The quantitative goals of the Decade encompass the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target on water supply and the additional goals on sanitation and on water resources management agreed during the CSD meeting in Johannesburg. Reporting on country level results was initially limited to the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply and Sanitation and the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) reporting process. The information to monitor progress on achieving these goals comes from the MDG progress report, the GLAAS report and the JMP report, as well as the UN World Water Development Report.

The 2012 MDG Report is quite positive about the progress made in the information collected on water and sanitation services. In 2003 only four countries had at least two points in time for 16 to 22 indicators. In 2011 this number has increased to 122 countries (United Nations, 2012).

Within the UN there is a series of documents providing information on water supply, sanitation and governance of water and water resources.

The 2008 UNDESA report on the Status of Implementation of CSD-13 Policy Actions on Water and Sanitation provided an analysis of water management by national governments, as it adjusted their activities for the level of their development, showing a potentially much fairer picture of their efforts. The report is an attempt to further the implementation agenda in the domain of water and sanitation. It is based on a survey carried out in 35 countries on the state of implementation of policy actions and measures relating to integrated water resources management, water supply and sanitation.

The WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply and Sanitation provides information on coverage of sanitation and water supply, combined with some additional information. The data from the JMP report were announced as 'a baseline for the Water for Life Decade', by the UN Secretary General in his report to the General Assembly in 2005. There is currently no special effort to highlight how the report is serving to track progress in the Water Decade. Specific programmes, like the five year drive for sanitation are being explicitly tracked on their progress.

The UN-Water Global Annual Assessment of Sanitation and Drinking Water (GLAAS) report is another document that focuses at the country level. Its objective is to monitor the inputs required to extend and sustain water, sanitation and hygiene systems and services. This includes the components of the "enabling environment": documenting government policy and institutional frameworks; the volume, sources and targeting of investment; the sufficiency of human resources; priorities and gaps with respect to external assistance; and the influence of these factors on performance. A secondary goal is to analyse the factors associated with progress, or lack thereof, in order to identify drivers and bottlenecks, to identify knowledge gaps, to assess strengths and weaknesses, to identify challenges, priorities and successes, and to facilitate benchmarking across countries.

The AQUASTAT global information system at FAO has been collecting information on water resources and their use for a long time. The main mandate of the programme is to collect, analyze and disseminate information on water resources, water uses, and agricultural water management with an emphasis on countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean.

The UN Water World Water Development Report (WWDR) is a comprehensive review that gives an overall picture of the state of the world's freshwater resources. Through a series of assessments, the Reports provide a mechanism for monitoring changes in the resource and its management and tracking progress towards achieving targets, particularly those of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the World Summit on Sustainable Development. The Reports also offer best practices as well as in-depth theoretical analyses to help stimulate ideas and actions for better stewardship in the water sector. After the 4th edition released in March 2012, subsequent editions will follow a thematic approach.

The process for collecting information on IWRM has been led by the UNEP-DHI Centre for Water and Environment in Denmark. UN-Water was asked by the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD), at its meeting in 2005, to produce status reports on the progress of water resources management for the UN CSD meetings in 2008 and 2012. The 2008 report primarily took stock of the development and implementation of Integrated Water Resources Management and Water Efficiency Plans, as required in the 2002 Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPoI). The Status Report on the Application of Integrated Approaches to Water Resources Management, published in 2012 to inform decision-making at the Rio+20 conference, is more extensive, covering more countries and addressing the development, management and uses of water resources, as well as the possible outcomes and impacts of integrated approaches.

UN-Water has also launched a pilot project to develop a comprehensive data-rich water national snapshot. This water country briefs will offer a selection of data to better visualize the critical importance of “investments in water” for human and economic development.

The MDG report 2012 announced the world has met the target of halving the proportion of people without access to improved sources of water. The target of halving the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water was met by 2010, with the proportion of people using an improved water source rising from 76 per cent in 1990 to 89 per cent in 2010. Between 1990 and 2010, over two billion people gained access to improved drinking water sources, such as piped supplies and protected wells.

However, the report is concerned by the lower access to improved sources of water in rural areas and by the sanitation situation. While 19 per cent of the rural population used unimproved sources of water in 2010, the rate in urban areas was only 4 per cent. And since dimensions of safety, reliability and sustainability are not reflected in the proxy indicator used to track progress towards the MDG target, it is likely that these figures overestimate the actual number of people using safe water supplies. Worse, nearly half of the population in developing regions—2.5 billion—still lacks access to improved sanitation facilities.

At the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002, countries pledged to develop Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) and water efficiency plans by 2005. The majority of countries did not meet this target and several attempts have been made to create an inventory to track progress.

The 2012 Status Report on the Application of Integrated Approaches to Water Resources Management contributes to the IWRM monitoring effort and concludes that:

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.
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.
3. Countries that have adopted integrated approaches report more advanced infrastructure development but further efforts are needed to ensure appropriate levels of coordination.
4. Countries report a gradual but positive trend in financing for water resources development and management with more diverse sources of finance, but little progress on payment for water resources services.
5. Countries report improvements to the institutional framework together with improved policies, laws and systems over the past 20 years. This has led to better water resources management practices bringing important socio-economic benefits.
6. Integrated approaches to water resources management and development are critical for progress towards a green economy.