| United Nations |
|
E/CN.17/1998/3 |
Economic and Social Council
Distr. GENERAL
20 April-1 May
ORIGINAL: ENGLISH
Economic and Social Council
Commission on Sustainable Development
Sixth session
20 April-1 May 1998
Activities of the organizations of the United Nations system in
the field of freshwater resources
Report of the Secretary-General
Contents
Paragraphs Page
I. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2 3
II. Nature and interrelationship of the
activities of the organizations of the United
Nations system in the field of water
resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-36 3
A. Water for socio-economic development . . 4-23 3
1. Integrated water resources management 4-7 3
2. Water for sustainable food production
and rural development. . . . . . . . 8-10 6
3. Water supply and sanitation. . . . . 11-15 7
4. Water for sustainable urban
development. . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-17 8
5. Industrial water use . . . . . . . . 18 8
6. In-stream uses of water resources. . 19-20 9
7. Mitigation of water-related natural
disasters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21-23 9
B. Health and productivity of the aquatic
environment and impact on human health
of the degradation of water resources. . 24-29 10
C. Information management . . . . . . . . . 30-32 11
D. Capacity-building to enhance participatory
approaches and improve institutional
and regulatory frameworks. . . . . . . . 33 12
E. Financing of water resources development
and utilization. . . . . . . . . . . . . 34-36 12
III. Strategic responses by the organizations of
the United Nations system. . . . . . . . . . 37-50 12
A. Water for socio-economic development . . 41-43 13
B. Health and productivity of aquatic
ecosystems and impact on human
health of the degradation of water
resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44-45 13
C. Information management . . . . . . . . . 46-47 14
D. Capacity-building to enhance
participatory approaches and improve
institutional and regulatory frameworks. 48 14
E. Financing of water resources development
and utilization. . . . . . . . . . . . . 49-50 14
I. Introduction
1. The present report has been prepared pursuant to
Economic and Social Council agreed conclusions 1997/3,
by which the Council urged the ACC Subcommittee on
Water Resources 1/ to analyse in detail the activities that are
currently being carried out by the organizations of the
United Nations system in the field of freshwater resources,
and the interrelationship between them, and requested the
Secretary-General to prepare a report by the end of 1997,
as an input into the preparatory process leading up to the
sixth session of the Commission on Sustainable
Development .
2. Section I summarizes both the involvement of and
cooperative arrangements among the organizations of the
system. Section II focuses on strategic responses of the
United Nations system to challenges faced by Governments
and the international community in striving towards the
sustainable development and utilization of water resources.
A comprehensive review of cooperative arrangements
among organizations of the system in the field of water
resources was provided in the report of the Secretary-General
on freshwater, including clean and safe water
supply and sanitation (E/1997/70),which was submitted to
the Economic and Social Council at the coordination
segment of its substantive session of 1997.
II. Nature and interrelationship of the
activities of the organizations of the
United Nations system in the field of
water resources
3. The activities of the organizations of the United
Nations system in the field of water resources are
wide-ranging in scope and nature. Table 1 describes the
involvement of organizations in specific aspects of water
resources assessment, development and management, based
on the programme areas of chapter 18 of Agenda 21. The
three main natures of activity are (a) data gathering/analysis
and preparation of studies and reports, (b) organization and
servicing of meetings and workshops and (c) technical
cooperation, including advisory services and field projects.
Table 2 lists current cooperative arrangements among
organizations of the system.
A. Water for socio-economic development
1. Integrated water resources management
4. The Department for Economic and Social Affairs of
the United Nations Secretariat provides support to the
General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council, the
Commission on Sustainable Development, the Committee
on Natural Resources and the ACC Subcommittee on Water
Resources. The Department functions as the secretariat for
the ACC Subcommittee. The Department assists many
countries in their efforts to translate the internationally
adopted water-related programme of Agenda 21 into
country-specific programmes and projects in the context
of both the holistic management of water and the
integration of water sector plans and programmes into the
framework of national, economic and social development
plans.
5. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
activities include assistance to Governments in the
development of integrated river basin management plans
for sustainable water use through its programme on the
environmentally sound management of inland waters, and
through basin diagnostic studies and action programmes for
international river and lake basins. As Chair of the Water
Working Group of the United Nations System-wide Special
Initiative on Africa, UNEP is working to coordinate United
Nations agency efforts to achieve specific social, economic
and environmental goals in the sustainable use of
freshwater resources in the region.
6. United Nations University (UNU) activities in this
area focus on river basin governance and the development
of new water management tools, which includes preparing
detailed assessments of sustainable management challenges
in international river basins. The Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is involved in
the implementation of a number of field projects on
integrated watershed management throughout the world,
many of which include a focus on achieving environmental
stability to protect fresh water resources and satisfy the
demand in both upland and lowland areas. United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO) activities focus on the organization or
facilitation of meetings, conferences and workshops,
including a recent international conference on risk,
reliability, uncertainty and robustness of water resources
systems, a workshop on negotiations on water in areas of
conflict and an envisaged regional workshop on
international river basins. The United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP) funds many projects on integrated
water resources development and management in
all developing country regions. The World Bank also
provides loans and technical assistance to dozens of
ongoing projects in the area of natural resources
management in many developing countries.
