31 October 2012: The UN-Water Decade Programme on Advocacy and Communication (UNW-DPAC) / UN International Decade for Action ‘Water for Life’ 2005-2015 (UNO-IDfA) has released an external report assessing its function and role, and providing recommendations on strategic directions.

The report notes that since the inception of the Decade, major changes have happened at both the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) and UN-Water It highlights the declining visibility of the Decade due to the lack of use by UN-Water members of the Decade to “brand” their water related activities. The report underscores the complexity faced by the UNO-IDfA / UNW-DPAC in its activities due to its relationship with UN-Water, UN DESA, and its donors – the Government of Spain, the Municipality of Zaragoza and the government of the Aragon region.

The report formulates recommendations, including establishing a clear chain of command, calling for substantive oversight by UN-Water and elimination of “unnecessary” UN DESA administrative procedures. The report also notes the time-bound nature of UNW-DPAC as a project, ending in 2015, has resulted in justification of maintaining separate UN-Water systems, such as the UN-Water website in Rome, Italy, and UN-Water Activity Information System (UNW-AIS) in Bonn, Germany.

The report presents three scenarios: evolving into a UN-Water support center; working towards a meaningful end in 2015; and maintaining the status quo. It recommends evolution into a UN-Water programme. The report includes sections on: the current situation; general appraisal of the Work Plan 2011-2015; strategic directions; management suggestions; proposed steps; and summary of recommendations. [Publication: Bringing the Message: Review of the UNO-IDfA / UNW-DPAC 2011-2015 Work Plan]