| Issue 40. 13 June 2014 | www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/decade_weekly.shtml |
| This week in focus | Editor’s note
Welcome to the Decade’s Weekly! Every week it brings you the latest news from the International Decade for Action ’Water for Life’ 2005-2015. Please feel free to forward this newsletter. You can also access this newsletter online. Tip of the week
Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), Water Resources Management, Water Quality and Management of Water Related Disasters have been recognized as high priority issues within the UN agenda and as such are reported on widely by a range of UN agencies, programmes and initiatives. This new web section offers you a selection of UN dedicated websites
>> Visit the new section ’Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) websites within the UN’ |
| #DesertificationDay2014 World Day to Combat Desertification: Land Belongs to the Future, Let’s Climate Proof It!
Date: 17 June 2014 Since 1995, the World Day to Combat Desertification (WDCD) has been raisinges awareness onabout the threats and consequences of desertification and drought. The goal of the day is not only to talk about the problems, but also the solutions. The theme of this year's observationnce is ecosystem-based adaptation and intends to increase awareness ofabout the potential of ecosystem-based adaptation as a strategy for coping with the impacts of climate change, especially in the drylands. The health and productivity of drylands extend far beyond the people living there. As the "breadbasket of the world", the drylands are home to nearly half of livestock and cultivated systems globally. Scientists warn that the climate is changing abnormally fast and in ways that could significantly disrupt our livelihoods and security, from our economies and infrastructure to the social and ecological systems we depend on. Climate change is affecting biodiversity and ecosystem functioning and the many benefits that they provide to society. Healthy ecosystems supply a variety of services such as drinking-water, habitat, shelter, food, raw materials, genetic materials, a barrier against disasters and the formation and regeneration of the natural resources in the ecosystem that people depend on for their livelihoods. Also, when ecosystems are healthy, they are less vulnerable to the impacts and hazards of climate change. Contribute with your ideas and activities! Let’s make the World Day to Combat Desertification a success in 2014!
>> More information |
| In the news | Forthcoming events |
| #SustainableDevelopment UNDP-led initiative announces recipients of its Equator Prize
The Equator Prize, led by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), recognizes outstanding local sustainable development solutions for people, nature and resilient communities. The Prize will recognize 12 winners for their efforts on sustainable management at a ceremony in Nairobi, Kenya, on World Day to Combat Desertification. These include ’Water is Hope’ in Tajikistan, a project which uses community-elected water custodians to ensure equitable water distribution; or the project ’Alliance for Integrated Development in Nepal’, a women-led wetlands user group that uses agro-forestry, organic farming and wildlife management to manage a manmade reservoir; among others. The mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation was established to examine crucial water and sanitation issues and provide recommendations to Governments, the United Nations and other stakeholders. Ms. Catarina de Albuquerque, current Special Rapporteur, finishes her term at the end of October 2014 and the position is open for applications until 30 June 2014. Water Emergencies
#TyphoonHaiyan Philippines: Typhoon survivors face choice between income and safety
Would you rebuild your home in an area that you knew was unsafe? Or would you move your family to safety, even if that meant losing your source of income? This is the dilemma that countless families who lost their homes to Typhoon Haiyan now face. Across the Typhoon Haiyan-affected corridor, over 1.1 million homes were damaged or destroyed. The rebuilding needs are immense. From the Decade’s Programmes
#WaterManagement Sharing social innovation experiences in water management between the Southeast of the EU and Brazil
Date: 17 June 2014 This seminar will bring together stakeholders with similar interests to think about water management and share knowledge experiences on social innovation which are taking place in the European Union and Brazil. The experience of the Itaipu bi-national dam, located on the Brazil-Paraguay border and which is the world’s largest hydroelectric dam, will be shared together with various European projects. Josefina Maestu, Director UNW-DPAC, participates in this seminar with a presentation on the results of the 2014 UN-Water Annual International Zaragoza Conference. ’Preparing for World Water Day 2014: Partnerships for improving water and energy access, efficiency and sustainability’. |
#Wetlands Experts meeting on the "Management and protection of coastal wetlands"
Date: 12-13 June 2014 In the framework of the Medpartnership project "Management of coastal aquifers and groundwater", this meeting will gather national experts from 13 Mediterranean countries and international experts to present and discuss the results achieved so far, including country reports, regional reports, and a hydrological map of selected coastal wetlands.
Date: 16-17 June 2014 This Colloquium is part of a series of meetings (Kovacs Colloquiums) which commemorate the late George Kovacs, an established authority on hydrology, who served as Chairman of the Intergovernmental Council of IHP and as Secretary General and President of IAHS. The event will address the emergence and development of water security concepts over the past decades, the state of present day ideas and opinions and will look to likely developments in the future.
Date: 16-20 June 2014 This will be the fourth of five scheduled "decision-making" meetings of the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The session was preceded by three days of "informal informals" to discuss the new "zero draft" of the SDGs.
Date: 18-20 June 2014 The IHP Intergovernmental Council, which holds its sessional meetings once every two years, is responsible for planning the International Hydrological Programme, defining its priorities and supervising its execution. On 19 June, there will be a special session on "Water in Post-2015 Development Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals"
Date: 16-20 June 2014 Under the theme "Partnerships for Green Growth and Water Security", participants will contribute project case studies from Asia and the Netherlands and learn together how to leverage results from collaborative approaches in water investment projects for cities and river basins. |