Table 1
Involvement of organizations of the United Nations system in the field of
water resources, by strategic management function and nature of activity
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Strategic Data gathering, Organization and Technical
management analysis and servicing of cooperation
functions studies meetings
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
A. Water for
socio-
economic
development
Integrated DESA, ECA, ECE, DESA, ECE, ECLAC, DESA, ECE, ECLAC,
water ECLAC, ESCAP, ESCAP,ESCWA,UNU, ESCAP,ESCWA,UNDP,
resources ESCWA,UNDP,UNEP, FAO, UNESCO UNEP, UNU, FAO,
management UNU, INSTRAW, World Bank
FAO, UNESCO,
World Bank
Water for ECA,ESCAP,ESCWA, ESCAP,UNEP,FAO DESA, ECA, ESCWA,
sustainable UNEP, FAO, WHO, UNDP, UNHCR, FAO
food World Bank
production
and rural
development
Water supply DESA,ECE,ECLAC, DESA,ESCAP,ECE, DESA, ESCAP, ESCWA,
and sanitation ESCAP, UNICEF, World Bank, UNU, UNU, INSTRAW,
UNDP,UNEP,Habitat, INSTRAW, Habitat, Habitat, UNICEF,
UNHCR,UNU,INSTRAW, UNICEF, WHO UNDP, UNHCR, FAO,
WHO,World Bank WHO, World Bank
Water for ESCAP,UNDP,UNEP, ESCAP, UNDP, ESCAP,UNICEF,UNEP,
sustainable Habitat, UNESCO, Habitat, UNESCO, Habitat,FAO,UNESCO,
urban WHO,WMO,World WMO WMO
development Bank
Industrial ESCWA,UNEP,UNU, UNIDO, IAEA ECLAC,ESCWA,UNU,
water use UNIDO,IAEA UNIDO,IAEA
In-stream uses ECA,ESCAP,UNEP, ESCAP, UNEP, DESA, ESCAP, UNDP,
of water World Bank World Bank UNEP, World Bank,
resources UNIDO
Mitigation of ESCAP,IDNDR,FAO, ESCAP,IDNDR,UNESCO, DESA, ESCAP, IDNDR,
water-related UNESCO,WMO WMO UNDP, FAO, UNESCO,
natural World Bank, WMO
disasters
B. Health and DESA,ECE,ECLAC, ECE, ESCAP, CBD, DESA, ECE, ESCAP,
productivity ESCAP,ESCWA,CBD, UNFCCC,UNEP, UNU, ESCWA,UNDP, UNEP,
of the aquatic UNFCCC,UNDP,UNEP, UNESCO Habitat, UNU,FAO,
environment UNU,FAO,UNESCO, UNIDO, WHO, World
WHO, World Bank, Bank
UNIDO
C. Information DESA,ECA,ESCAP, ESCAP,ESCWA,UNICEF, DESA, ESCAP, ESCWA,
management ESCWA,FAO, IAEA, UNESCO, UNU, WHO, FAO,IAEA,World Bank,
World Bank, WMO,UNEP UNICEF,UNDP, UNESCO,
UNICEF, UNESCO, UNEP,UNU,WHO,WMO
UNEP, UNU,
WHO, WMO
D. Financial ECA,ESCWA,ESCAP, DESA, ECA, ECE, Habitat,UNICEF,UNDP,
assistance UNICEF, UNDP, ECLAC,ESCAP,ESCWA, UNU,FAO, UNESCO,
UNEP,UNU,UNESCO, UNICEF,UNDP,UNEP, WHO,World Bank,WMO,
WHO, World Bank, Habitat,INSTRAW, UNIDO, IAEA
WMO, IAEA IDNDR, UNU, FAO,
UNESCO, WHO,
World Bank,
WMO, UNIDO
E. Capacity- ECLAC,ESCAP, ESCAP, ESCWA, DESA, ECLAC, ESCAP,
building ESCWA,UNICEF, UNICEF,UNDP,UNEP, ESCWA,UNICEF, UNDP,
UNDP,UNEP,UNU, UNU, INSTRAW, UNEP, Habitat,
INSTRAW,UNESCO, UNESCO, WHO, WMO, UNU,INSTRAW,IDNDR,FAO,
WHO,WMO,IAEA IAEA UNESCO,WHO,World Bank,
WMO, UNIDO, IAEA
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Table 2
Current cooperative arrangements among organizations of the United Nations
system in the field of water resources, by strategic management function
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Strategic management Major cooperative arrangements
functions (as per report of the Secretary-General on freshwater,
including clean and safe water supply and sanitation;
Report of the ACC Subcommittee on Water Resources on
its eighteenth session and inputs to this report)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Integrated water - ACC Subcommittee on Water Resources: DESA, ECA, ECE,
resources management ECLAC, ESCAP, ESCWA, UNICEF, UNDP, UNEP, Habitat,
UNHCR, UNU, INSTRAW, CBD, CCD, UNFCCC, IDNDR, FAO,
UNESCO, WHO, World Bank, WMO, UNIDO and IAEA
- ACC Subcommittee Working Group on Integrated
Approaches to Land and Water Management: DESA.
FAO, IAEA, UNICEF, ESCAP, UNESCO, UNEP and WHO
- Joint Programme on Integrated Land and Water
Management: FAO and UNESCO
- Interagency Committee on Water Resources in Africa:
ECA and several other ACC Subcommittee members
- Interagency Committee on Water Resources in Asia and
the Pacific: ESCAP and several other ACC
Subcommittee members
Water for sustainable - Effective Planning and Management of Irrigated
food production and Agriculture: FAO, UNEP and WMO
rural development - Technical Consultation on Sustainable Agriculture
and Rural Water Management: FAO, World Bank,
UNICEF, UNDP and WHO
Water supply and - Cooperation and Coordination Mechanisms in Water
sanitation Supply and Sanitation: Habitat, UNICEF and UNDP
- Interagency Steering Committee on Water Supply and
Sanitation: DESA, FAO, IAEA, World Bank,
INSTRAW, Habitat, UNICEF, UNDP, ECA, ESCAP, ECE,
ECLAC, ESCWA, UNESCO, UNEP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNU, WHO
and WMO
- Joint Activities towards Universal Access to Water
Supply and Sanitation in Asia and the Pacific: DESA,
World Bank, INSTRAW, UNICEF, UNDP, ESCAP and WHO
- Joint Initiative on Participatory Methods for
Hygiene Behaviour Change and Sanitation: World Bank,
UNICEF, UNDP, WHO
- Joint Initiative on Prevention and Control of
Water-related Diseases in Europe: ECE, UNEP and WHO
- Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply
and Sanitation: UNICEF and WHO
- Memorandum of Understanding on Water and
Environmental Sanitation: World Bank and UNICEF
- Promotion of Sustainable Water Supply and Sanitation
Programme: World Bank, UNDP and WHO
- Water Supply and Sanitation Programme: World Bank
and UNDP Water Supply and Sanitation Programme in
Rural Areas: DESA, UNDP and UNCDF (United Nations
Capital Development Fund)
- Water Working Group of the System-wide Special
Initiative on Africa: DESA, FAO, IAEA, World Bank
Habitat, UNICEF, UNDP, ECA, UNESCO, UNEP, UNIDO, WHO
and WMO
Water for sustainable - Collaboration on Urban Sanitation Technologies:
urban development Habitat and UNICEF
- Urban Hydrology Cooperation Project: UNESCO and WMO
Industrial water use - Collaboration on Industrial Pollution Prevention and
Abatement Guidelines: UNEP, WHO, World Bank and
UNIDO
In-stream uses of - Global Research Initiative on Ecohydrology:
water resources UNDP and UNESCO
Mitigation of - Implementation of the International Decade for
water-related Natural Disaster Reduction: IDNDR and WMO
natural disasters - Typhoon Committee and Panel on Tropical Cyclones:
ESCAP and WMO
- World Climate Programme/Water: UNESCO and WMO
