22 May 2013
GWP Reports on 22 National Consultations on Water and Post-2015 Development Agenda
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The Global Water Partnership (GWP) released the 'National Stakeholder Consultation on Water: Supporting the Post-2015 Development Agenda,' which describes 22 national consultations that it organized on water resources and wastewater management, as well as quality and water supply, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) from February to May 2013.

GWP Global logotype17 May 2013: The Global Water Partnership (GWP) released the ‘National Stakeholder Consultation on Water: Supporting the Post-2015 Development Agenda,’ which describes 22 national consultations that it organized on water resources and wastewater management, as well as quality and water supply, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) from February to May 2013.

The report emphasizes the importance of water for national development, including for energy, food, health and livelihoods. It recommends: improving integrated water resources management (IWRM) at the system level; achieving safe drinking water and sanitation for all; and managing risk to mitigate impacts from climate change and extreme events.

Over 1000 participants from government, civil society, the private sector and academia took part in the national consultations, including stakeholders from non-water sectors that depend on water. The consultations aimed to: identify country needs and priorities for the post-2015 agenda on water; obtain a deeper qualitative understanding of national priorities; and compliment the online global thematic consultation on water.

Most national consultations identified slow progress in achieving sanitation targets, particularly in rural areas, and recommended addressing WASH issues in coordination with wastewater management. The majority of countries also identified improving wastewater treatment, reducing pollution and encouraging recycling as priority areas for action. Identified water quality management challenges include a lack of monitoring systems, and poor enforcement of controls related to polluting discharge and wastewater. The consultations also highlighted the need to: establish an enabling environment for change; strengthen institutional systems; and ensure effective coordination between different institutions, especially for transboundary water systems.

On future Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), countries generally agreed on using an IWRM approach and planning at the river basin level. Other common goals included: updating and implementing basin water resources plans; and addressing water security, including for energy, food and livelihoods.

The UN Development Programme (UNDP), the World Bank and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) founded the GWP in 1996 to promote IWRM. [Publication: National Stakeholder Consultation on Water] [Consultation on Water]

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