22 March 2012: Two projects from Bolivia and India have been presented with the 2012 UN-Water “Water for Life” Best Practices Award, which recognizes outstanding best practices that can contribute to sustainable management of water resources and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The Award was presented by the UN Office to Support the International Decade for Action “Water for Life” 2005-2015, the UN-Water Decade Programme on Advocacy and Communication (UNW-DPAC), and the UN World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP). The 2012 edition of the Award focused on the theme selected for World Water Day, namely “Water and Food Security.”

The award in category 1 “Best Water Management Practices” went to the initiative titled “Protection of Bangalore Lakes for Posterity – Setting a Legal Precedent for Conservation of Lakes as Commons,” which helped conserve lakes in India and improve food security in local urban and peri-urban communities in Asia. The award in category 2 “Best Participatory, Communication, Awareness-raising and Education Practices” went to four municipalities in the Department of Cochabamba, Bolivia, for their participatory approach to awareness raising among vulnerable groups.

The purpose of the annual Award is to promote efforts to fulfil international commitments on water and water-related issues by 2015. This year, 28 nominations were received in category 1, and six were received for category 2. [UNW-DPAC Press Release] [Award Webpage]