Health and productivity - ACC Subcommittee Steering Committee for
of the aquatic Implementation of the GPA: DESA, FAO, UNESCO, UNEP,
environment UNU, WHO and WMO
- ACC Subcommittee Water Quality Initiative: DESA,
UNESCO, UNEP, UNU and WHO
- Global Freshwater Quality Monitoring Programme
(GEMS)/Water: ECE, UNESCO, UNEP, WHO and WMO
- Panel of Experts on Environmental Management for
Vector Control (PEEM):FAO, Habitat, UNEP and WHO
Information management - ACC Subcommittee Internet Modernization Project:
DESA, UNU and other ACC Subcommittee member
agencies
- African Water Resources Assessment Strategy: ECA
and WMO Global Information Network on Activities of
the United Nations System in the Field of Water
Resources: DESA, UNU and other ACC Subcommittee member
agencies
- Inter-agency Working Agreement on Water Resources
Assessment: UNESCO and WMO
- Joint Project on GIS Application to Water Resources:
FAO and UNESCO
- Water and Sanitation Monitoring System (WASAMS):
UNICEF and WHO
- World Hydrological Cycle Observing System (WHYCOS):
World Bank and WMO
Financial assistance [ most cooperative arrangements mentioned in this
table involve some financial assistance ]
Capacity-building - 1998 World Water Day Celebration: DESA, UNICEF and
other ACC Subcommittee member agencies
- Joint Initiative on School Water Supply, Sanitation
Hygiene Education: UNICEF and WHO
- Women, Water Supply and Sanitation Training Package:
DESA, INSTRAW, ILO, UNDP, ESCAP and UNICEF
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7. With regard to the regional commissions, the
Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) focuses on the
production of technical documents on options for integrated
water resources management in selected African countries.
The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the
Pacific (ESCAP) has been responsible for several
workshops and seminars, publications and advisory
missions to countries in the region, especially in the area
of integrated river basin planning. The Economic
Commission for Europe (ECE) activities focus mainly on
support for the implementation of the 1992 Convention on
the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and
International Lakes, including providing assistance to
countries with economies in transition for the protection
and management of transboundary waters, integrated
management of water and related ecosystems, and land-based
pollution control. The Economic Commission for
Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) focuses on
promoting policies for establishing or strengthening
institutions at the river basin level and on assistance in the
field of water law. The Economic and Social Commission
for Western Asia (ESCWA) has organized several expert
group meetings and provided advisory services to its
member States, particularly in the areas of optimal
utilization of shared water resources, water legislation and
the impact of water pricing on water demand.
2. Water for sustainable food production and
rural development
8. FAO is currently responsible for about 100 technical
cooperation projects in the area of water for food
production and rural development. Because of the dominant
role of agricultural water use in many regions of the world,
such projects bear a strong relationship to the integrated
management of water resources. Its International Action
Programme on Water and Sustainable Agricultural
Development incorporates broad reviews of national water
sectors, including river basin master planning, management
issues and environmental sustainability, and is the major
FAO instrument for assisting United Nations Member
States in implementing water policies for sustainable
agricultural development and management, as defined in
chapter 18 of Agenda 21. The FAO Special Programme for
Food Security is designed to enhance the food production
capacity of low- income food-deficit countries; the water
sector of this programme aims to provide assistance to
Governments in expanding low-cost, medium-scale and
small-scale irrigation. FAO promotes water-harvesting
techniques in arid and semi-arid areas in order to alleviate
water shortages associated with supplementary irrigation
techniques in crop production. It also executes many field
projects on the use of marginal quality waters, such as
saline drainage water and municipal or industrial
wastewater, and promotes the transfer of small-scale
irrigation technologies for peri-urban areas in developing
countries.
9. The World Bank provides loans and technical
assistance to irrigation and drainage projects in developing
countries and those with economies in transition. UNDP
also funds several ongoing projects on improving water
resources management for agricultural use. UNDP, the
World Bank, FAO and the International Commission for
Irrigation and Drainage are the co-sponsors of the
International Programme for Technology Research in
Irrigation and Drainage, which assists countries in the
identification of critical research and development gaps, the
formulation of research and development projects and the
mobilization of donor support. The Office of the United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
operational activities include the development of
emergency water facilities to meet the agricultural
requirements of refugee communities in such a way that the
level of technology and long-term operation and
maintenance are compatible with the capacity of the
beneficiary communities.
10. ECA is currently preparing a major technical
document on fisheries as a contribution to food security in
Africa. ESCAP recently held two workshops on irrigation
water supply and on pricing policies for urban and rural
water supply, both of which resulted in the subsequent
publication of technical documents. ESCWA is currently
carrying out a study on the development of non-conventional
sources of freshwater resources in rural areas,
including desalination, wastewater reuse, use of marginal
water and water harvesting, and a comprehensive regional
evaluation of progress in the implementation of chapter 18
of Agenda 21, with particular emphasis on sustainable
agricultural production.
