31 October 2018: The World Water Council (WWC) launched the Spanish and French language versions of its guide for local authorities on planning water-sensitive cities, to mark World Cities Day on 31 October. The guide titled, ‘Start with Water: Putting Water on Local Action Agendas to Support Global Change,’ provides recommendations and case studies of local authorities’ implementation of international policy frameworks, including the SDGs.

The guide, previously available in English and Portuguese, reviews international policy frameworks from the perspective of local authorities, and translates these into actionable outcomes.

Local authorities must actively plan to treat and use water effectively and efficiently.

WWC warns that, with 70% of the world’s population projected to be living in urban areas by 2050, local authorities must actively plan to treat and use water effectively and efficiently, ensure protection against weather-related risks, and maintain water-related ecosystems. Besides the SDGs, the guide refers to provisions of the New Urban Agenda (NUA), the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and the Paris Agreement on climate change. The guide also builds on water-specific frameworks, including the Daegu-Gyeongbuk Water Action for Sustainable Cities and Regions, the Istanbul Water Consensus, the International Water Association (IWA) Principles for Water-Wise Cities, and the Action Framework for Implementation of the NUA.

WWC explains that the guide provides greater clarity on what global development frameworks mean for subnational authorities in terms of water management. The guide provides recommendations that are set out in terms of “action areas” where local and regional authorities can play important roles. There are eight sets of recommendations that address: equity; water-sensitive national and urban planning; legislation and governance; urban water finance; urban water resilience; capacity building (“capacitated cities”); efficiency; and filling the gap in sanitation services.

The guide is published in collaboration with several partners, including the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), and Brazilian government entities at national, district and municipal levels. WWC is a multi-stakeholder platform organization whose mission is to mobilize action on critical water issues at all levels. [Publication: Start with Water: Putting Water on Local Action Agendas to Support Global Change] [Report Webpage With Links to All Language Versions] [World Water Council Press Release] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on Report Launch during World Water Forum 2018]