UNEP/DEWA WATER ASSESSMENT STRATEGY
Contributing to the overall implementation of the UNEP Water Policy and
Strategy
March 2004
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Over the past 30 years, a large number of water assessment projects and programmes
have been carried out around the world by different UN agencies. Water related issues
and problems have been at the forefront of UNEP discussions since 1977, and have been
documented in a variety of reports and publications. Water assessment issues are by
definition very complex, as water is unevenly distributed according to human needs and
across different national and regional boundaries.
The goal of all these assessment efforts is to ensure that there is water for all, as
enshrined in Chapter 18.7 of Agenda 21: “To satisfy the freshwater needs of all
countries for their sustainable development”. This puts the onus on UNEP, as the
world’s largest international environmental organisation, to find an appropriate strategy
to meet this goal. UNEP’s primary concern is to deliver to its members the information
they require for policy guidance.
UNEP-DEWA’s Environment Assessment Branch has therefore prepared an appropriate
water assessment strategy within the overall framework of UNEP’s Water Policy and
Strategy. This strategy will enhance DEWA’s role and involvement with ongoing
assessment programmes or projects carried out by UN agencies, collaborators and
governments. For DEWA to provide sufficient and practical information on water
assessments, a review of its present modus operandi is required. In developing a water
assessment strategy, current water assessment programmes and activities been reviewed
to address issues in a more integrated manner. The strategy aims at providing an
integrated water assessment that will tackle fresh and coastal/marine water issues with
greater focus and impact.
DEWA’s activities already cover both freshwater environments and coastal and marine
waters. The department participates in and ensures vital follow up activities to
assessments conducted by GEMS-Water, various groundwater assessment projects, the
GIWA project, and several major global marine assessments. In the past, such assessment
activities have generally been carried out by separate entities with weak interconnectivity.
The current DEWA strategy proposes to address this issue over the next five years by
providing greater technical and information linkages between these organisations and
their assessment activities.
2
INTRODUCTION
4
1 UNEP AND DEWA’S MANDATES AND MISSIONS
6
2 UNEP AND DEWA’S OBJECTIVES AND WATER RELATED ACTIVITIES
7
3 PROPOSED WATER ASSESSMENT STRATEGY WORKPLAN (2002-2006)
13
4 INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS, PRIORITIES AND PARTNERS
15
5 PARTNERSHIPS AND COLLABORATIONS
18
6 MAIN PRODUCTS AND DELIVERABLES
19
7 MONITORING AND EVALUATION
20
ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS
21
REFERENCES
22
3
INTRODUCTION
Importance of Water Issues
At the beginning of the 21st Century, water still remains one of UNEP’s most important
priorities. Adequate amounts of clean water is essential for sustaining life on Earth – and
a precondition for achieving sustainable economic development. Its quantity, quality and
demand remain one of the most pressing international issues. On the world map, water
availability is inextricably tied to its geographical distribution, use status and supply and
it is a determinant of the level of economic development
The changing global status of water highlights the need for regular, practical and reliable
data for use in its management. There is need for a comprehensive global water
assessment strategy that will enhance our understanding of its international status over
the next 25 years. The future projections illustrate the need for radical assessment and
management measures.
Considerable monitoring and assessment work has been carried out over the past 30 years
around the world. This involves UN programmes such as Global Environment
Monitoring System on water (GEMS/water) programme and the UNESCO’s World
Water Assessment Programme (WWAP). UN projects e.g. Global International Waters
Assessment (GIWA) assessment processes like the GESAMP and the Global Marine
Assessment (GMA) process Other organisations involved include NGO's and INGOs,
research institutions and universities both at regional and global level, which carry out
research, water monitoring and assessments.
Water problems its management and governance has been discussed at international fora,
such as;
The UN Water Conference in Mar del Plata, Argentina in 1977; the Global Consultation
on Safe Water and Sanitation in New Delhi in 1990; the International Conference on
Water and the Environment: Development Issues for the 21st Century in Dublin; the
UNCED Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 the World Summit on Sustainable
Development South Africa in 2002, World Water Forum – Tokyo 2003 among others.
