25 February 2015: A capacity-building workshop on advancing water and sustainable development brought together policy makers and national practitioners from 20 developing countries and countries in transition in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and the Caribbean. Discussions addressed the proposed Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 on “ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all,” seeking to enhance capacity toward integrating water and sustainable development into developing countries’ national development strategies.

Taking place on 24-25 February 2015, in New York, US, the workshop was organized by the UN Division for Sustainable Development (DESA/DSD), with support from the UN Office for Sustainable Development (UNOSD).

Participants identified entry points regarding how SDG 6 and its targets can be mainstreamed into policies and strategies at the national level, including: creating national awareness; enhancing the lessons learned from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for transitioning to the proposed SDGs; and identifying gaps in policy and implementation. They also highlighted key challenges for implementing the SDGs, including: financial and budget allocations; institutional mandates on “who will be responsible and how they will monitor and review the targets;” and human resources development.

Presentations addressed: water accounts and statistics for SDG 6; the universal and equitable access to drinking water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) for all; water use efficiency across sectors; governance, institutions and capacities in the sustainable development agenda; and integrated water resources management (IWRM) and transboundary cooperation.

The workshop also included the launch of the UN University ‘Water in the World We Want’ report. [DESA Press Release] [Meeting Webpage] [IISD RS Story on UNU Report]