3. Water supply and sanitation
11. As secretariat of the Inter-Agency Steering
Committee on Water Supply and Sanitation, the World
Health Organization (WHO) acts as a focal point in the
United Nations system for fostering cooperation in this
programme area. Its water supply and sanitation activities,
both in terms of studies and field projects, focus primarily
on human settlements, basic services, health, water quality
and behavioural change. The WHO Drinking-Water Quality
Guidelines are promoted through regional workshops and
country consultations, while surveillance of drinking water
is supported with training and provision of analytical tools.
The WHO country-based Africa 2000 initiative aims to
accelerate investment in water supply and sanitation in the
region by means of a new partnership between countries
and the external development community.
12. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has
also historically played a leading role in this area, in
particular by supporting the capacity-building of
Governments and communities in over 100 countries in
their efforts to increase the coverage of access to safe
drinking water and environmental sanitation, with a focus
on the rights of the child to a safe environment, safe water
and sanitation for survival, and the protection and
development of children and their mothers. UNICEF has
often used this intervention to mainstream gender issues
and promote the empowerment of women by supporting a
project for women hand pump caretakers, women-managed
water committees, sanitation programmes and micro-credit
schemes for income generation, often in close cooperation
with the International Research and Training Institute for
the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW) and other
institutions. The UNICEF Strategy on Water and
Environmental Sanitation stresses the need for greater
attention to environmental sanitation, hygiene promotion,
development and field testing of the low cost appropriate
technologies for water supply and sanitation, operation and
maintenance centred on vulnerable groups, including the
urban poor, and capacity-building of private
entrepreneurship through training and technology transfer
in the production and marketing of hand pumps, drilling
rigs and other water technologies.
13. UNDP and the World Bank both provide substantial
funds and technical assistance to developing countries and
economies in transition for projects in both urban and rural
areas. The UNDP/World Bank Water and Sanitation
Programme promotes investments in the water and
sanitation sector by supporting communities and
Governments through capacity-building, enhancing the
involvement of stakeholders in the selection, operation and
maintenance of systems, and fostering the involvement of
the private sector, non-governmental organizations and user
groups.
14. The Department of Economic and Social Affairs of
the United Nations Secretariat, in collaboration with UNDP
and the United Nations Capital Development Fund, has
been involved in cooperative efforts to assist developing
countries, particularly least developed countries, in the
management of water supply and sanitation programmes
in rural areas. These programmes are usually linked to
national programmes for poverty eradication, income
generation, enhancing the role of women in economic and
social development, and other developmental efforts. The
United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat),
in collaboration with UNICEF, as well as with a number of
other organizations outside the United Nations system,
promotes the development and use of urban sanitation
technologies to expand access to water supply and
sanitation services for the urban poor. UNHCR water-sector
activities aim to foster a preventive health approach in
favour of the beneficiaries of refugee assistance
programmes throughout the world. INSTRAW is the major
advocate for the role of women in water supply and
sanitation within the United Nations system, and in that
capacity has prepared policy statements for various
intergovernmental meetings, produced two multi-media
training packages on women, water supply and sanitation,
and conducted national, subregional and regional training
seminars in cooperation with the Department of Economic
and Social Affairs, UNICEF, UNDP and ESCAP. FAO
activities in this field are limited to interventions within
integrated rural development initiatives.
15. ESCAP activities in this area focus on the
mobilization of community participation and resources to
contribute to providing universal access to water supply and
sanitation. These activities have been carried out mostly in
collaboration with other United Nations agencies,
particularly the Department of Economic and Social
Affairs, INSTRAW, UNICEF, WHO, UNDP and the World
Bank. Activities in this area have included the organization
of workshops and seminars in the region, in particular four
national workshops on the use of the training modules of
the above-mentioned training package on women, water
supply and sanitation. ECE focuses mainly on support for
the implementation of the water supply and human health
objectives of the above-mentioned Convention on the
Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and
International Lakes. Together with WHO, UNEP and the
European Commission, ECE is preparing an international
instrument on the prevention, control and reduction of
water-related diseases, to be presented to the 1999 London
Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health.
ECLAC activities in this area focus on private participation
in water supply and sanitation and its regulation, including
the provision of advice to countries of the region. ESCWA
activities in this area focus on providing advisory services
to member States, such as, advice to Qatar on the
management of drinking water in rural areas.
4. Water for sustainable urban development
16. The United Nations Conference on Human
Settlements (Habitat II) preparatory process included an
international conference on managing water resources for
large cities and towns, held at Beijing in March 1996 and
organized by Habitat, in cooperation with the Department
of Economic and Social Affairs, UNEP and other United
Nations bodies. The declaration adopted by the Conference
focused on the urgency of undertaking greater efforts to
promote management for improving the efficiency of water
use, as well as the importance of innovative financing
mechanisms and broad-based partnerships bringing together
the public and private sectors and local communities. As
the first major follow-up to Habitat II, Habitat and UNDP,
in collaboration with major African non-governmental
organizations organized an international consultation on
partnerships in the water sector for cities in Africa, held at
Cape Town, South Africa, in December 1997. The
consultation addressed the need for a broad-based
partnership approach to meet the rapidly growing water
demand in African cities. As the focal point for this
programme area within the United Nations system, Habitat
is also involved in other initiatives, such as a project on the
integrated management of urban water resources by
promoting partnerships among local authorities, the private
sector, non-governmental organizations and community
user associations.
17. Activities by other organizations include World
Meteorological Organization (WMO) and UNESCO
initiatives on urban hydrology; the UNEP promotion of
environmental impact assessments of human water use in
peri-urban areas and of environmental technologies
focusing on the water needs of urban areas; and the ESCAP
organization of several workshops and undertaking of many
advisory missions to improve urban water resources
management. Both UNDP and the World Bank fund several
projects with components focusing on sustainable urban
water resources development and management.
5. Industrial water use
18. Current United Nations Industrial Development
Organization (UNIDO) programmes and projects focus on
the design and application of infrastructure for industrial
water use and water treatment in industrial processes;
improving efficiency of industrial water use, including
recycling and conservation; and industrial effluent
reduction. UNIDO acts as a clearing house for information
on industrial water use, and provides assistance in the
manufacture of water supply and treatment equipment.
