Water and the 2030 Agenda

SIWI – Leading expert in water governance
/
Why Water
/
Water and the 2030 Agenda

Water and Peace

When properly managed, water can be a peacemaking platform for long lasting cooperation

Water cooperation

Water is a growing concern in many parts of the world. Countries can improve their water resilience through transboundary water cooperation over shared waters.

Indigenous peoples are the custodians of many of the world’s most fragile and important ecosystems. They also possess invaluable knowledge about sustainability and resilience, so they have a vital role in protecting our environment.

In 2015, the global community launched the 2030 Agenda, with 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that should be reached by 2030. Some progress has been made, but for most of the goals, the world is not on track to meet the deadline. Water can help us do better.

Water in landscapes

A growing number of people, societies and companies are discovering the power of resilient landscapes. It is still possible to shift to more sustainable practices that recharge water, restore soil health, sequester carbon, and strengthen biodiversity – but we need to make the transformation now.

Agriculture and water

How to increase the productivity of agriculture around the world through better water management.

Groundwater

Groundwater is the regulator of the entire freshwater cycle, but its invisibility makes it difficult to manage and protect.

Rivers

While we all depend heavily on rivers for our survival, many rivers are under constant threat from unsustainable human activities

Water scarcity

Insufficient supply and inadequate infrastructure leaves millions of people in the world without water.

Source-to-Sea

The source-to-sea approach focuses on the strong connection between what happens on land, along waterways, and in the sea.

Water and climate

The climate crisis is essentially a water crisis. When we treat it as such, we get new tools to mitigate climate change and adapt to consequences that are unavoidable.

Water governance

Many of the most pressing challenges in the world are about water: too little, too much or too inferior. Such challenges can only be effectively addressed through adequate governance of available water resources.

The impact of COVID-19

The global COVID-19 pandemic has pushed millions of people back into poverty and exposed unacceptable gaps between the rich and the poor. One in three people are still not able to wash their hands with soap and water at home.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)

More than two billion people in the world lack safely managed drinking water and twice as many lack safely managed sanitation, making WASH one of the most urgent development challenges.

PERSPECTIVES

Youth and water

More and more young people offer important contributions to solving the growing water challenges they are inheriting.

Human rights and water

Having access to water and sanitation has been recognized as a human right since 2010. But water is also essential to ensuring the fulfilment of many other rights.

Gender and water

To improve water governance, we need to take a close look at gender roles.

Universal access to clean water and sanitation is one of the goals (SDG 6) that should be achieved by 2030. But according to UN-Water, this will however not happen unless investments quadruple. Around 785 million people do not have access even to basic drinking water services and three billion people lack basic hand washing facilities at home.

“Let’s be honest with where we are with the SDGs – halfway through, we are alarmingly off track when it comes to implementation.” says President of the UN General Assembly H.E. Csaba Kőrösi. The SDG Progress Report 2023 Special Edition indicates that only 12 percent of the targets are really on track.

Water can help us find a more sustainable path. Since water connects all the 17 SDGs and offers opportunities for partnership for the Goals. When viewed this way, it soon becomes apparent that many new approaches to water will effectively address several of the goals simultaneously.

engage

Andreas Karlsson

Director

Communications

andreas.karlsson@siwi.org

+46 7 20 50 60 78

Water as a catalyst

To accelerate the kind of urgent, efficient, and effective action needed to achieve the sustainable development agenda, it is crucial to address interconnectedness. We must recognise the central role of water as a catalyst for action and progress across all SDGs.

SDG 1

No poverty

Access to running water removes barriers to economic growth for both individuals and society. Being able to wash hands with soap reduces the likelihood of sickness, leading to fewer missed days of work or school both of which come at great personal economic cost. Water is vital to ending extreme poverty.

SDG 2

Zero hunger

Water is vital to ending hunger. Ending hunger is more than access to food. Effective agriculture ensures that we are producing more nutrition per drop of water. Lack of handwashing can lead to diseases that limit the body’s ability to absorb nutrition from food.

SDG 3

Good health and wellbeing

Access to clean running water, and soap, have the immediate benefit of improved health and is a cost effective way of preventing health issues from diarrheal disease to a global pandemic. Adequate toilet facilities also contribute to good health.

SDG 4

Quality education

Being able to wash hands with soap reduces the likelihood of sickness, leading to fewer missed days of school. Travelling to fetch household water reduces the amount of time children spend in the classroom.

SDG 5

Gender equality

Water is vital for achieving gender equality. From education to sanitation, women, girls and gender monitories are disproportionately affected by water related insecurity, burden, and work.

SDG 6

Clean water

Water is the source of all life on earth. The lack of clean water and lack of access to basic sanitation is a health risk. It is also an obstacle to development for a large part of the world's population, especially the most vulnerable.

SDG 7

Affordable and clean energy

Water is key to affordable and clean energy & vice versa! Most sources of energy require water in production, like for cooling. Ramping up renewables and boosting energy efficiency can reduce water scarcity, minimise water pollution, and protect aquatic ecosystems

SDG 8

Decent work and economic growth

In order to achieve “full and productive employment and decent work for all”, removing barriers such as increased sickness due to poor sanitation, or needing to spend time collecting water rather than being at work or in education is an essential factor.

SDG 9

Industry innovation and infrastructure

If innovation is to be inclusive, it cannot exacerbate existing issues such as water stress. Considering water when innovating and developing infrastructure will help ensure that nobody is left behind.

SDG 10

Reduced inequalities

Universal access to safely managed water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and appropriate management of water resources will only be achieved if the rights of women and marginalised people are fulfilled.

SDG 11

Sustainable cities and communities

Achieving a reduction of the per capita environmental impact of cities depends upon and supports a sustainable, reliable water supply of adequate quality and quantity.

SDG 12

Responsible consumption and production

Responsible production in factories must be total, from reducing the use of water in production to safely managing wastewater at the end of the production process. This not only reduces pollution caused by wastewater mismanagement but could also reduce overall water use if wastewater can be treated and reused.

SDG 13

Climate action

We need to prioritize actions that let us both adapt to climate change and reduce its impact. We cannot achieve net zero without some of the largest carbon sinks such as wetlands, oceans and forests – all maintained by water.

SDG 14

Life below water

The degradation of freshwater and marine environments has a direct impact on crucial ecosystem services and furthermore on livelihoods and food security, especially for the already vulnerable people.

SDG 15

Life on land

Healthy water systems are crucial to maintaining biodiversity. Aquatic ecosystems such as wetlands, estuaries and riparian forests are especially rich with species, and also rich in numbers of individuals within the species, increasing the likelihood of variations within a species.

SDG 16

Peace, justice and strong institutions

Conflict over water has increased drastically, making transboundary water corporation crucial to minimising conflicts and their consequences. With increasing populations facing extreme water stress it is more important than ever that a reduction in resources does not result in conflict over the already scarce resources.

SDG 17

Partnerships for the Goals

There is a direct connection between water and our chances of achieving the global development goals. Water is an enabler that helps us tackle all the biggest global challenges of our time. Therefore, cooperation is required across geographical, political, economic and expertise boundaries. Only by working together, with a unified focus can we, with the help of water, achieve a more sustainable future.