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UN-Water at World Water Week 2010

The 2010 World Water Week will take place from September 5-11 at Stockholm and once again UN-Water will have an ever-growing presence throughout the week, with its organization and participation in several key seminars, and also at its booth which will contain UN-Water materials and publications, and others by UN-Water members and partners. The theme for 2010 will be "The Water Quality Challenge – Prevention, Wise Use and Abatement". It will be the second year under the niche “Water: Responding to Global Changes”. Full rundown of UN-Water Events at World Water Week World Water Week 2010 Website

General Assembly declares access to clean water and sanitation is a human right

Safe and clean drinking water and sanitation is a human right essential to the full enjoyment of life and all other human rights, the General Assembly declared today, voicing deep concern that almost 900 million people worldwide do not have access to clean water. The text of the resolution expresses deep concern that an estimated 884 million people lack access to safe drinking water and a total of more than 2.6 billion people do not have access to basic sanitation. Studies also indicate about 1.5 million children under the age of five die each year and 443 million school days are lost because of water- and sanitation-related diseases.
Read the full article

More on drinking water and sanitation

World Water Day 2010 website

Vacancy Announcement: Communications Officer UN World Water Assessment Programme

UN World Water Assessment Programme, located in Perugia, Italy, is advertising for the position of Communications Officer. Deadline for applications is 14 September 2010.
View / Download the vacancy announcement (PDF 196 KB)

Water for sustainable urban human settlements

WWAP and UN-Habitat have released a joint Briefing Note 'Water for sustainable urban human settlements' highlighting critical water challenges related to today's unprecedented urban expansion – from providing access to basic services to ensuring environmental and human security. The paper, produced 16 June 2010, provides urban mayors, leaders and high-level decision makers with concrete policy options to meet these challenges, protect against potential water-related disasters and ensure the development of sustainable urban settlements.
Read more
View / Download the Brief

UN-Water GLAAS Report 2010 released

The Global Annual Assessment of Sanitation and Drinking-Water (GLAAS) is a UN-Water initiative implemented by the World Health Organization (WHO). The objective of UN-Water GLAAS is to provide policy makers at all levels with a reliable, easily accessible, comprehensive and global analysis of the evidence to make informed decisions in sanitation and drinking-water.
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JMP Report: progress on sanitation and drinking-water 2010

New WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) report titled: "Progress on Sanitation and Drinking- Water: 2010 Update Report".
Read more

Read DFID press-release

Sanitation and Water for All

UN-Water at the IWA Congress and Exhibition

UN-Water will also be present at the forthcoming IWA World Water Congress and Exhibition, to be held in Montréal, Canada from 19–24 September 2010. As well as its stand, UN-Water is also organizing, with the support of the GWOPA and UNW-DPAC, a development corner dialogue session on “Sharing social tools: building a water operators’ community of practice” (21 September). There will be a discussion of best practices in communication and social awareness campaigns of water operators.

More on UN-Water participation
at the IWA Congress and Exhibition

IWA World Water Congress
and Exhibition Website

Contribute to the
UN World Water Development Report

In an ongoing effort to make the United Nations World Water Development Report more relevant to all of its target audiences, the World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP) is carrying out regular consultations with stakeholders from all fields to identify specific needs or issues and emerging challenge areas.

WWAP have now opened registration to anyone who may be interested in the consultation process. Those who register will be invited to participate in short, targeted surveys during preparation of the fourth edition of the World Water Development Report.

Climate change adaptation
UN-Water policy brief

Water is the primary medium through whichclimate change influences Earth’s ecosystem and thus the livelihood and well-being of societies. Higher temperatures and changes in extreme weather conditions are projected to affect availability and distribution of rainfall, snowmelt, river flows and groundwater, and further deteriorate water quality. Adaptation to climate change is urgent. Water plays a pivotal role in it, but the political world has yet to recognize this notion.

View / Download the Policy Brief

New UNEP / UN-Habitat Report

“Sick water? The central role of wastewater management in sustainable development” not only identifies the threats to human and ecological health and the consequences of inaction, but alsopresents opportunities,

where appropriate policy and management responses over the short and longer term can trigger employment, support livelihoods, boost public and ecosystem health and contribute to more intelligent water management.
Find out more about the Report

View / Download the Report