UNEP is currently working on the development of a
benchmark publication on environment, water and
sustainable development that includes a review of industrial
water use. IAEA activities in this area focus on the efficient
utilization of water for cooling purposes in the nuclear
industry, and on the use of nuclear energy for the
desalination of sea water. ECLAC activities are related to
environmental management in the mining industry.
6. In-stream uses of water resources
19. Both UNDP and the World Bank have funded several
projects involving specific in-stream uses of water
resources, in particular hydroelectric dams, in recent years.
A workshop on the future of large dams jointly hosted by
the World Bank and the World Conservation Union, held
at Gland, Switzerland, in April 1997, brought together
leading experts and major stakeholder representatives from
Governments, civil society, international organizations and
the private sector. As an outcome of the workshop, a two-year
world commission on dams is being set up to assess
the experience of large dams and evaluate their
development effectiveness; develop decision-making
criteria, policy and regulatory frameworks for assessing
alternatives to energy and water resources development;
develop internationally accepted standards for large dams,
including the promotion of best practices; and identify the
implications for institutional, policy and financial
arrangements so that benefits, costs and risks are equitably
shared at the global, national and local levels.
20. The Department of Economic and Social Affairs
provided support for a small-scale hydropower project.
ECA is undertaking a study of the economic viability of
manufacturing turbines and generators for mini-hydro
projects in Africa. ESCAP is implementing a programme
for Asian cooperation on energy and the environment,
which includes a management component focusing on
private sector participation in hydropower generation and
its consequences on environmental quality. UNIDO works
with energy ministries, utilities and private energy
companies to raise awareness of new and innovative ways
of financing more efficient power-generating capacity,
including several hydropower projects worldwide.
7. Mitigation of water-related natural disasters
21. The secretariat of the International Decade for Natural
Disaster Reduction (IDNDR) is involved in the
implementation of its risk assessment tools for diagnosis
of urban areas against seismic disaster projects. The
secretariat also runs annual public awareness-raising
campaigns; the theme in 1997 was "Water: too much, too
little ... leading cause of natural disasters". It also
implements pilot activities to reduce risk of water-related
natural disasters in selected small island States, and as a
task force on floods in Central and Eastern Europe. The
secretariat works closely with WMO to ensure that the
General Assembly and other intergovernmental bodies are
appraised of the importance of establishing and maintaining
appropriate and cost-effective early warning systems. The
findings of two reports on the improvement of early-warning capacities
submitted to the General Assembly in
1995 and 1997 will form the basis for the International
Conference on Early-Warning for Natural Disasters, to be
held at Potsdam, Germany, in 1998.
22. As part of its basic mission, WMO coordinates
national activities for monitoring and forecasting floods and
droughts. WMO works with UNESCO on water-related
aspects of the World Climate Programme, including the
planning of the Second International Conference on Climate
and Water, to be held in Finland in August 1998. As part
of activities related to integrated water resources
management in arid and semi-arid zones, UNESCO is
implementing a project entitled "Coping with water
scarcity", and is organizing an international conference on
drought management, to be held in South Africa in 1998.
Under the aegis of a project entitled "Non-structural flood
control measures to balance risk-cost-benefit in flood
control management in urban areas", UNESCO plans to
develop a real-time urban flood management decision
support system in a pilot basin within the S o Paulo, Brazil,
metropolitan area, and to hold a workshop on non-structural
flood control in urban areas, also at S o Paulo, in April
1998. A document entitled, "Impacts of climate change and
climate variability on hydrological regimes" will soon be
published as part of the UNESCO International Hydrology
Series.
23. The Department of Economic and Social Affairs has
been involved in activities related to integrated flood and
typhoon management for small islands and in projects
dealing with the mitigation of extreme meteorological
events in the South Pacific and the Persian Gulf. ESCAP
work on natural disaster reduction includes the organization
of a major regional workshop, held at Bangkok in March
1997, on appropriate land-use planning and watershed
management to reduce damage owing to water-related
disasters; the publication of a detailed study entitled
"Natural hazards and natural disaster reduction in Asia and
the Pacific"; the annual celebration of IDNDR Day in the
region; and the provision of advisory services to countries
on water-related natural disasters. In cooperation with
WMO, ESCAP continues to support the efforts of the
Typhoon Committee and the Panel on Tropical Cyclones.
FAO assists several countries in the establishment of flood
protection and management systems. The World Bank
provides loans and technical assistance to many projects
throughout the developing world, particularly in the area
of flood protection. UNDP also funds several projects is
this area, including two programmes to save the Aral Sea
and two projects on drought prevention in Ethiopia.
B. Health and productivity of the aquatic
environment and impact on human health
of the degradation of water resources
24. The water quality monitoring programme of the
Global Environment Monitoring System (GEMS/Water),
co-sponsored by WHO, UNEP, WMO and UNESCO,
constitutes the major United Nations system for water
quality monitoring. Global and regional assessments on
water quality have been carried out, including on ground
water quality in Asia and the Pacific and on water quality
problems in the former USSR. A global register of rivers
flowing into the oceans has also been established to provide
pollutant fluxes for more than 400 rivers worldwide.
Institutional support for GEMS/Water data gathering and
analysis is provided by the Global Water Quality Data
Centre and the Global Runoff Data Centre, located in
Canada and Germany, respectively.
25. UNEP, as secretariat of the Global Programme of
Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from
Land-based Activities, facilitates the implementation of the
water quality components of the programme. The
Department of Economic and Social Affairs is collaborating
with government organizations to enhance national capacity
to address the problem of water pollution, by establishing
control measures for major industries and commercial
enterprises, encouraging the reuse and recycling of
wastewaters, and improving agricultural practices. The
World Bank provides significant loans to projects dealing
with environmental protection of freshwater resources.
UNDP also funds many ongoing projects in this programme
area, including three separate projects on reversing
environmental degradation in the Aral Sea and an
emergency water hyacinth reduction programme on Lake
Victoria. UNU has several activities dealing with water
monitoring, including the Asia-Pacific Mussel Watch
programme. UNIDO activities to prevent and control
land-based sources of industrial pollution include the
implementation of a major project aimed to protect and
restore the health of the large marine ecosystem of five
countries in the Gulf of Guinea.
