23 April 2013: The first issue of the 2013 UN Chronicle has been released with a focus on the theme of water cooperation. Articles in the magazine address water cooperation in the context of cross-cutting issues such as development goals, women and agriculture, integrated water resources management (IWRM), and private sector involvement.

The Chronicle examines both fresh water and ocean cooperation in articles titled: “The sustainable exploitation of the ocean’s minerals and resources”; “Towards the International Year of Water Cooperation (IYWC) 2013”; “Women and agricultural water resource management”; “Water cooperation to cope with twenty-first century challenges; empowering people through IWRM practices”;”‘Impacts of climate change on coral reefs and the marine environment”; “Water brings together people to create a better planet”; “Collective action – the private sector’s interest and role in collaborating to address water challenges in urban and rural areas”; “Cooperation on water research and education among the universities from the Black Sea region”; and “The Mediterranean Sea – cradle of civilization.”

The articles highlight challenges faced in water management such as: addressing illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in waters surrounding Pacific small island developing states (SIDS), particularly Fiji; addressing climate change; balancing water uses between agriculture, industry, energy, navigation and water supply and sanitation; addressing the gender gap in agricultural water management; managing water stress in transboundary river basins within the Southern African Development Community (SADC); and preserving the environment, including biodiversity in rivers and inland seas.

The articles also highlight a number of initiatives that support or promote cooperation in addressing water management challenges, including the role of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) International Hydrological Programme (IHP), the 1995 Beijing Platform for Action, the Political Declaration and Agenda 21 of the UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), and the outcomes of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD or Rio+20). [Publication: UN Chronicle Volume L, Number 1 2013]