Un-Water

2012 UN-Water Status Report on the Application of Integrated Approaches to

Water Resources Management

G iven the increasing challenges and risks, it is important that the international community supports countries to operationalize integrated approaches that focus on solutions that address country priorities and needs.

The Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development marks 20 years since the historic Earth Summit1 that was instrumental in laying the foundations and charting the course for contemporary sustainable development. This report, based on an analysis of data from more than 130 countries, looks at the issues that pertain to the management, development and use of fresh water resources. Its starting point is in the Earth Summit’s Agenda 21 recommendation for an integrated approach to the management of water resources. It is intended to inform decision-making at the Rio+20 conference and follow-up global policy discourses. It will facilitate information exchange to enhance the coherence and impact of national efforts to improve water resources management and related work of the UN and other external support agencies at country level. Key messages and recommendations 1. Since 1992, 80% of countries have embarked on reforms to improve the enabling environment for water resources management based on the application of integrated approaches as stated in Agenda 21 and affirmed in the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation. To ensure continued progress and positive outcomes in ap plying integrated approaches to water resources management, government and external support agencies should learn from experience and increase their efforts. Implementing integrated approaches to water resources management should remain a key component of future development paradigms. 2. Water-related risks and the competition for water resources are perceived by a majority of countries to have increased over the past 20 years.

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