26. The UNESCO International Hydrological Programme
is currently implementing two projects, entitled
"Interactions between river systems, flood plains and
wetlands" and "Comprehensive assessment of surficial
ecohydrological processes". Its project on land/inland water
ecotones also published two major documents on freshwater
biodiversity. The biological diversity of inland water
ecosystems was actually the thematic focus of the third
meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical
and Technological Advice of the Convention on Biological
Diversity, held in September 1997, which put forward
recommendations for a work programme on inland water
biological diversity. With the legally binding commitments
that it contains, the Convention aims to ensure sustainable
maintenance of biological diversity, including aquatic
biological diversity, thereby contributing to the health and
productivity of the aquatic environment. FAO, through its
various activities, aims to ensure appropriate water quality
for optimum crop, fish and animal production, to enable the
safe use and disposal of municipal wastewater in
agriculture, and to protect downstream water sources from
non-point sources of pollution from agricultural activities.
It also conducts activities concerning wetland management
and the control of waterlogging and salinization in irrigated
lands. FAO and UNESCO are jointly responsible for the
implementation of an integrated land and water
management programme aimed to prevent the pollution of
groundwater due to agricultural practices.
27. The disease control and eradication programmes of
WHO, notably its programmes for diarrhoeal diseases,
guinea worm, schistosomiasis and river blindness, as well
as the joint WHO/FAO/UNEP/Habitat Panel of Experts on
Environmental Management for Vector Control (PEEM),
have had a significant impact on the way in which water
resources are being managed in many countries. PEEM is
collaborating with the World Conservation Union in a
project on conservation and resource utilization in selected
wetlands of the Zambezi River basin, and is actively
involved in the promotion of environmental management
for vector control in dams and reservoirs for hydropower
generation. In collaboration with the London School of
Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the United Kingdom
Overseas Development Institute, PEEM is producing
guidelines on urban environmental management for disease
vector control, and is promoting disease vector control
through agricultural extension programmes.
28. The Global Environment Sanitation Initiative, as
endorsed by the Fourth Global Forum of the Water Supply
and Sanitation Collaborative Council, held at Manila from
3 to 7 November 1997, in which ACC Subcommittee
members are taking a leading role, is another good example
of system-wide action to improve the current situation in
the area of environmental sanitation.
29. ESCAP activities in this area include the organization
of an expert group meeting on the protection of water
resources, water quality and aquatic ecosystems, a
workshop on water-related problems in low-lying coastal
areas, the publication of a document entitled "Protection
of water Resources, water quality and aquatic ecosystems
in Asia and the Pacific", and several advisory missions.
ECE involvement in the implementation of the 1992
Convention on the Protection and Use on Transboundary
Watercourses and International Lakes also includes several
activities related to protection of water resources. ECLAC
activities centre on the formulation of alternative
instruments for the management of water quality in
freshwater bodies, and on coastal and estuarine areas.
ESCWA activities include studies on water quality and
water pollution in selected urban areas, and on the
harmonization of environmental standards in the water
sector of its member States, as well as the provision of
advisory services in support of sustainable water resources
management.
C. Information management
30. WMO has taken the lead in efforts to improve the
capacity of national and regional water resources
assessment services, through programmes like the World
Hydrological Cycle Observing System. That initiative is
already under way in Mediterranean countries and southern
Africa, with the support of the World Bank and other
organizations outside the United Nations system, and plans
are well advanced in other regions. Related activities
include the implementation of the African Water Resources
Assessment Strategy adopted by the African Conference on
Water Resources, which was convened jointly by WMO and
ECA at Addis Ababa in March 1995. WMO is also
responsible for several other activities designed to improve
water resources assessment and establish networks of
hydrological observation stations for monitoring the quality
and quantity of both surface and groundwater, including
substantial support for the operation of the Global Runoff
Data Centre at Koblenz, Germany. UNESCO activities in
this area include a project to support international efforts
to collect and process hydrological data; several initiatives
on urban hydrology, such as two projects on surface and
groundwater management in the urban environment and on
integrated urban drainage modelling in different climates;
and a joint project with FAO on the application of
geographical information systems to water resources. In
addition to this joint activity, FAO continues to develop its
statistical global database on rural water use and irrigation,
and has also developed manuals and guidelines to estimate
peak floods and annual runoff of small river basins in
Africa where no hydrological data exist. UNDP funds
several projects is this area, including the Sub-Saharan
Africa Hydrological Assessment, in cooperation with the
World Bank, a water resources information project in
Bangladesh and a groundwater data bank in the Philippines.
31. Through its activities concerning the integrated
management of water resources, the Department of
Economic and Social Affairs provides policy advice to
developing countries for information management. Modern
computer technologies and up-to-date groundwater
software have been introduced and promoted in many
developing countries. The water supply and sanitation Joint
Monitoring Programme, established by WHO and UNICEF,
is primarily aimed at the development of national capacities
for sector monitoring, and as a secondary objective at the
preparation of national and international assessments. IAEA
technical cooperation programme in isotope hydrology
covers a broad spectrum of fields, including applications
related to hydrogeological investigations of groundwater
and hydraulic interactions (including geothermal systems);
applications in surface water systems, including sediment
transport and hydro-engineering problems; and analytical
techniques related to isotope and chemical analyses of
water samples for hydrological applications.
32. ECA is currently preparing an inventory of existing
conventions, treaties and agreements on shared water
resources in Africa. ESCAP has focused its activities in this
area on the introduction of computer applications for the
assessment of water resources in its region, through the
publication of several documents, the organization of
workshops and several advisory missions. ESCWA has
been responsible for several activities aimed at improving
water resources assessment in western Asia.
D. Capacity-building to enhance
participatory approaches and improve
institutional and regulatory frameworks
33. All ACC Subcommittee members are involved, in one
way or another, in various capacity-building activities in
the field of water resources. UNDP technical cooperation
programmes are concentrating their efforts on applying
capacity-building strategies for creating an enabling
environment with appropriate policy, legal and regulatory
frameworks; institutional development, including
community participation; human resources development
and strengthening of managerial systems; and information
networks. The Global Capacity-Building Programme for
Sustainable Water Sector Development, which is partly
funded by UNDP, is designed to produce a process of
capacity-building initiated by a water sector assessment;
a nucleus of officials and specialists trained in sustainable
water sector development; water sector assessment reports,
including planning frameworks; improved cross-sectoral
collaboration; and improved coordination among national
agencies and external support agencies.