Goals for water access and sanitation have been set in the internationally a greed
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Water issues have also been documented in
many reports and publications. Some of these include the GEO 3, A Comprehensive
Assessment of the Freshwater Resources of the World (1997), International Atlas of
Freshwater Agreements and Rio’s Agenda 21 etc.
Though, new assessment and management technologies have been applied and new
strategies adopted problems of water pollution and degradation still persists and, in some
areas are on the rise. This has led to an increasing need for information and data on water
to assist policy-makers and water managers to make informed decisions.
4
The global data collected to date on water quality has substantial gaps in data and
parameter analysis in many countries. In addition, much of this data is not easily
accessible or applicable to clients’ needs in its present form.
The goal of all water assessment efforts has been to ensure that there is water for all, as
enshrined in Agenda 21 Chapter 18.7 “To satisfy the freshwater needs of all countries
for their sustainable development” and the Millennium development goal for water; “ to
halve by the year 2015 the proportion of people without access to a suitable source of
water and sanitation”. This puts the onus on the UNEP, as the largest international
environmental organisation, to find an appropriate strategy to meet this goal. The increase
in environmental problems, including water-related problems, has led to major
restructuring within UNEP and the reorganisation of its divisions so that it can fulfill its
mandate by delivering to its members the information required for policy guidance.
UNEP-DEWA’s Environment Assessment Branch therefore has developed an
appropriate Water Assessment Strategy, which operates within the overall framework of
UNEP’s Water Policy and Strategy. The strategy enhances DEWA’s role and
involvement in ongoing assessment programmes or projects carried out by UN agencies,
collaborators and partner governments. The strategy records and builds upon the
accomplishments of all major water programmes and initiatives.
5
UNEP AND DEWA’S MANDATES AND MISSIONS
1
As the principal United Nations body in the field of the environment, UNEP is mandated
to serve as an authoritative advocate for the global environment.
1.1
UNEP’s general mandate, as laid down in the resolutions of the United Nations
General Assembly and decisions of the UN Governing Council, is to:
 Analyse the state of the global environment;
 Assess global and regional environmental trends; and
 Provide early warnings of emerging environmental issues and threats.
This mandate has been refocused (at the Nairobi declaration on the ‘Role and mandate of
UNEP’ in February 1997) and now also encompasses and prioritises international water
issues. Chapters 18 and 17 of Agenda 21 are devoted to freshwater and coastal and
marine waters, respectively.
1.2
UNEP’s future role: It is envisioned that, by 2005, “UNEP will be the leading
global environmental authority setting the global environmental agenda”.
1.3
UNEP’s mission is “to provide leadership and encourage partnership in caring for
the environment by inspiring, informing and enabling nations and people to improve their
quality of life without compromising that of future generations.”
The Division of Early Warning and Assessment’s mandate and mission enshrine water
issues and support the broader mission of UNEP. DEWA’s water assessment activities
are aimed at addressing water issues (Fresh, Coastal Marine waters) in a more integrated
manner.
1.4




1.5



DEWA’s general mandate is to:
Analyse the state of the global environment;
Assess global and regional trends;
Provide policy advice, early warnings and information on environmental threats;
and
Catalyse and provide international cooperation and action, based upon the best
scientific and technical capabilities available.
DEWA’s mission is to:
Analyse the state of the environment, assess global and regional environmental
trends and provide assessment information products on a timely basis;
Adopt a strategy for raising science and partnerships and bridge the gap between
science and policy/decision making; and
Deliver high quality, scientifically credible and reliable global environmental
assessment products on a timely basis.
6
2
UNEP AND DEWA’S OBJECTIVES AND WATER RELATED
ACTIVITIES
2.1
UNEP’s overall objective on water assessment is to reliably assess the current
quantity and quality of global water resources, to predict possible conflicts between
supply and demand, and to provide a scientific database for rational water resources
utilisation.
