15 October 2012: UN-Water has released the October issue of its newsletter, which features stories on the new format of the World Water Development Report (WWDR), an interview with Olcay Ünver, coordinator of the World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP), and the results of a global survey on UN-Water publications and the WWDR.

Following a review of the WWDR process, the WWDR will become an annual report with a different thematic focus each year. The report will include annexes on relevant case studies and data, and will be approximately 100-page long. A synthesis report on the status and trends of water resources, as well as a summary of previous WWDR and other UN-Water publications findings will be published every fifth year. The first annual WWDR, to be published in 2014, will address “Water and Energy,” which is also the theme of the 2014 World Water Day campaign.

In his interview, Ünver describes the WWDR4 “Managing Water under Uncertainty and Risks,” released in March 2012, and the WWDR format, scope and structural changes. He indicates that the main message of the WWDR4 is that “water underpins all aspects of development,” underscoring the need for “a coordinated approach to managing and allocating water across competing sectors to meet multiple goals.” Noting the connections between energy and water, Ünver underlines that WWDR5 aims to increase awareness among actors in both the energy and water sectors on efficient and integrated water uses for energy and vice versa.

The global survey results, representing over 1,100 respondents in 150 countries, illustrate that 96% of respondents supported the continued production of the WWDR, with the majority of respondents recommending a more frequent, focused and shorter report. These preferences were used to guide the new WWDR format. [Publication: UN-Water Newsletter 15] [Publication: WWDR4 “Managing Water under Uncertainty and Risks”]