E. Financing of water resources development
and utilization
34. The magnitude of the involvement of organizations
of the United Nations system in the field of water resources
can be appreciated from the expenditures on technical
cooperation activities of the two major funding agencies in
the system. UNDP funding to over 121 ongoing water
projects in about 60 developing countries and those with
economies in transition amounts to US$ 192 million. World
Bank loans to 240 water projects (or natural resources
projects with major water components) implemented during
the 1990s in about 80 developing countries and countries
with economies in transition amounted to over US$ 21
billion. In addition, the grants and concessional funds
disbursed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) during
fiscal year 1996 amounted to US$ 37.7 million. Also during
1996, the Project Preparation and Development Facility of
GEF provided US$ 1.9 million for the formulation of seven
projects in this area from the initial concept stage through
final design.
35. Several other major United Nations organizations
involved in the field of water resources, such as FAO and
UNICEF, also provide substantial funds for the
implementation of many projects in their respective core
areas of activity. Between 1994 and 1996, for example,
UNICEF expenditures on water supply and sanitation
activities (excluding expenditure on emergency water
supply and sanitation activities) amounted to no less than
US$ 220 million. In addition, a significant amount of
regular budget and extrabudgetary funds is usually
allocated by ACC Subcommittee member organizations for
activities supporting technical cooperation programmes,
including (a) data collection and analysis; (b) preparation
of studies and reports; and (c) organization of workshops,
seminars and conferences.
36. UNDP is currently involved in the testing of
innovative financing mechanisms in Senegal and South
Africa aimed at attracting loans from local banks and other
credit institutions for community water supply, small-scale
irrigation and sanitation. Local banks are interested
provided that the project generates a cash flow (from
income-generating activities, such as small-scale irrigated
agriculture and cottage industry) and their loan can be
protected from default by loan guarantees from another
bank or fund. Local non-governmental organizations are
involved in order to provide technical and administrative
support to the communities. The World Bank is also
providing increasing attention to programmes that make
formal financial services available to the rural and urban
poor, including consultation with other donors regarding
long-term support and funding for micro-credit
programmes, and financial assistance for the establishment
or support of financial institutions providing credit for
lower-income groups in developing countries. As
mentioned above, UNICEF has also promoted the
empowerment of women through such initiatives as
women-managed water committees and micro-credit
schemes for income generation.
III. Strategic responses by the
organizations of the United Nations
system
37. Given the complexity of water resources issues and
the nature of mandates of different organizations of the
United Nations system, a certain amount of overlap and
even duplication is, at times, inevitable. It is not possible
to have an absolute demarcation of responsibilities. What
is of paramount importance is that the organizations
proceed on the basis of a common understanding of basic
principles and approaches, that they have on-going
information about each other's activities in order to
enhance cooperation and avoid duplication, and that they
increase cooperation concerning country-level activities.
38. The ACC Subcommittee on Water Resources
increasingly provides channels of communications through
its formal sessions, informal communications and various
cooperative arrangements. Additional steps towards
enhancing the flow of information are being taken through
the linking of World Wide Web sites of the various
organizations. In order to improve coordination of activities
at the field level, the members of the ACC Subcommittee
are now initiating a process of organizing a working group
composed of their experts working in the field in support
of resident coordinators' efforts.
39. Because of the role of the regional commissions with
regard to assistance in implementing Agenda 21 within
their respective regions, they can be instrumental in
coordinating system-wide activities at the regional level.
In this regard, the various coordination efforts being carried
out throughout the system, particularly through the
Subcommittee, need to benefit from the regular
participation of the regional commissions.
40. Governments and the international community face
many challenges in the road towards achieving the
sustainable development and management of water
resources. Approaches and issues regarding the activities
of the organizations concerning these strategic questions
are described below.
A. Water for socio-economic development
41. A major challenge facing organizations of the United
Nations system is to assist Governments in bringing about
coherent institutional approaches by outlining a set of
policy and management options based on the principle of
efficiency, equity, participation and sustainability. There
is now a clear understanding of the need to formulate
concerted approaches to integrated water resources
development and management. A World Bank policy
paper, 2/ the general framework formulated by FAO on
behalf of the ACC Subcommittee on Water Resources, 3/ a
report prepared by the former Department of Development
Support and Management Services of the United Nations
Secretariat for the third session of the Committee on
Natural Resources, 4/ and the report of a UNDP international
symposium on a strategy for water resources capacity-building provide a basis
for this common understanding. 5/
42. Notwithstanding the need for integration, the efficient
management of sectoral issues remains essential. Nothing
short of a major international programme, particularly with
regard to environmental sanitation, involving local and
national authorities, the international community, non-governmental
organizations and the private sector, will
suffice to accelerate and sustain the satisfaction of these
basic human needs. The management of water resources for
agricultural purposes remains essential in order to minimize
its wasteful use to control pollution and avoid land
degradation.
43. At the country level, efforts to integrate these
conceptual approaches are evident in such programmes as
the FAO International Action Programme on Water and
Sustainable Agricultural Development. Activities
concerning water supply and sanitation are increasingly
carried out in the context of an integrated approach.
Nevertheless, for the most part, cooperation with
Governments with regard to sectoral issues does take place
in the context of the fragmented institutional arrangements
that exist in countries in which such cooperation is taking
place. Organizations dealing primarily with sectoral issues,
(FAO, WHO, UNICEF, UNIDO) need to work together
with those organizations dealing with broader aspects of
water resources development and management (Department
of Economic and Social Affairs, UNDP, World Bank, FAO
and the regional commissions) in order to ensure support
in the integrated management efforts of Governments. This
can be, and is being achieved, via diagnostic studies
conducted by Governments in order to determine
institutional constraints and remedies, as well as to define
overall priorities, objectives and sectoral requirements.
