UN-Water is an inter-agency entity of the United Nations, endorsed in 2003 for the follow-up process of the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development. Its purpose is to support states in their water-related efforts to reach the Millennium Development Goals. UN-Water strengthens coordination among UN agencies that work on all aspects of freshwater and sanitation. This includes surface and groundwater resources, the interface between freshwater and seawater and water-related disasters. UN-Water aims at improving the cooperation between relevant governing bodies and development organizations. It is responsible for the annual World Water Day as well as for the UN Water decade.
Contents
Activities
Programmes
UN-Water has four specific programs, each with its own work plan, budget and an executing agency co-ordinating the implementation:
Reports and publications
UN-Water has three primary, regularly produced reports on water resources:
Task forces
UN-Water also maintains ad hoc Task Forces on issues such as Climate Change, Gender and Water, Transboundary Waters, Monitoring (including indicators and reporting), Country-level Coordination, and Sanitation.
World Day for Water
UN-Water is responsible for the coordination and planning of the World Day for Water, which is observed every March 22.
Members and partners of UN-Water
UN-Water is composed of member representatives of 26 United Nations organizations that work on water issues and 17 other, non-UN organizations which are partners in UN-Water.
Members
CBD - United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations IAEA - International Atomic Energy Agency IFAD - International Fund for Agricultural Development UNICEF - United Nations Children’s Fund UNCTAD - United Nations Conference on Trade and Development UNCCD - United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification UNDESA - United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs UNDP - United Nations Development Programme UNECA - United Nations Economic Commission for Africa UNECE - United Nations Economic Commission for Europe UNECLAC - United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean UNESCAP - United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific UNESCWA - United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia UNESCO - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNEP - United Nations Environment Programme UNFCCC - United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change UN-Habitat - United Nations Human Settlements Programme UNHCR - United Nations High Commission for Refugees UNIDO - United Nations Industrial Development Organization UNISDR - International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction UNU - United Nations University World Bank - The World Bank WHO - World Health Organization WMO - World Meteorological Organization UNWTO - World Tourism OrganizationPartners
Aquafed - international federation of private water operators United Nations Global Compact GWP - The Global Water Partnership IAH - International Association of Hydrogeologists IAHS - International Association of Hydrological Sciences ICID - International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage IWA - International Water Association IWMI - International Water Management Institute PSI - Public Services International Ramsar - Ramsar Convention on Wetlands SIWI - Stockholm International Water Institute UNSGAB - United Nations Secretary General's Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation WSSCC - Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council WBCSD - World Business Council for Sustainable Development IUCN - International Union for Conservation of Nature WWC - World Water Council WWF - World Wide Fund for Nature