Five specific objectives are laid down in Chapter 18.25 of Agenda 21:
i
To make available to all countries water resources assessment technology that
is appropriate to their needs, irrespective of their level of development, including
methods for the impact assessment of climate change on freshwater;
ii
To have all countries, according to their financial means, allocate to water
resources assessment financial resources in line with their economic and social
needs for water resources data;
iii
To ensure that assessment information is fully utilised in the development of
water management policies;
iv
To have all countries establish the institutional arrangements needed to ensure
the efficient collection, processing, storage, retrieval and dissemination of
information on the quality and quantity of available water resources in catchments
and groundwater aquifers, in an integrated manner; and
v
To have sufficient numbers of appropriately qualified and capable staff
recruited and retained by water resources assessment agencies and provided with
the training needed to carry out their responsibilities successfully.
2.2
The objectives of DEWA’s Environment Assessment Branch’s Water Unit
focus on global and regional assessments of fresh, coastal and marine waters and their
environments. The objectives are stated as:
 With partners and collaborating centres, to assess and analyse fresh, coastal and
marine water resources;
 To assess the quality and quantity of freshwater resources;
 To analyse the state of the global and regional freshwater, marine and coastal
environments;
 To assess the main global and regional fresh, marine and coastal environmental
threats, trends and emerging issues;
 To provide relevant information on environmental threats, as well as training and
capacity strengthening;
 To provide the scientific information needed by decision-makers for better
environmental management; and
 To contribute to better management, information and knowledge in ecosystems
and goods for policy decisions.
7
2.3




UNEP’s priority freshwater activities involve:
Building institutional frameworks;
Establishing data systems;
Data dissemination; and
Research and development.
2.4
DEWA’s freshwater assessment activities
The freshwater assessment activities conducted or supported by DEWA fall into seven
broad categories.
2.4.1 DEWA supports global freshwater assessment activities, including GEMS/Water
programme, It makes use of information derived in its global assessments and
early warning publications. GEMS-Water – the UN’s global freshwater quality
monitoring and assessment programme – obtains water quality data from the
water quality programmes of different national governments. It compiles this data
into a global database, GLOWDAT, which is available to other UN agencies and
international organisations that use the data to undertake global and regional
water quality assessments.
DEWA supports GEMS-Water’s assessment and monitoring activities, which involve
collaboration with UN agencies, WHO, WMO, UNESCO, DHI, UCC-Water and
Environment, BGS (UK), Robens Institute (UK) and NWRI (Canada), and the
participation of approximately 60 countries. UNEP’s support to GEMS-Water
Programme facilitates the provision of more qualitative and information on freshwater.
(See http://www.gemswater.org)
2.4.2 Integrated water assessment activities bridge the gap between fresh and coastal
and marine waters. The Global International Water Assessment (GIWA) project is
a four-year (ending 2005 with possibilities for extension) UNEP initiative
supported by GEF, other partners and stakeholders. It makes use of existing
assessments and other available information to provide governments, decision
makers and funding agencies with a quantitative, scientifically accurate
identification and assessment of water issues in the 66 sub-regions around the
world.
2.4.3 In the developing structure of UNEP’s water assessment activities, the GIWA
project methodology is a holistic approach, which incorporates economic, social
and environmental considerations in an integrated assessment of both freshwater
and coastal and marine waters. GIWA’s overall objective is to develop a
comprehensive strategic assessment that may be used by GEF and its partners to
identify priorities for remedial and mitigatory actions in all international waters.
(See http://www.giwa.net/ )
8
2.4.4
Groundwater forms about 70% of all the Earth’s readily available freshwater
resources. Because in most cases it is out of sight, there is a tendency to give
insufficient attention to assessing its condition and monitoring its sustainability.
Efforts to rectify the lack of information on groundwater are being led by
DEWA’s Groundwater Assessment Project on “Assessment of Pollution Status
and Vulnerability of Water Supply Aquifers of African Cities” termed as phase II.
This has been built on the success of the first pilot project – “Urban Pollution of
Surficial and Groundwater Aquifers”, Run in collaboration with IHP/UNESCO,
UN-Habitat and ECA. This is the continuation of a practical attempt to gather
data from areas where there has been scanty or unconsolidated information on
groundwater. This programme aims to perform the following tasks in the selected
citieis:
 Assessment of groundwater vulnerability;
 Identification of ‘hot spots’ and major threats of surficial and groundwater
aquifers;
 Provision of policy options for safeguarding surficial and groundwater
aquifers, including the mitigation of pollution and threats to human health;
 Establishment of a network to provide early warnings on potential
contamination of surficial and groundwater aquifers;
 Hydrogeological modelling of groundwater vulnerability in urban areas;
and
 Undertaking capacity building development.
