1 December 2015
UN-Water Proposes 12 SDG Indicators
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UN-Water, the inter-agency coordination mechanism on freshwater, released a set of proposed indicators for monitoring Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6: "Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all." As an observer, UN-Water provides technical input to the Inter-Agency and Expert Group on SDG Indicators (IAEG-SDGs), which is tasked with developing indicators for the SDG targets.

un-water25 November 2015: UN-Water, the inter-agency coordination mechanism on freshwater, has released a set of proposed indicators for monitoring Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6: “Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.” As an observer, UN-Water provides technical input to the Inter-Agency and Expert Group on SDG Indicators (IAEG-SDGs), which is tasked with developing indicators for the SDG targets.

The IAEG-SDGs will report to the UN Statistical Commission (UNSC) at its 47th meeting, in March 2016, with recommendations on global indicators for the 17 SDGs and their 169 targets.

Based on technical consultations, UN-Water updated its proposal for 12 “core indicators” that relate to the first three targets under SDG 6, on: safe drinking water; sanitation and hygiene; and water quality, including wastewater treatment. The UN-Water note, titled ‘Methodological note: Proposed indicator framework for monitoring SDG targets on drinking‐water, sanitation, hygiene and wastewater,’ provides a detailed interpretation of those targets, and discusses possible data sources and disaggregation of data.

The note was released following the UN observance of World Toilet Day on 19 November, when UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon recalled that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development provides a basis for renewed efforts to provide access to adequate sanitation worldwide.

In the lead-up to World Toilet Day, several water-related meetings convened at UN Headquarters in New York: the UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation held its final meeting; the UN General Assembly (UNGA) had a special thematic session on water and disasters; and the Permanent Mission of Singapore to the UN and UN-Water organized a high-level debate on the linkages between sanitation and nutrition.

On 5 November, the global multi-stakeholder partnership Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) announced the appointment of Kevin Rudd, former Prime Minister of Australia, as its Chair, replacing John Kufuor, former President of Ghana. [Publication: Methodological note: Proposed indicator framework for monitoring SDG targets on drinking‐water, sanitation, hygiene and wastewater] [UN-Water Newsletter] [SWA Announcement]

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