1. What is the purpose of the International Decade for Action, ‘Water for Life’, 2005-2015? The primary goal of the ‘Water for Life’ Decade is to promote efforts to fulfill international commitments made on water and water-related issues by 2015 – a decade of action. Relevant commitments include the Millennium Development targets to reduce by half the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation by 2015. The goal for all countries to stop the unsustainable exploitation of water resources and to develop integrated water resource management and water efficiency plans by 2005 agreed at the Johannesburg Summit is also an important focus of the Decade. A special emphasis is placed on ensuring the involvement of women in these development efforts. Achieving the goals of this International Decade requires sustained commitment, cooperation and investment. 2. What are the central themes for ‘Water for Life’ Decade? Central water related themes include: food, health, environment, disaster prevention, energy, transboundary water issues, scarcity, culture, sanitation, pollution and agriculture among others. 3. Who is responsible for organizing the ‘Water for Life’ Decade? UN-Water is coordinating the ‘Water for Life’ Decade, 2005-2015. UN-Water is the United Nations system-wide inter-agency mechanism of all relevant agencies, departments and programmes involved with water-related issues. The chairmanship of UN-Water rotates and is currently held by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), while the Secretariat for UN-Water is based at the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA). UN-Water was set up under the United Nations System Chief Executives Board (CEB). CEB took steps, through its High-Level Committee on Programmes, to establish or strengthen inter-agency collaborative arrangements in the key areas of freshwater, water and sanitation, energy, oceans and coastal areas, and consumption and production patterns. Among other specific actions taken, UN-Water is the inter-agency mechanism for the follow-up of the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation water-related provisions and the Millennium Development Goals concerning freshwater. The terms of reference and modalities of work of UN-Water cover the elements of a detailed inter-agency plan for addressing water as well as sanitation issues, and include mechanisms for interacting with non-United Nations system stakeholders. >> Access the UN-Water website 4. Who are the UN-Water members? UN-Water is composed of representatives of 29 United Nations organizations. United Nations organizations include those responsible for major funds and programs, specialised agencies, regional commissions, United Nations conventions and other entities within the UN system.
Posted on: Mon, 06 Oct 2014 07:28:50 +0000
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