WHO/UNICEF Progress Report on Sanitation & Drinking Water
Some 2.4 billion people will remain without access to improved sanitation in 2015, according to a new joint WHO/UNICEF report.According to the report, the world remains off track to meet the Millennium Development goal (MDg) sanitation target.
Key findings
Among the key findings from the latest 2011 data, the report highlights:
- Almost two-thirds (64%) of the world’s population had access to improved sanitation facilities, an increase of almost 1.9 billion people since 1990.
- Approximately 2.5 billion people lacked access to an improved sanitation facility. Of these, 761 million use public or shared sanitation facilities and 693 million use facilities that do not meet minimum standards of hygiene.
- In 2011, one billion people still defecated in the open. 90% of all open defecation takes place in rural areas.
- By the end of 2011, 89% of the world population used an improved drinking-water source, and 55% had a piped supply on premises. This left an estimated 768 million people without improved sources for drinking water, of whom 185 million relied on surface water for their daily needs.
- There continues to be a striking disparity between those living in rural areas and those who live in cities. Urban dwellers make up three-quarters of those with access to piped water supplies at home. Rural communities comprise 83% of the global population without access to improved drinking water source and 71 per cent of those living without sanitation.
The report titled Progress on sanitation and drinking-water 2013 update is available here in english.
Resources
Investigation into Water, Cultural, Diversity & Global Environmental Change
This free investigative book was published jointly but the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
The book consists of five parts.
- Part I explores water’s fundamental place in life, flowing through all organic processes, shaping all of the earth’s environments, and coursing through humanity’s traditions, values, meanings, politics, economics, art and engineering – i.e., culture in its broadest sense.
- Part II considers the “culture of water” through an explicit focus on traditional ecological knowledge and water resource management: approaches that have historically served to sustain the lifeways of indigenous groups and ethnic minorities.
- Part III examines current patterns of water resource management in various ecoregions and geopolitical contexts.
- Part IV considers the changing and possible future dynamics of intersections between water, biodiversity, and cultural diversity, with a critical focus on the lessons learned from the past several decades of hydro-development.
- Part V sketches out alternative scenarios for the future, arguing that a sustainable approach to water resource development must, first and foremost, be one that sustains the cultural and biological diversity of life.
Related UN Resources:
- 2012 Report on Difficulties in rising demand for freshwater: “Planning for an Uncertain Future”
- 2012 Report on the Threat Climate Change poses on BioDiversity: “What Future for BioDiversity?”
- The 2012 UNESCO World Report on Cultural Diversity
- UNESCO’s Statistics Database- the primary source for cross-nationally comparable statistics on education, science and technology, culture, and communication
United Nations world water development report 4: managing water under uncertainty and risk
This fourth edition of the World Water Development Report is the product of synergy within the United Nations system, in particular the United Nations World Water Assessment Programme hosted by UNESCO. It shines a spotlight on water use, analyses the question of managing water under uncertainty, and addresses gender issues throughout. The result is a call to action – to strengthen mechanisms of global coordination, to improve national institutions and to weave the two levels more tightly together.
Previous reports are available from the UNESCO publications database.
Measuring Water use in a Green Economy
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), just released a new report titled, Measuring Water use in a Green Economy. The report analyses the different ways for quantifying and accounting for water flows and productivity within the economy (including environmental needs). Based on the data, the report is said to provide the current state of knowledge of the different indicators and tools for quantifying water productivity and highlights why this is important for developing robust allocation and management systems that preserve the natural capital.
The report focuses on the following main elements;
- The conceptual knowledge and background on how water use puts pressure on the environment.
- Methodologies to quantify water availability and use and how this influences the ecosystems.
Freshwater Under Threat - Pacific Islands UNEP Report
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) released Freshwater Under Threat: Pacific Islands.
According to the report climate change will exacerbate water stress in Pacific Islands, particularly small islands that rely on seasonal rain for their freshwater needs.
Key recommendations:
- Long-term strategies to address sustainable management capacity in the region;
- Delivery of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) within a model adapted to the Pacific is critical to enable countries to maximize development opportunities associated with water resources and better meet basic human rights.
- Investment in infrastructure with a combination of household level and centralized infrastructure on larger islands.
- Integration of Disaster risk management into national planning and integration of water resource management needs to be integrated into disaster risk management.
- Ensure that communities are an integral component in planning and delivery of disaster management plans.
- National and regional feedback on progress towards addressing major water resource issues and develop indicator frameworks are required at national and regional levels.
The report is available in English (pdf).
Resources
- UNEP Publications on Freshwater
- Water for Life: UN Publications on water - @Undcws
Managing Water under Uncertainty and Risk
United Nations World Water Development report
“Freshwater is not being used sustainably, according to needs and demands. Accurate information remains disparate, and management is fragmented. In this context, the future is increasingly uncertain and risks are set to deepen.”
Irina Bokova, Foreword
Today the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) launch the 4th edition of the World Water Development report.
- Volume 1: Managing Water under Uncertainty and Risk
- Volume 2: Knowledge Base
- Volume 3: Facing the Challenges
According to the Report, people in many parts of the world enjoy improved access to safe drinking water –86 per cent of the population in developing regions will have it by 2015. But there are still nearly one billion people without such access, and in cities the numbers are growing. Sanitation infrastructure is not keeping pace with the world’s urban population, which will almost double by 2050 to 6.3 billion people. Today, more than 80 per cent of the world’s waste water is neither collected nor treated.
Related Information
Progress on drinking water and sanitation 2012
MDG drinking-water target was met in 2010, five years ahead of schedule!
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reports every two years on progress towards the drinking-water and sanitation target under Millennium Development Goal 7.
Progress on Drinking Water and Sanitation reveals that, at the end of 2010, 89 per cent of the world’s population used improved drinking water sources, meeting the target. By 2015, an estimated 92 per cent of the global population will have access to improved drinking water.
However, serious challenge remain. The report also indicates that the world is far from meeting the MDG target for sanitation – and is unlikely to do so by 2015.
Documents:
