Tue, Jun 19, 2012 -
Results of UN Survey of 130 Countries Provides
In-Depth Status Report on Global Efforts
to Improve Water Management
Rio de Janeiro, 19 June
2012 - Over 80 per cent of countries have
reformed their water laws in the past twenty
years as a response to growing pressures
on water resources from expanding populations,
urbanization and climate change.
In many cases, such
water reforms have had positive impacts
on development, including improvements to
drinking water access, human health and
water efficiency in agriculture.
Further Resources
Download survey findingsIntegrated Water
Resources Management (IWRM)Press Release
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been slower where irrigation, rainwater
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ecosystem services are concerned.
These are among the
findings of a United Nations survey of over
130 national governments on efforts to improve
the sustainable management of water resources.
The survey was specifically produced to
inform decision-making at Rio+20.
The survey focuses on
progress towards the implementation of internationally-agreed
approaches to the management and use of
water, known as Integrated Water Resources
Management (IWRM).
Backed by UN Member
States at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit as part
of an overall action plan on sustainable
development (Agenda 21), IWRM is a way forward
for efficient, equitable and sustainable
development and management of the world's
limited water resources.
Amid increasing and
conflicting demands on the world’s water
supply, IWRM integrates domestic, agricultural,
industrial and environmental needs into
water planning, rather than considering
each demand in isolation.
“An integrated and adaptive
approach is essential to ensure that the
needs of different user groups, which sometimes
compete, are equitably satisfied so that
development and management of water resources
benefits all,” said the Chair of UN-Water,
Michel Jarraud.
“Its success depends
on a governance and institutional framework
that facilitates dialogue and decisions
on water resource management which is ecologically,
economically and socially sustainable,”
he said.
Twenty years after the
Earth Summit, world governments are convening
once again in Rio, where the critical role
of freshwater management in the transition
to a low carbon, resource and inclusive
green economy is one of several key issues
on the table.
The survey, which was
co-ordinated by the UN Environment Programme
(UNEP) on behalf of UN-Water (the UN inter-agency
co-ordination mechanism for freshwater issues),
asked governments for their feedback on
infrastructure, financing, governance and
other areas relating to water management,
to gauge how successful countries have been
in moving towards IWRM.
Overall, 90 per cent
of countries surveyed reported a range of
positive impacts from integrated approaches
to water management, following national
reforms.
Other key findings include:
Water-related risks
and the competition for water resources
are perceived by a majority of countries
to have increased over the past 20 years;
Domestic water supply
is ranked by most countries as the highest
priority for water resources management;
The majority of countries
reported an increasing trend in financing
for water resources development, although
obstacles to implementing reforms remain;
Progress on water efficiency
is lagging behind other water management
reforms, with less than 50 per cent of national
reforms addressing water efficiency.
“The sustainable management
and use of water - due to its vital role
in food security, energy or supporting valuable
ecosystem services - underpins the transition
to a low-carbon, resource efficient green
economy,” said UN Under-Secretary-General
and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner.
“As well as highlighting
challenges, this new survey also shows important
successes regarding integrated water resources
management, where a more sustainable approach
to water has resulted in tangible benefits
for poverty reduction, human health and
the environment. At Rio+20, governments
have the opportunity to build on these innovations
and chart the way forward for sustainable
development, where the water needs of a
global population set to rise to 9 billion
by 2050, can be met in an equitable way,”
added Mr. Steiner.
The UN survey shows
the major environmental changes that have
taken place between 1992, when IWRM was
firstly widely backed by governments, and
today - and how water resources are managed
in the face of such challenges.
The world population,
for example, increased from 5.3 billion
in 1992 to just over 7 billion today, with
impacts being felt most strongly in developing
countries. This has been accompanied by
increased rural-to-urban migration and high
refugee movements due to climatic and socio-political
disasters.
Successes and Challenges
The survey shows that
the introduction of IWRM on a national level
varies greatly across the globe - from early
planning stages to concrete implementation
of new laws and policies.
When responding to the
survey, some governments reported significant
development impacts as a result of pursuing
IWRM strategies since 1992, such as:
Estonia: Introducing
water charges and pollution taxes contributed
to improved water efficiency and a reduction
of pollution load into the Baltic Sea.
Costa Rica: 50 percent
of revenues gained from water charges are
now re-invested in water resource management.
Guatemala: Hydropower
generation capacity almost doubled between
1982 and 2011.
Ghana: 40 percent of
irrigation schemes for more effective water
use and productivity have been rehabilitated.
Chad: Access to water
supply increased from 15 percent in 11000
to 50 per cent in 2011.
Tunisia: 110 wastewater
treatment plants have been built.
Yet many countries -
particularly those in developing regions
- signaled a need for increased capacity-building,
investment and infrastructure development
in order to fully implement integrated water
resources management.
Country Perception of
Key Issues
The water-related issues
cited most often as ‘high’ or ‘highest priority’
by governments are infrastructure development
and financing (79 per cent of all countries)
and financing for water resources management
(78 per cent).
Climate change is cited
as a high priority for action in a majority
of countries (70 per cent overall) and 76
per cent of countries considered that the
threat to water resources from climate change
has increased since 1992.
But the survey also
highlights important differences between
developed and developing countries in terms
of water-related priorities. Using the Human
Development Index, the survey categorized
countries in four groups: low HDI, medium
HDI, high HDI and very high HDI.
Ensuring adequate water
supply for agriculture is a high priority
for many low HDI countries, while the preservation
of freshwater ecosystems (‘water for environment’)
is a priority mainly for very high HDI countries.
Survey Recommendations
The survey includes
a number of suggested targets and recommendations,
which are designed to inform decision-makers
at Rio+20. These are based on an assessment
of the findings from the survey and include:
By 2015, each country
should develop specific targets and timeframes
for preparing and implementing a programme
of action and financing strategy for IWRM.
By 2015, a global reporting
mechanism on national water resources management
should be established. This is to ensure
a more rigorous reporting system on progress
with IWRM, and improve the availability
of information.
More effort is needed
to increase levels of financing and to improve
the institutional framework for water resources
management - especially focusing on low
HDI countries.
