Freshwater

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About one-third of the world's population lives in countries with moderate to high water stress. The problems are most acute in Africa and West Asia but lack of water is already a major constraint to industrial and socio-economic growth in many other areas, including China, India and Indonesia. If present consumption patterns continue, two out of every three persons on Earth will live in water-stressed conditions by the year 2025. The declining state of the world's freshwater resources, in terms of quantity and quality, may prove to be the dominant issue on the environment and development agenda of the coming century. Source: Global Environment Outlook 2000

Global Assessments

Global Environment Outlook 3 (GEO 3) Web Site. GEO 3 includes a complete global and regional freshwater outlook.

Comprehensive Assessment of the Freshwater Resources of the World
This assessment provides an overview of major water quantity and quality problems with the aim of helping people understand the urgent need to deal with these issues before they become even more serious.

The World Water Assessment Programme This UN-wide programme seeks to develop the tools and skills needed to achieve a better understanding of those basic processes, management practices and policies that will help improve the supply and quality of global freshwater resources.

Global International Waters Assessment
The aim of GIWA is to produce a comprehensive and integrated global assessment of international waters, the ecological status of and the causes of environmental problems in 66 water areas in the world, and focus on the key issues and problems facing the aquatic environment in transboundary waters.

GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT MONITORING SYSTEM
FRESHWATER QUALITY PROGRAMME(GEMS/WATER)
Major activities include monitoring, assessment, and capacity building. The implementation of the GEMS/Water programme involves several United Nations agencies active in the water sector, especially UNEP, as well as a number of organizations around the world.

Announcements

Vital Water Graphics - the United Nations Environment Programme has compiled this report in order to provide an easily accessible resource on the state of the world's waters.

2002 Stockholm Statement: Recommendations from the Stockholm Water Symposia, 1998-2002 . The symposium was hosted by the Stockholm International Water Institute.

Outcomes from the International Conference on Freshwater
3-7 December 2001
The Conference was a preparatory step on freshwater issues for the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development. Delegates considered issues of water access, scarcity, pollution and natural disasters, financing, capacity building, and the equitable and sustainable use of water resources. See the International Institute for Sustainable Development report on the conference, or the conference home page for more information.

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