| Issue 55. 5 December 2014 | www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/decade_weekly.shtml |
| This week in focus | Editor’s note
Welcome to the Decade’s Weekly! Every week we bring you the latest news from the International Decade for Action ’Water for Life’ 2005-2015. Please feel free to share this newsletter. You can also access this newsletter online. Tip of the week Submit your Water for Life Voice until 15 December 2014!
>> Water for Life Voices Campaign website |
| #HumanRightWater UN Human Rights Council appoints new Special Rapporteur on the human right to water and sanitation At its 28th Regular Session on 6 November 2014, the UN Human Rights Council appointed Leo Heller from Brazil as Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation. Heller is a Professor of the Department of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering at the Federal University of Minas Gerais in Brazil and has extensive experience in engineering design, policy formulation, teaching and researching in the field of water and sanitation. His professional and academic activities have been guided by the principles of the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation, especially those formulated since the appointment of the previous Special Rapporteur, Catarina de Albuquerque. As Special Rapporteur, Heller will carry out thematic research, undertake country missions, collect good practices and work with key stakeholders on the implementation of the rights to water and sanitation.
>> UN Human Rights Council appointment |
| In the news | Forthcoming events |
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#SDGIndicatorsSDSN proposes 100 SDG Indicators and Indicator Framework
The UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) published an update to its report on indicators for the post-2015 development agenda, including a proposed set of 100 indicators. Titled 'Indicators and a monitoring framework for Sustainable Development Goals: Launching a data revolution for the SDGs,' the report builds on the proposals of the UN's Open Working Group on SDGs and the conclusion of the UN Secretary-General's Independent Expert Advisory Group on a Data Revolution for Sustainable Development, among other inputs, to suggest a framework for indicators for future development goals. The International Groundwater Resources Assessment Centre (IGRAC) has published the cooperation report 'Factors Enabling Transboundary Aquifer Cooperation: A Global Analysis'. The purpose of this report is to link theory and observations about real occurrences of transboundary aquifer cooperation and answer the question: what factors enable and facilitate cooperation over transboundary aquifers? To this aim, the report outlines current theories about why international water cooperation occurs and subsequently matches these theories with the identified factors that lead to cooperative events. IGRAC operates under the auspices of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and UNESCO (as UNESCO Institute - Category II). Under the auspices of the recently launched ClimDev-Special Fund (CDSF) , the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the World Bank have completed a seminar on improving the hydrological and meteorological systems in Africa, with the aim of capturing weather and climate data and disseminating information for decision support development planning. The partnership between the AfDB and the World Bank will target the dire state of most hydrometeorological services in the continent and the huge financial resources required to improve them, and the need for institutional capacity support and access to advanced technological platform. |
#Water&Health 1st meeting of the Core Group on Reporting under the UNECE Water Convention
Date: 15-16 December 2014 The Core Group on Reporting was established by the Meeting of the Parties through the Working Group on Integrated Water Resources Management and mandated to prepare a proposal for a possible reporting mechanism under the UNECE Water Convention, taking into account the capacity of countries and other relevant reporting mechanisms. At its first meeting, the Core Group will review other related reporting mechanisms and discuss the purpose, scope, content and format of a possible reporting mechanism under the Water Convention. Date: 6 December 2014 In the framework of the UN Climate Change Conference 2014 taking place from 1-12 December 2014 to assess progress in dealing with climate change, UN agencies and programmes participate with different water-related activities. On 10 December 2014, the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), France, UNESCO-International Hydrological Programme (IHP), and LEAD organise the side-event ’Water holds the key for mitigation, adaptation and for building resilience: towards a climate deal’. Date: 12-30 January 2015 This course provides practical knowledge about how climate change is likely to impact agriculture, food production and security, and what actions can be taken to increase productivity and build resilience to mitigate the negative impacts of climate change, as well as contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions through practicing climate-smart agriculture, both in policies and practices. Application ends 5 January 2015. |
UNW-DPAC participates at the 9th General Assembly Meeting of the World Council of Civil Engineers
The 9th General Assembly of the World Council of Civil Engineers (WCCE), a UN- Water partner, took place in Lisbon from 21- 25 November 2014, hosted by Ordem dos Engenheiros de Portugal. In this framework, Josefina Maestu, Director of UN-Water Decade Programme on Advocacy and Communication (UNW-DPAC) participated through a Guest Conference on ’UN-Water Initiatives’ to illustrate how UN-Water related organisations are working to improve access to water and sanitation in the world.
>> More information
UNW-DPAC at the Spanish National Congress of Environment
The 12th edition of the National Congress of Environment took place in Madrid from 24-27 November 2014, organised by the CONAMA Foundation. This congress represents the most important sustainable development event in Spain, bringing together nearly 10,000 participants from diverse professional sectors.Josefina Maestu, Director of UN-Water Decade Programme on Advocacy and Communication (UNW-DPAC) participated in the following events: roundtable on Water Policy, discussing insights on Financing Water; roundtable on Water and Energy with a speech on global challenges and options; roundtable on Future Environmental Challenges, with a speech on Water on the Post 2015 Agenda; presentation at the VII Spatial Planning Congress/CONAMA on water and energy partnerships.
>> National Congress of Environment 2014 website
- The Enlightenment Cafe: New Atlantis
Multi award-winning theatre company, LAStheatre’s latest immersive production, New Atlantis, will premiere in London in January 2015 at The Crystal - a futuristic, sustainable venue. The show explores humanity’s relationship with water in the year 2050 through a fictional intergovernmental organisation called New Atlantis, with the audience invited to take a pivotal, active role as its front line ’agents’. New Atlantis has joined the Water for Life Decade’s campaign including the logo on its website.
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