koncagul Senior Programme Specialist and WWDR Process Coordinator in WWAP will present important findings and key messages of WWDR as a part of the programme Water is widely perceived as an intrinsically valuable and essential resource Furthermore access to safe and affordable drinking water and sanitation are recognized by the United Nations as basic human rights and is key to reaching equality and equity While appreciation of the value of water has been growing addressing its multiple and diverse values to society and incorporating these values into water governance and management has remained elusive As such this vital and unique resource has not been appropriately reflected in terms of political attention and financial investment in many parts of the world The 2021 edition of the United Nations World Water Development Report titled Valuing Water assesses the current status of and challenges to the valuation of water across different sectors and perspectives and identifies ways in which valuation can be promoted as a tool to help improve its management and achieve global sustainable development WWAP Secretariat with the financial support of the Sultan bin Abdulaziz AlSaud Foundation is aiming to organize a training session in the Arab region focusing on the comprehensive findings of WWDR2021 The date and location are to be decided at a later date Download the Report in Arabic The United Nations World Water Development Report WWDR is UNWaters flagship report on water and sanitation issues focusing on a different theme each year The report is published by UNESCO on behalf of UNWater and its production is coordinated by the UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme WWAP The report provides decisionmakers with knowledge and tools to formulate and implement sustainable water policies It also offers best practices and indepth analyses to stimulate ideas and actions for better stewardship in the water sector and beyond

October 21, 2021

Accelerating Change through Partnerships and Cooperation

Accelerating Change through Partnerships and Cooperation is the provisional title of the United Nations World Water Development Report WWDR 2023 proposed by WWAP and approved by UNWater last March the World Water Day 2023 will focus on the same theme WWAP has started the preparatory work to develop the 2023 edition of the Report and invited UNWater Members and Partners in an online developmental workshop on 21 and 24 September 2021 to discuss its content In 2018 the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution which calls for a Conference on the Midterm Comprehensive Review of the Implementation of the Objectives of the International Decade for Action in 2023 This will be the first UN Water Conference since 1977 Mar del Plata and coincide with the World Water Day 2023 As SDG 6 Synthesis Report 2018 concluded the world is not on track to reach Sustainable Development Goal 6 SDG 6 on Water and Sanitation by 2030 A major factor in being able to achieve SDG 6 will be the capacity of the worlds organizations and institutions to come together in partnerships and cooperation to accelerate progress The United Nations World Water Development Report is UNWaters flagship report on water and sanitation issues focusing on a different theme each year The report is published by UNESCO on behalf of UNWater and its production is coordinated by the UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme The report gives insight on main trends concerning the state use and management of freshwater and sanitation based on work done by the Members and Partners of UNWater Launched in conjunction with World Water Day the report provides decisionmakers with knowledge and tools to formulate and implement sustainable water policies It also offers best practices and indepth analyses to stimulate ideas and actions for better stewardship in the water sector and beyond

September 20, 2021

The World Water Development Report 2021 now available in Spanish

The National Association of Water and Sanitation Companies of Mexico ANEAS translated and presented the World Water Development Report in Spanish for the fourth year in a row in collaboration with the InterAmerican Development Bank IDB and the National Commission of Water Resources of Mexico CONAGUA The online presentation of the Report in Spanish was organized on 21 July 2021 and saw the participation of Frédéric Vacheron Director of UNESCO Mexico Office Rodirgo Riquelme Water and Sanitation specialist at IDB Mario Esparza Deputy Director General of Conagua Arturo Palma Carro President of ANEAS of Mexico and Hugo Rojas Director General of ANEAS who served as moderator The exploitation of the natural resources highlights the failure of human beings in recognizing the fragility and scarcity of the resources we use in our daily life said Frédéric Vacheron Director of UNESCO Mexico Office Rodrigo Riquelme representative of IDB commented that we recognize the value of water especially when the resource is scarce he also commented that 443 million school days are lost due to health diseases related to water Arturo Jesús Palma Carro President of ANEAS showed appreciation for the Report that provide tools to the 627 water utilities belonging to ANEAS which provide service to more than 100 million Mexicans for the formulation of sustainable water policies How much is water worth Water is simply priceless it is invaluable Without this resource we could not live continued Palma Carro who emphasized that valuing water is not an exclusive responsibility of the governments but of all human beings José Mario Esparza Deputy Director General of Conagua concluded that governments and the civil society should join efforts to give value to our water resources More on the Report

Water and Gender Call for Action -Information Briefing to UNESCO Permanent Delegations

Regional online launch of the UN World Water Development Report 2021 “Valuing Water” for the countries of Central Asia, Southern Caucasus, Afghanistan and Mongolia

On June 8 2021 an online presentation devoted to the presentation of the UN World Water Development Report 2021 was organized by the UNESCO Cluster Office in Almaty in cooperation with the Public Fund Cooperation for Sustainable Development and the Central Asia Regional Water Network CARWAN Representatives of governmental and nongovernmental organizations research institutes and universities took part in the event Also among the participants were experts who participated in the preparation of the report itself which made the event special The total number of participants was more than 130 people 76 of them were women During the meeting the participants were able to get informed about the main conclusions and recommendations of the Report and also regional experts made their presentations in a panel discussion on the topics presented in the report and relevant for the whole of Central Asia In their presentations the experts answered several important questions regarding the value of hydrological infrastructure agriculture energy and sanitation including issues related to the Covid19 pandemic The participants of the event actively discussed the main topics during the discussion in particular the problems of water supply in the regions water treatment tools and methodologies for assessing the value of water resources and appropriate adaptation measures Due to the interactive nature of the event each participant shared their opinions and expanded their understanding of the value of water The report gives insight into the main trends concerning the state use and management of freshwater and sanitation based on work by members and partners of UNWater The report provides decisionmakers with knowledge and tools to formulate and implement sustainable water policies It also offers best practice examples and indepth analyses to stimulate ideas and actions for better stewardship in the water sector and beyond Download the Report

Water and Climate Change: the WWDR 2020 is now available in Italian

Thanks to the support of UniVerde Foundation the World Water Development Report WWDR 2020 is now available also in Italian Download the Report UniVerde Foundation supports the translation of the annual WWDR since 2018 in collaboration with the Italian Institute for Environmental Policy Studies and Utilitalia The WWDR 2020 was presented to the Italian audience on 17 June 2021 on occasion of World Day to Combat Desertification and Droughts The online event saw the participation of the Italian Vice Minister to the Economic Development Ms Alessandra Todde and other distinguished pannelists Ms Michela Miletto the Coordinator of the UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme presented the main findings of this flagship report on water resources Watch the event More on the event