This phase II is a joint Project of UNEP-DEWA in collaboration with UNESCOIHP as the implementing agency, UN-Habitat and ECA as regional and political
partners. This project is funded from External Funds (Contribution by the Belgian
Government - DGDC - Belgian Development Cooperation) and DEWA and
UNESCO/IHP contribution
Where as phase I covered six (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Mali, Niger
and Senegal) West African countries, phase II includes four new Anglophone
countries i.e. Ghana, Ethiopia, Kenya and Zambia. Its aim is to determine the
status and vulnerability of groundwater supplies in cities of the selected countries,
establish a network for exchange of related information, and develop suitable
methodologies for assessing and monitoring of real and potential contamination of
shallow and deeper groundwater aquifers. In the process, awareness on
groundwater status at all levels will be raised and institutional capacity enhanced.
The findings obtained will form the basis for formulating groundwater use policy
and options for safeguarding and sustaining the resource.
The format for information and data presentation are harmonised and incorporated
into a groundwater website, that includes the four Anglophone countries –
Ghana, Ethiopia, Kenya and Zambia. The information gathered will be available
on the Internet, in publications and reports, as part of the process of establishing
an early warning system. (See
http://www.unep.org/DEWA/water/groundwater/English/GWhmEng/GW_Hmepg
Eng.htm)
9
2.4.6
Global assessment of the vulnerability of water resources
An on going project on assessment of the vulnerability of water resources, has
activities that cover the vulnerability of groundwater and surface water resources
to environmental changes in Africa and shall eventually cover the global scale by
assessing:
 the vulnerability of surface water (quantity and quality) within the
integrated river basin management approach, including the impact of
human land uses on surface waters; and
 the vulnerability of groundwater aquifers (quantity and quality),
particularly in groundwater dependent cities (case studies).
These activities should be realistically achievable within one year (2004-2005),
and should provide inputs for water resources vulnerability assessments for
inclusion in GEO-4 publication.
The River Basin Information System (RBIS), is designed to generate quantitative
indicators of ecosystem health and function in the face of environmental change.
Using a common framework and methodology, the RBIS track the changes in a
variety of global, continental, regional, river basin and country indicators, thus
providing a framework to perform comparative broad-scale assessments and to
improve national natural resources management.
The RBIS prototype will be upgraded and populated with data and information
initially to track changes in water resources in selected river basins in Africa.
Natural, Socio-economic and demographic changes that cause water resources
vulnerability will be tracked. Later on it will be used to track changes at global
scale and challenges to natural resources on a global scale, focusing on key river
basins and a subset of relevant data themes derived from the TYGRIS (Typology
of Global River Systems) toolbox. It is a precursor and guide to the development
of
a
more
advanced
and
expanded
system.
(See
http://www.watsys.sr.unh.edu/rbis-unep/).
2.4.7 Data generated on fresh, coastal and marine waters is used in the Global
Environment Outlook (GEO) process launched by UNEP in 1995. Coordinated by
a team at DEWA headquarters in Nairobi, GEO’s activities are based on
collaborative efforts involving and supported by a wide range of partners around
the world. The open-ended project, which provides comprehensive, integrated,
policy-relevant assessments of the global environment, consists of a global
assessment process incorporating regional views and perceptions, and building
consensus on priority issues and actions through dialogue between policy-makers
and scientists at regional and global levels. The core of the process is a network of
‘collaborating centres’, consisting of multidisciplinary institutes with a regional
outlook that work at the interface between science and policy.
10
2.5
DEWA’s coastal and marine assessment activities
The coastal and marine assessment activities conducted or supported by DEWA can be
broadly grouped into three categories.
2.5.1
2.5.UNEP has for many years been actively involved in the activities of the Joint
Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection
(GESAMP). Founded in 1967 by a number of UN agencies, including UNEP,
FAO, UNESCO, WHO, IMO and IAEA, GESAMP had the following aims:
 To prepare periodic reviews and assessments of the state of the marine
environment and to identify problems and areas requiring special
attention; and
 To provide independent advice to its sponsoring agencies on the scientific
aspects of marine environmental protection.
