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Slide 1

Emerging Advice on a

Potential SDG on Water

Joakim Harlin

UNDP

Budapest Water Summit,

October 2013

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Slide 2

To contribute to the SDG consultation process as well as to the discussions on the post-2015 development agenda – Guided by the priorities agreed

at the Rio+20 Conference

– Building on thematic, national and regional consultations

– Drawing on the reports of the High Level Panel, Sustainable Development Solutions Network, UN Global Compact, the Open Working Group on SDGs

Work in progress…

Objectives and process

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Slide 3

The Future We Want:

– “water is at the core of sustainable development”

Water is at the heart of adaptation to climate change

Billions lack access to the most basic water supply and sanitation services

Increasing demand, pollution, risks, competition for water resources…

Current situation presents a global threat to human health and wellbeing as well as to the integrity of ecosystems

Why a water SDG?

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Slide 4

Monitoring progress on the MDG Target on water supply and basic sanitation

The human right to water and sanitation

– Obligations on all Member States to make provision for progressive realization of the right

Finishing the “unfinished business” in WASH must remain a top priority

Building on existing commitments

and experience

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Slide 5

Building on existing commitments

and experience (continued)

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Slide 6

Finishing the “unfinished business” in water resources management is also a priority – Agenda 21 (1992), JPOI (2002) and

subsequent CSD meetings (2005, 2008, 2012)

Recent UN-Water survey of more than 130 countries, thematic and national consultations

– show that there has been widespread adoption of integrated approaches to water management, but…

Significant challenges still remain!

Building on existing commitments

and experience (continued)

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Slide 7

Improving water quality and wastewater management need to be a priority too – Water quality has to date been

very much neglected

– 80% of wastewater is discharged without treatment

– Impact on the water resource and therefore on drinking-water supply

– Impact on ecosystems

These concerns were clearly expressed at Rio+20

Building on existing commitments

and experience (continued)

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Slide 8

.. which broadly correspond to the dimensions of sustainable development and contribute towards poverty reduction

Possible post-2015 development goals

need to address three priority areas…

– Universal access to water,

sanitation and hygiene

Healthy people

Shared prosperity

Healthy ecosystems – Improving water quality and

wastewater management

– Sustainable use and

development of water

resources

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Slide 9

Sustainable water for all

Universal access to safe

water supply, sanitation

and hygiene

Sustainable use and

development of water

resources

Improved water quality

and wastewater

management

Targets by 2030

Bring freshwater withdrawals in

line with sustainably available

water resources while

increasing water productivity

for all uses by [x%]

Maintain a threshold level of

environmental flows in all

countries [of y%]

Targets by 2030

No one practices open

defecation

Everyone has water, sanitation

and hygiene at home

All schools and health centres

have water, sanitation and

hygiene

Water, sanitation and hygiene

are sustainable and inequalities

in access have been

progressively eliminated

Targets by 2030

Reduce both the urban

population with untreated

wastewater and untreated

industrial wastewater flows

by [x%]

Increase urban and industrial

wastewater reused safely by

[y%]

Reduce nutrient pollution

from agriculture by [z%]

Crosscutting targets by 2030

Improve resilience to floods, droughts and other water related disasters of

all people by [x] and economies by [y]

Improved governance and integrated management systems for freshwater

and sanitation in place in all countries in accordance with national targets

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Slide 10

Universal access to sanitation, benefits outweigh costs 5.5 to 1

Universal access to drinking-water, the ratio is 2 to 1

Irrigation infrastructure in Africa, rates of return are up to 26%

Watershed protection initiatives in the US yield USD 7.5 to USD 200 for every dollar invested, compared to conventional water treatment costs

1% increase in drought area, 2.8% reduction in economic growth

1% increase in the area impacted by floods,

1.8% reduction in economic growth

Bogota River, Colombia, lack of wastewater treatment costs USD 110 million/year

… to be continued…

Costs and benefits

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Slide 11

Next steps

1. Revision of draft paper (until Dec. 2013)

– Side event at Budapest Water Summit (9 Oct. 2013)

– GWOPA Congress (27-29 Nov. 2013)

2. Side event during the 6th session of the OWG

3. UN-Water workshop to finalise paper (Geneva, 16-17 Dec. 2013)

4. Release of final version at a side event for the Member States (New York, 29 Jan. 2014)

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Slide 12

Thank you

Joakim Harlin

UNDP