Water

Water is both the most ordinary and extraordinary of resources; without it, nothing can survive. Yet, 1,1 billion people around the world do not have ready access to clean water and more than 2,6 billion people lack basic sanitation. If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water, which is about nothing less than our planet's future.

For the 13th meeting of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD-13), the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) commissioned the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) to produce this report. The report presents recommendations for policy and decision makers with regard to sustainable food production, sustainable food consumption and ecological sustainability.

Formally acknowledging water as a human right could encourage the international community and governments to enhance their efforts to satisfy basic human needs and to meet the Millennium Development Goals. But critical questions arise in relation to a right to water. What would be the benefits and content of such a right? What mechanisms would be required for its effective implementation?

The Vision for Water and Nature is the "environment and ecosystems" component of the World Water Vision exercise of the World Water Council. It represents the first meaningful attempt to fully integrate environment issues into the development of a comprehensive strategy for water resource management at the global level.

This compilation contains all key documents produced during the development of the Vision for Water and Nature, the environment and ecosystems componant of the Vision for Water, Life and the Environment for the 21st Century, generally known as the World Water Vision. Included are : the Vision itself, the discussion papers which served as the basis of each workshop and the workshop reports

This document provides information on inland waters and their biodiversity, and includes the first global assessment of areas of special importance for freshwater biodiversity, based on expert opinion and data. It also includes a first comparative analysis of major river basins, using indicators of biodiversity, the condition of catchment basins and pressures on water resources, in order to generate indices of importance and risk

The bodiversity of southern Africa depends on water as does the regional economy. Water flows through every economic sector: agriculture, energy, industry, mining, tourism, and fisheries. However, this vital resource is under threat from environmental degradation due to population growth, poverty, climate change and pollution.