The reports produced by GESAMP were based on assessments and analyses of
data and information available in open scientific literature, in regional reports1, or
from reliable sources, including national governments. The group does not carry
out any field or laboratory research, or monitoring/observation programmes. The
role and responsibilities of GESAMP have been reviewed, by an evaluation team
and several recommendations made with regards to its future. (See
http://gesamp.imo.org/ )
These activities provided vital information for assessing the state of the global
marine environment. Some of their main outputs were:
 A World Atlas of Coral Reefs;
 Internet based databases on coral reefs;
 Global assessments on the status of coral reefs; and
 Enhanced networking for better management and implementation of
environmental publications, eg. Status Report of the Dugong, Dugong
Action Plan, IUCN, UNEP-WCMC, DEWA, published in collaboration
with IUCN, James Cook University (JCU), Townsville, Australia. (See
http://www.unep.org/dewa/reports/dugongreport.asp )
The UNFIP project on the UN Atlas of the was published with direct inputs from
UNEP-DEWA. (See http://www.oceansatlas.org/ )
2.5.2
DEWA is providing essential follow-up to the GC 22/I/II decision on the Global
Assessment of the State of the Marine Environment – a contribution into the
general UN GMA overseen by UNDOALOS. This was arrived at from a process,
which began from the Reykjavik meeting held in Iceland, in September 2001.
This was followed by a technical workshop held in Bremen, Germany, from
1
Assessment reports produced in the framework of regional seas agreements and programmes are a
particularly valuable source of data for the preparation of GESAMP's global assessments of the state of the
marine environment.
11
March 18-20, 2002 to elaborate on the key objectives at Reykjavik. At the
Bremen meeting, a practical framework for developing an assessment process
was defined. For the final report and main recommendations of the Bremen
meeting, see http://www.unep.org/dewa/water/MarineAssessment/
A module for Assessment of Coastal and Marine Environment within a GEO
framework (Coastal & Marine Environment) will be pursued. This module will
involve GEO, MA & GIWA at global and regional levels respectively.
2.6
Looking ahead
Over the coming three years, it is proposed that UNEP-DEWA should focus its efforts on
the following:

Focus on global freshwater vulnerability assessments with the development of a
modular approach touching on;
 Surface and groundwater assessments;
 International Freshwater Agreements including regional approaches;
 Rural and Urban groundwater assessments; and
 Groundwater quantity and abstraction assessments.
 Focus on the completion of GIWA and MA
 Focus on Catchment Approach – involving integrating River Basin Assessment
including interaction with the Coastal areas
 Make use of the River Basin Information System (RBIS) for real – time data in
assessment and management
 Implementation of UNEP decision GC 22/1/II, the global assessment of the state
of the marine environment, as a contribution from UNEP to the overall process
 Development of the “Module for the Assessment of Coastal and Marine
Environment” within its GEO framework as part of reorganizing in-house
activities on coastal and marine assessments.
 Capacity building activities related to freshwater, coastal and marine assessments
in developing countries.
12
3
1
2
PROPOSED WATER ASSESSMENT STRATEGY WORKPLAN (2002-2006)
Activities
Objective
Within the framework of
the global freshwater
vulnerability assessment
programme:
Development of
Integrated River Basin
Assessment and
interaction with coastal
areas (‘Catchment
Approach’) and further
development on the
RBIS Prototype
Priority 1
Global Groundwater
Vulnerability
Assessment:
 Groundwater quantity
assessment &
abstraction
 Urban groundwater
vulnerability
assessment
 Rural groundwater
vulnerability
assessment
Carry out integrated water
resource assessment using
DPSIR approach and other
relevant models:
Land/degradation
Assessment of
groundwater vulnerability
with areas of major
concern and major threats,
trends and emerging issues;
establishment of an early
warning mechanism
Major Outputs/
Results/Productions
Timeframe /
Period
Global report water
Year 1
resource vulnerability (2004 and crosscutting
05)
issues. Input to Water
Portal
Responsibility & Potential
Partners
Funding (US
$) & Staff
IGBP, WRI, GEMS/Water
and collaborating
institutions, UNEP
Divisions, Oregon State
University, University of
New Hampshire, DHI –
UCC Water – Denmark,
African Academic institutes
e.g. Universite de Abomey
Calavi (UAC), UCAD and
sub-regional NGOs e.g.
