26 March 2018: Five global, multi-stakeholder water partnerships – the World Bank Water Global Practice, the 2030 Water Resources Group, the Global Water Partnership, the World Water Council, and the UN Global Compact’s CEO Water Mandate – announced plans to cooperate on water security. Their commitment follows the High-Level Panel on Water (HLPW) forecast of a potential 40% shortfall in water availability by 2030. The five partnerships, which represent business, governments, intergovernmental organizations, academia, and civil society organizations, plan to convene a series of discussions between their leaders, with a view to accelerating progress on the international water agenda. They will organize their discussions starting August 2018.
The groups announced their commitment following their endorsement of the HLPW report titled, ‘Making Every Drop Count – An Agenda for Water Action.’ The UN Secretary-General and the World Bank President convened the HLPW in 2016 to champion better management of water resources worldwide. The HLPW report, released on 15 March 2018, calls for doubling water infrastructure investment over the next five years.
The five groups also recognized the value of SDG 17 on partnerships as an important means of implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The collaboration will also progress achievement of SDGs and targets under: SDG 2 on zero hunger; SDG 3 on good health and well-being; SDG 6 on clean water and sanitation; SDG 7 on sustainable energy; SDG 9 on industry, innovation and infrastructure; SDG 11 on sustainable cities and communities; and on water-related and land-based ecosystems under SDG 14 (life below water) and SDG 15 (life on land).
They announced their partnership on World Water Day on 22 March, as the Eighth World Water Forum (WWF8) drew to a close. [GWP Press Release] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on HLPW Report]