Key lessons from the WWDR for the region

UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP) 22 March 2019
LEAVING NO ONE BEHIND
The United Nations
World Water Development Report 2019
Stefan Uhlenbrook, prof. dr.
Coordinator UNESCO WWAP, Perugia, Italy
Improved water resources management and
access to safe water and sanitation for all is
essential for eradicating poverty, building
peaceful and prosperous societies, and
ensuring that ‘no one is left behind’ on the
path towards sustainable development.

The human rights to water and sanitation
On 28 July 2010, the United Nations
(UN) General Assembly adopted a
historical resolution recognizing
“the right to safe and clean drinking
water and sanitation as a human
right that is essential for the full
enjoyment of life and all human
rights” (UNGA, 2010, para. 1).

Basic drinking water
Basic sanitation services
Billions are being left behind in access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) (1/3)

*People affected are defined as those requiring immediate assistance during a period of emergency; this may include displaced or evacuated people.
Source: Adapted from PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (2018, p. 14). Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0).
Average annual impact from inadequate drinking water and sanitation services, water-related disasters, epidemics and earthquakes, and conflicts
US$30
billion
No data
Economic damage
People killed
People affected*
Water-related
Drought Flooding
ConflictEarthquake and
epidemies
No data US$5.4
billion
US$31.4
billion
55 millionNo data 106 million 6 million 65 million
56 000 75 000
(war deaths)
6 000780 000
(deaths from
diarrhoea and cholera)
1 100
Inadequate water
and sanitation

Population growth (1/2)
Drivers and consequences
of poverty and discrimination (1/5)

Population growth (2/2)

Urbanization (1/2)

Urbanization (2/2)

Extreme poverty

Affordability of water supply and sanitation –
the situation in Europe
OECD, 2010

Income inequality

Income inequality
of poverty and discrimination

Income inequality – the situation in Europe
EUROSTAT,
2018

Income inequality (Gini coefficient) – the
situation in Europe
Krstić, 2016

Education and employment

Education and employment – the situation in Europe
JMP, 2018

Who is being ‘left behind’?

Urban Settings

Rural poverty

Refugees and forcibly displaced people

Walking
the Walk

Funding gap in WASH
Socio-economic dimensions:
Funding and financing (1/4)
gap

Multiple benefits for vulnerable groups

WASH makes good socio-economic sense

Funding sources
Subsidies
Structured tariffs
Blended finance
National government
Official development assistance
(ODA)
Commercial finance
Private sector

Good Governance: The ‘invisible’ part of the water cycle
Human Rights
Based Approach

Takeaway messages
1. Access to safe, affordable and reliable drinking
water and sanitation services are basic human
rights.
2. Billions are being left behind in terms of access to
water and sanitation.
3. The wealthy generally receive high levels of service
and often at very low price, while the poor often
pay a much higher price for a service of similar or
lesser quality.
4. Ensuring that water is affordable to all requires
policy recommendations tailored to specific target
groups.
5. Equitable access to water for agricultural
production, particularly for supplemental irrigation,
can make a difference for farmers’ livelihoods.
6. Mass displacement can strain water-related
services for both existing populations and new
arrivals, creating inequalities and potential conflicts.
7. Investing in water supply and sanitation in general,
and for the vulnerable and disadvantaged in
particular, makes good economic sense.
8. Good governance overcomes vested interests and
exclusionary practices.

Coda
Improved water resources management and access
to safe water and sanitation for all is essential for
eradicating poverty, building peaceful and
prosperous societies, and ensuring that ‘no one is
left behind’ on the road towards sustainable
development.
These goals are entirely achievable, provided
exclusion and inequality are addressed in both policy
and practice. Otherwise, water interventions will fail
to reach those most in need and who are likely to
benefit most.

Key lessons from the WWDR for the region

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Key lessons from the WWDR for the region