CEDARE and PASS/START
Part time
P-3 Post and
Consultant.
Global report with
three main foci:
BGS, NWRI and
collaborating with,
UNESCO/IHP, , IGRAC,
GEMS/Water and
collaborating institutions,
IGBP
Modular approach
Part time P3
Post & intern
Consultant.
Groundwater
Abstraction;
Year 1
(200/4)
Urban Groundwater,
(in collaboration with
UNEP-UNESCOUN-HABITAT
project);
Year 2
(2004/5)
13
~ 100,000 /yr
~ 100,000/yr
Rural Groundwater.
Priority 2
3
4
5
GIWA Backstopping and
follow-up
GC 22/1 II follow-up
Support to global
harmonisation of
assessment methodology
with a focus on the
global marine
environment
Global International
Waters Assessment
Assessment of global
coastal and marine
environment
Inputs to coastal/marine
assessments
Status reports and
methodological
guidelines
development, subregional assessment
reports, etc.
Consideration of a
global survey on
global marine
assessment major
activities.
Reports on
methodological
guidelines
development.
Year 3
(2005/6)
Year 1
(200405
Year 1
(200405
Year 1
(2002/
2003)
GIWA Core Team & DHI,
plus UNEP divisions.
~ 20,000/yr*
GIWA, GPA, UNEP
divisions, marine institutions,
IOC, CBD,FAO and others,
including UNEP-WCMC,
UNDUALOS
UNEP divisions and UNEPWCMC.
Note: All UNEP’s divisions have been considered (DEWA, DEPI, DPDL, UNEP-GEF, DEC, ROA, DRC, etc.).
* Depending upon the availability of funds.
14
P2 Post &
P2
~ 50,000
P2
~ 10,000
4
INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS, PRIORITIES AND
PARTNERS
4.1
Institutional arrangements
The aforementioned activities have thus far been carried out in separate categories or
entities, and their interconnectivity remains weak. However, in reality, what impacts river
basins also affects the oceans, seas and lakes that they empty into.
For the DEWA Global Water Assessment strategic framework to succeed, institutional
arrangements, partners and priority areas should be refocused to deal with fresh, coastal
and marine water assessment issues in a more integrated and holistic manner. UNEPDEWA’s inter-divisional linkages (with, for example, DPDL, DEC, DEPI, and the
UNEP/GEF Coordination Office) and links with other UN agencies, collaborators and
member countries involved in water assessments should all be strengthened. An initial
effort aimed at developing and strengthening these ties could be made through bi-annual
meetings initiated by UNEP.
To ensure that the relevant environmental perspectives implied in the strategy are fully
considered in inter-governmental policy discussions on freshwater resources, UNEP must
work closely with the United Nations - Water, as well as its partner UN agencies.
Coordination of UNEP’s water-related activities will be strengthened at the regional level
through UNEP outposted offices and existing regional mechanisms. The role of UNEP in
this regard includes fostering and brokering partnerships between governments and other
major stakeholders.
Within UNEP, the Division of Policy Development and Law is currently coordinating inhouse meetings on water-related policy issues. To help UNEP identify emerging water
issues and to provide independent policy advice on a continuous basis, we should in due
course establish a high-level advisory board for water-related issues.
4.2


4.3

The role of UNEP-DEWA in its Water Assessment Strategy should include:
Assisting governments, upon request, to address the water-related assessments
and problems identified by GEO 3, GIWA, GEMS/Water and other relevant
findings from programmes or projects;
Assisting developing countries, including those with economies in transition, to
adequately address freshwater issues, by determining what can be done, who
should do it, and how it should be done in partnership with stakeholders, through
a reinforcement of local institutions and their capacity.
