April 2013: The draft Water Thematic Consultation report is available for comment on the World We Want 2015 Platform. The report features an introduction that situates the global thematic consultation on water within the UN processes and includes sections on each substantive dialogue. The report states water must be a standalone goal in the post-2015 framework, with clear targets and measurable indicators, and should also be recognized in goals on energy, food and health.

The report summarizes the process and outcomes of the online consultation, which took place between November 2012 and March 2013, in three areas: Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH); Water Resource Management; and Wastewater Management and Water Quality. Water had the highest individual page views of the eleven thematic consultations, with 188,207 page views from 52,520 users representing 185 UN Member States. The other consultations had under 80,000 page views. The report also describes face-to-face dialogues held in: Monrovia, Liberia; Tunis, Tunisia; Geneva, Switzerland; and Mumbai, India. The consultation process culminated in a High-Level Meeting in The Hague, the Netherlands from 21-22 March.

The report highlights successes and unfinished business from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), including concerns on inequalities in and sustainability of water services. It states the MDG sanitation target is “the most off track of the MDGs,” with 2.5 billion people lacking access to improved sanitation. The report recommends that the post-2015 development agenda build on the strengths of the MDGs while also addressing neglected and unfinished issues.

On WASH, recommendations include: achieving universal access to safe and sustainable water supply, sanitation and hygiene; and reducing inequalities in access. Water resources management recommendations include: implementing an integrated water resources management (IWRM) approach; improving water governance systems; establishing long-term transboundary cooperation; including IWRM in adaptation, mitigation and resilience strategies; and valuing and protecting water-related ecosystems. Recommendations on wastewater management and water quality focus on reduce, remove and reuse objectives, including: devising and implementing targets to prevent pollution from entering water bodies; and implementing wastewater investments, policies and practices. The report also describes consultations and recommendations on: human rights approaches to water and sanitation; the water nexus; and youth and civil society voices. [Publication: Draft Report of the Post-2015 Water Thematic Consultation] [IISD RS Coverage of HLM] [Global Consultation on Water]