The United Nations World Water Development Report
The United Nations World Water Development Report (WWDR), is the UN-Water flagship report on water. It is a comprehensive review that gives an overall picture of the state, use and management of the world’s freshwater resources and aims to provide decision-makers with tools to formulate and implement sustainable water policies.
From 2003 till 2012, the WWDR was produced and released every three years following a comprehensive approach. As a result of a Global Stakeholder Survey in 2012, UN-Water decided to change the periodicity of the WWDR into an annual production with a thematic focus on different strategic water issues. The content produced for the WWDR serves as basis for the celebrations of World Water Day (22 March) and related discussions throughout the year.
Through a series of assessments, the Reports provide a mechanism for monitoring changes in the resource and its management and tracking progress towards achieving targets, particularly those of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Reports also offer best practices as well as in-depth theoretical analyses to help stimulate ideas and actions for better stewardship in the water sector.
This authoritative publication is the result of a highly concerted process among partners and members comprising UN-Water under the coordination of WWAP.
Foundation of the Report
The WWDR was founded in response to a call from the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) to produce a UN system-wide periodic global overview of the status (quantity and quality), use and management of freshwater resources.
In 2015, countries adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Universal, inclusive and indivisible, the Agenda calls for action by all countries to improve the lives of people everywhere, and achievement of a large number of the SDGs is dependent upon the access to safe and sufficient water. In effect, the progress of a country towards the SDGs can partly be measured by assessing that country's water situation.
As such, the WWDR is part of an ongoing worldwide assessment project to measure progress towards achieving the goals of sustainable development set out by the United Nations. It belongs to a lineage of commitments and efforts made in the international community to resolve the world's water problems, an effort that dates back several decades.
The WWDR seeks to answer the questions being asked by the international community: how far have we come towards meeting the targets of sustainable development? How far have we yet to do? What actions can we take to make the path smoother, and faster? In today's changing world, the Report takes stock of past actions, present challenges, and future opportunities in order to provide decision-makers with up-to-date, reliable information that can help to change the ways in which we use water.
The Targeted Audience
The WWDR is targeted to all those involved in the formulation and implementation of water-related policies and investment strategies, as well as to professionals at all levels. Although it offers a broad global picture, it focuses particularly on the situation in developing countries, where the need for better infrastructure and water governance is highest. With the report, WWAP is aiming to show where systems are failing, and to provide the information needed for efficient and effective capacity-building throughout the world.
Gender Mainstreaming
WWAP has been a leader in mainstreaming gender into all of its projects and publications, such as the World Water Development Reports. The Advisory Group on Gender Equality was created in 2010, with the aim of assisting WWAP in implementing gender equality considerations in its products, in particular in the World Water Development Reports (WWDR). The group provides guidance and feedback on the implementation of the gender mainstreaming in WWAP publications and is comprised of experts from all over the world.
More about WWAP's Gender Activities
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