The priorities of UNEP-DEWA’s assessment activities should include:
Filling information and knowledge gaps by assisting developing countries’
governments to create databases and web sites touching on fresh, coastal and
marine waters assessments;
15




4.4


4.5




4.6






Promoting the integrated assessment and sustainable development of marine and
coastal areas and associated river basins and their living aquatic resources;
Facilitating assessments of the water in river basins and the coastal and marine
environment;
Monitoring, reviewing and analysing policy responses to existing and emerging
water issues; and
Strengthening consultations, coordinating networking, and promoting dialogue
with various stakeholders in shared river basins and coastal and marine
environments.
UNEP-DEWA’s assessment of fresh, coastal and marine waters will achieve
greater global understanding by:
Supporting the efforts of governments in their preparation and implementation of
the integrated management of freshwater systems and their related coastal and
marine environments; and
Providing support to the preparation of integrated assessments and local
environmental programmes based upon the assessment results.
The focal areas of UNEP-DEWA’s Water Assessment Strategy should be:
Freshwater scarcity, quantity and quality;
Aquatic biodiversity, services, benefits to ecosystem functioning, and relationship
with fisheries and aquaculture;
Water use and management planning in harmony with economic and social
development; and
The transfer of knowledge and technology for integrated water assessments.
The expected outputs of the Water Assessment Strategy should be:
Annual global assessments of major priority aquatic ecosystems (river and lake
basins, large marine ecosystems, and aquifers) in order to develop policy
responses;
Environmental data for global assessment in collaboration with other partners;
Identification of priority fresh, coastal and marine water environmental problems
and their underlying causes;
Water assessment strategies and tools for environmental management;
Active support for the development of agreed guidelines and programmatic
approaches to existing regional mechanisms for the environmental assessment and
management of freshwater, coastal and marine resources; and
Development of new and innovative approaches and mechanisms for assessing
and managing the aquatic environment and its associated resources.
4.7
The Water Assessment Strategy should include UNGC Decision 6/1 on
‘strategic approaches to freshwater management’, which covers modes of conducting
freshwater assessments. The decision states that “there is a need to carry out systematic
collection and analysis of information”, and requires that collaborating UN agencies like
FAO, UNIDO, WHO, WMO, UNESCO, UNDP, the World Bank and other relevant UN
16
bodies and NGOs “strengthen their efforts towards a comprehensive assessment of
freshwater resources”. Should GIWA be transformed into a programme, its methodology
could be adapted to enable it to play a pivotal role in coordinating fresh, coastal and
marine water assessments.
17
5
PARTNERSHIPS AND COLLABORATIONS
The key partners of the UNEP-DEWA Water Assessment Strategy will each in their own
individual capacity and within a suitable coordination mechanism fulfil the objectives
and tasks mentioned above to produce the expected results. The proposed key partners of
the Water Assessment Strategy are presented in the following table.
Key partners
Roles
GEMS/Water and other
key institutions,.
NWRI Environment
Canada
Water quality assessment and
monitoring
Water quality and quantity
database, management tools,
assessment
Analytical water quality
assurance, capacity building
Groundwater quality and
quantity
Global runoff data centre, global
hydrological data, water quality
Conservation and sustainable
use of living resources in marine
and fresh waters
Oceanography
DHI-UCC Water,
Denmark
BGS
GRDC, Germany
UNEP-WCMC
FAO, IOC/UNESCO,
CBD
WWAP/UNSECO
WRI
International
Groundwater Resources
Assessment Centre
(IGRAC) with
UNESCO
IUCN
IGBP/Loicz/BAHC
River basins and water quantity
and quality
Assessment of groundwater
quality and quantity
Freshwater and marine
mammals
Hydrology and integrated RBM
18
Level of contribution
to UNEP-DEWA’s
activities
Major
Geographical
scope
Major
Global
Major
Global
Major
Global
Major
Global
Major
Global
Major
Global
Major
Major
Global
Global
Partner
Global
Partner
Global
Major
Global
Global
6
MAIN PRODUCTS AND DELIVERABLES
The main outputs and products of UNEP’s Water Assessment Strategy will include:
 Regular high quality international reports, including databases and maps on water
quality and quantity;
 Integrated global assessments employing the river basin approach;
 Timely global water assessment reports, available in PDF format, through UNEP
water portals and on CD/ROM, at least annually;
 Global water assessment models for measuring water quality and quantity,
covering different regions and sub-regions;
 Regular inclusion of updated global maps and databases on the Internet, and
reports with appropriate software tools;
 Annual water assessment reports, which can feed into GEO, WRI and Early
Warning reports;
 Reports of major conferences on water issues;
 Public awareness materials, publications on groundwater issues and
methodologies, reports on marine assessments (See
http://www.unep.org/water/groundwater/ and http://www.unep.org/dewa/water/marineassessment/).
