| Issue 32. 4 April 2014 | www.un.org/waterforlifedecade |
| 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. Quoting BKM
"Access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene must feature prominently in the post-2015 development agenda."
Tip of the week
UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, on his remarks at General Assembly thematic debate on Water, Sanitation and Sustainable Energy in the Post-2015 Agenda, 18 February 2014.
Do you use the UN Documentation Centre on Water and Sanitation?
Learn more about the impact of Sanitation and Water on health with this selection of UN publications! >> UN publications on water and health |
| #WorldHealthDay Celebrate World Health Day and help recognize the important links between health and water
Date: 7 April 2014 7 April is World Health Day, an opportunity for all to take stock of global health implications, as well as observing personal practices. World Health Day 2014 focuses on vector borne diseases. Vectors are small organisms, such as mosquitoes, bugs, ticks, flies and freshwater snails, which carry disease from person to person and place to place. More than half the world’s population is at risk of these diseases, which include malaria, dengue, leishmaniasis, schistosomiasis and onchocerciasis. Poorly designed irrigation and water systems, inadequate housing, poor waste disposal and water storage, deforestation and loss of biodiversity, all may be contributing factors to the most common vector-borne diseases. The slogan for this year’s campaign is "Small bite, big threat". You can protect yourself and your family by taking simple measures such as draining stagnant water to stop mosquitoes from multiplying, filling in/cover holes or dips in the ground that collect water and wearing shoes, socks, long pants and long sleeves when you are outside,... Share your experience and ideas using the Twitter hashtag #Just1Bite.
>> More information and campaign materials
>> Print your World Health Day Boarding Pass
>> Global brief on vector-borne diseases |
| In the news | Forthcoming events |
|
#CholeraHaiti
Haiti: Senior UN official urges donor community to ramp up efforts to tackle cholera
The United Nations official tasked with coordinating the response to the cholera epidemic in Haiti says the country is not receiving the international attention it deserves, and is calling on the donor community to scale up support to combat the disease. The UN has worked with partners in the community and international groups to launch a series of actions, including establishing/upgrading cholera treatment facilities, constructing wastewater treatment plants, purchasing oral cholera vaccines, and supporting community-based hygiene campaigns. As the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Haiti, Sandra Honoré, indicated in her recent briefing to the Security Council, "Delivering and sustaining better health requires an urgent, scaled-up effort to combat the disease and address decades of under-investment in basic systems for safe water, hygiene, sanitation and healthcare."
A new UN report has warned that most of the World is not yet prepared for the impacts of climate change that are already taking place on a global scale. The report titled Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability from the 2nd Working Group of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) details the impacts of climate change to date, the future risks from a changing climate and the opportunities for effective risk reduction. The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the report confirms the effects of human caused climate change are already widespread and consequential, affecting agriculture, human health, ecosystems on land and in the oceans, water supplies and some industries.
From 31 March to 4 April 2014 at the United Nations Headquarters, New York, the Open Working Group (OWG) on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has been meeting to engage on more in-depth discussions and clustered focus areas. The 3rd cluster has focused on Water and Sanitation, considering the whole water cycle and realizing the right to safe drinking water and sanitation in creating a water-secure world. Some of the areas that were considered include ensuring access to safe and affordable drinking water and adequate sanitation for all, especially women and girls; extending wastewater treatment, recycling and reuse; improving water efficiency and investing in water harvesting technologies amongst others. It is the intention of the OWG to develop new SDGs based on the resulting input of these considerations. |
#WaterManagement
3rd International Conference on the Use of Space Technology for Water Management
Date: 1-4 April 2014
In the previous international meetings the Committee noted that in response to the deepening water crisis, space technology could contribute to water resource management by providing data and information on the availability of water resources, it could also provide practical information and data that could help formulate policy. These issues are being discussed at the 3rd conference along with discussions on how space technology can contribute to better management of water resources, including combating desertification, ensuring access to safe drinking water and managing water-related emergencies in developing countries.
Date: 8-10 April 2014
This event is designed to focus on key water- related issues and specific aspects of the CEO Water Mandate. It will bring corporate water experts and practitioners together with a range of key stakeholders and partners, including civil organizations, specialized water institutes, UN agencies, public authorities and other actors. This conference will explore the topics related to corporate water stewardship and help shape the Mandates upcoming projects and activities including the post-2015 development agenda, role of business in sustainable water management, sustainable agriculture, human right to water and defining best practice. The conference involves the "Global Water Stewardship Initiatives Showcase Seminar" on 8th April, the "Corporate Water Stewardship, Collective Action, and the Post-2015 Development Agenda: Exploring the Relevance for Peru" on 9th April, and the "CEO Water Mandate Lima Multi-Stakeholder Conference" on 10th April. Date: 9-10 April 2014
This workshop will focus on selected technical aspects in the work of joint bodies, notably inter-sectoral coordination, infrastructure, groundwater management, environmental protection and selected management issues, including financing and communication. The workshop will present and discuss the experiences of joint bodies in specific topics in transboundary water cooperation worldwide, demonstrate the benefits of transboundary water cooperation and increase awareness on how global legal frameworks relate to joint bodies and can support them. |