B. Health and productivity of aquatic
ecosystems and impact on human health
of the degradation of water resources
44. The interrelation between land, water resources, the
health of coastal areas and oceans and the health of
ecosystems is one of the most neglected areas of water
resources management. The existing evidence suggests that
the economic losses resulting from the loss of natural
capital as a result of the degradation of ecosystems and the
loss of human productivity from water-borne diseases often
far exceeds the short-term benefits that may be derived
from development schemes that ignore such consequences.
45. Increased attention is being given by the organizations
of the United Nations system to the close relationship that
exists between land and water development and the
degradation that one can inflict upon the other. Ultimately,
however, the effectiveness of these programmes will hinge
on the extent to which they become an integral part of the
system's concerted efforts in assisting Governments in
devising approaches to the integrated management of their
water resources. These programmes need to be seen in the
light of the support provided to Governments in the
implementation of water-related concerns of the convention
on desertification and drought, biological diversity and
climate change, and the International Decade for Natural
Disaster Reduction, as well as the implementation of the
Global Plan of Action for the Protection of the Marine
Environment from Land-based Activities and the
comprehensive assessments carried out by the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, particularly
its second assessment report (see
FCCC/SBSTA/1996/7/Add.1, 2 and 3), published in 1995,
which includes chapters on hydrology, freshwater ecology
and water resources management.
C. Information management
46. The comprehensive assessment of the freshwater
resources of the world (E/CN.17/1977/9) showed that the
capability to provide accurate water quality and quantity
data is sorely lacking in the majority of countries, and that
for years the capacity of hydrology offices in developing
countries, particularly in Africa, has been declining. For the
most part, knowledge about ground water resources is
inadequate. The assessment also concluded that it is
difficult to obtain reliable, systematic information on water
resources management in most developing countries, and
that there is a scarcity of good data on water use and land
degradation related to water use. The hardship incurred by
national programmes in these domains as a result of
budgetary constraints has been needlessly exacerbated by
a fragmentation of national agencies dealing with water
resources assessment and by the lack of linkages to the
water management process. At the country level,
organizations of the United Nations system need to develop
concerted approaches in order to assist Governments in the
formulation and implementation of integrated information
strategies aimed at maximizing the development and
management value of information.
47. The seriousness of the situation with regard to the
sustainable development and use of water resources
worldwide warrants the periodic re-examination of progress
and trends towards more sustainable pathways. However,
the scope and extent of the analysis undertaken for
comprehensive assessments will continue to be limited by
both the scarcity of reliable information and the absence of
national and international harmonized information systems
and common methods of analysis of information unless
steps are taken to improve the current situation. With regard
to water quality, members of the ACC Subcommittee on
Water Resources are in the process of developing a
comprehensive water quality programme based on a
carefully selected global network of representative drainage
basins encompassing a broad spectrum of environments so
that future extrapolation to unmonitored basins can be
achieved. Given the need for the integration of existing
information systems, the members of the Subcommittee are
also taking steps towards linking various Web sites with a
view to facilitating access to available information and
facilitating the harmonization of methodologies.
D. Capacity-building to enhance
participatory approaches and improve
institutional and regulatory frameworks
48. In view of the ever-increasing complexity of water
resources issues, United Nations system organizations need
to strive towards providing an integrated capacity-building
framework in support of national efforts. National water
sector assessments should thus be considered as a starting
point for the identification of capacity-building needs and
priorities, as well as the definition of capacity-building
programmes, within the broader context of integrated water
resources management. National Governments and United
Nations organizations need to engage in long-term
commitments to facilitate programmes for capacity-building as a steady and
continuing process. Opportunities
need to be taken for the networking of institutions, in
particular for the exchange of experience and capacities
among developing countries.
E. Financing of water resources development
and utilization
49. The enhancement of the effectiveness of United
Nations system support provided to Governments in the
formulation of policies for the generation and effective
utilization of financial resources hinges on the ability of
such support to assist Governments in fostering an enabling
environment that encourages investments from both public
and private sources, and in designing and implementing
pricing policies for cost recovery, efficient allocation of
water and water conservation, taking into account the
country's level of development. This is of particular
significance with regard to financing water supply and
sanitation in fast-growing urban and peri-urban areas, as
well as for the organization of poor rural communities to
enable them to generate the required financial resources.
50. Financial assistance in terms of grants and loans
provided by the organizations of the United Nations system
are and will remain small relative to total requirements.
Nevertheless, in addition to the more traditional grants and
loans, they can play an important role in leveraging
investments from other sources, notably regional banks and
funds, bilateral agencies, non-governmental organizations,
national financial organizations and the private sector,
including commercial banks. Organizations of the United
Nations system can assist and are already assisting
Governments to forge partnerships with the private sector,
in the context of large urban areas and in leveraging
activities in the form of loan guarantees or small loans for
community water supply schemes in small towns, peri-urban
areas and rural communities or for small-scale
irrigation projects.
Notes
1 The membership of the Subcommittee comprises:
Department of Economic and Social Affairs; Economic
Commission for Africa; Economic Commission for Europe;
Economic Commission for Latin America and the
Caribbean; Economic and Social Commission for Asia and
the Pacific; Economic and Social Commission for Western
Asia; United Nations Children's Fund; United Nations
Development Programme; United Nations Environment
Programme; United Nations Centre for Human Settlements
(Habitat); Office of the United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees; United Nations University; International
Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of
Women; secretariat of the United Nations Convention on
Biological Diversity; secretariat of the United Nations
Convention to Combat Desertification; secretariat of the
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change;
secretariat of the United Nations International Decade of
Natural Disaster Reduction; Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations; United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization; World
Health Organization; World Bank; World Meteorological
Organization; United Nations Industrial Development
Organization; and International Atomic Energy Agency.
2 See World Bank, Water Resources Management
(Washington, D.C., 1993).
3 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations,
Water Sector Policy Review and Strategy Formulation: A
General Framework (Rome, 1995).
4 Report of the Secretary-General on institutional and legal
issues relevant to the implementation of water markets
(E/C.7/1996/3).
5 See IHE/UNDP, A Strategy for Water Sector Capacity-Building
(New York, 1991).
_____
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