19
7
MONITORING AND EVALUATION
7.1
Regular reviews will be conducted and published on the progress made or
required to meet the objectives of the various components of freshwater, coastal and
marine assessments.
20
Abbreviations and Acronyms
ACC
BGS
DEWA
DHI, Denmark
FAO
ECA
GEF
GEMS/Water
GEO
GESAMP
GIWA
GLOWDAT
DEC
DEPI
DPDL
GRDC
GWP
GWPF
ICSU
IETC, Japan
IGBP
IGO
IGRC
IHP
ILEC
IMO
IOC
IUCN
JCU
MMAP
NGO
NWRI
UNCED
UNCHS habitat
UNDP
UNIDO
UNEP
UNEP-WCMC
UNESCO
UNFIP
USEPA
USGS
WHO
WRI
WMO
WWAP
Administrative Committee on Coordination
British Geological Survey
Division of Early Warning and Assessment
Danish Hydrological Institute
Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations
Economic Commission for Africa
Global Environment Facility (of the World Bank)
Global Environment Monitoring System /Water
Global Environment Outlook
Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental
Protection
Global International Waters Assessments
Global Water Database (GEMS/Water)
Division of Environmental Conventions
Division of Environment Policy Implementation
Division of Policy Development and Law
Global Runoff Data Centre
Global Water Partnership
Global Water Partnership Forum
International Council of Scientific Unions
International Environment Technology Centre, Japan
International GeoBiosphere programme
Inter-Governmental Organisations
International Groundwater Resources Centre
International Hydrological Programme
International Lake Environment Committee
International Maritime Organisation
Inter-governmental Oceanographic Commission
World Conservation Union
James Cook University
Marine Mammal Action Plan
Non Governmental Organisation
National Water Research Institute (Canada)
United Nations Conference on Environment and Development
United Nations Centre for Human Settlements
United Nations Development Programme
United Nations Industrial Development Organisation
United Nations Environment Programme
World Conservation Monitoring Centre
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation
United Nations Fund International Programme
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
United States Geological Society
World Health Organisation
World Resources Institute
World Meteorological Organisation
World Water Assessment Programme
21
References
Briefing notes - Division of Environmental Information, Assessment and Early Warning,
UNEP, August 2000.
Carmen Revenga, Jake Brunner, Norbert Henninger, Ken Kassem and Richard Payne,
Pilot Analysis of Global Ecosystems Freshwater Systems, World Resources Institute
Washington, DC, 2000.
CSD, Comprehensive Assessment of the Freshwater Resources of the World, UNEP,
1997.
Gleick P.H., Water in Crisis: A Guide to the World’s Freshwater Resources, Pacific
Institute for studies in Development, Environment and Security, Stockholm Environment
Institute, Oxford University Press, 1993.
Gunilla Bjorklund, GeWa Consulting, Sweden Johan Kuylenstierna, ERM Dynamo,
Sweden, Sustainable Freshwater Development, Factors Influencing Water and
Development since the Rio Conference, 1992.
Tolba K. Mustafa, Saving Our Planet: Challenges and Hopes, 1992, Pg. 50.
UNEP, The Pollution of Lakes and Reservoirs, Pg. 6, Environment Library No. 12, 1995.
UNEP, Agenda 21, Chapter 18 - Protection of the Quality and Supply of Freshwater
Resources: Application of Integrated Approaches to the Development, Management and
Use of Water Resources, 1992.
UNEP DEWA, Newsletter Issue No. 1, July 2001.
UNEP Water Policy & Strategy, May 2001, Pg. 5.
22