| Issue 62. 27 February 2015 | www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/decade_weekly.shtml |
| This week in focus | Editor’s note
Welcome to the Decade’s Weekly! Every week until 22 March 2015 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
Looking into the 3rd UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, the information brief ’Implementing Risk Management in Water and Sanitation’ produced by the UN-Water Decade Programme on Advocacy and Communication (UNW-DPAC), presents the need to manage water risks, as well as the current commitments, challenges and tools for implementation in relation to risk management in water and sanitation. |
| #DRR
3rd UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction Date: 14-18 March The 3rd UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction will be hosted by the Government of Japan and organized by the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR). Participants are expected to agree a post-2015 framework for disaster risk reduction (DRR). The United Nations General Assembly resolution adopted in 2013 on International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (68/211) states that the World Conference will result in a concise, focused, forward-looking, and action-oriented outcome document and will have the following objectives: (i) to complete assessment and review of the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action; (ii) to consider the experience gained through the regional and national strategies/institutions and plans for disaster risk reduction (DRR) and their recommendations as well as relevant regional agreements; (iii) to adopt a post-2015 framework for DRR;(iv) to identify modalities of cooperation based on commitments to implement a post-2015 framework for DRR; (v) to determine modalities to periodically review the implementation of a post-2015 framework for DRR. The 3rd UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction and its preparatory process welcome the participation and contributions of all relevant stakeholders. The agenda includes a specific working session on Integrated Water Resource Management. |
| In the news | Forthcoming events |
|
#UN-HabitatMaking the most of the Global Water Operators’ Partnerships Alliance (GWOPA)
Since the United Nations Secretary-General's Advisory Board on Sanitation (UNSGAB) 2006 call for Water Operators’ Partnerships and the establishment in 2007 of the Global Water Operators’ Partnerships Alliance (GWOPA), regional and national Water Operators’ Partnerships platforms have been a key feature in the facilitation and promotion of Water Operators’ Partnerships worldwide. On 18 February 2015, the 1st dedicated workshop between the regional platforms and the GWOPA secretariat took place in Barcelona, Spain, with the purpose of getting a better understanding of the respective roles and activities of the platforms and GWOPA Secretariat and identifying concrete ways to support one another. The meeting took place in the framework of the 7th Annual International Steering Committee Meeting, from 19-20 February 2015. NEEDLE 2015 is a collaboration between the World Bank Group and BBC Media Action to support the Government of India’s sanitation campaign. NEEDLE 2015 brings together practitioners, thinkers, researchers and innovators, in an effort to move the needle on stopping open defecation. Amongst the goals of Needle 2015 is to facilitate the establishment of a national multi-sectoral think tank on water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) communication that can provide guidance for the implementation of national, state, and district level WASH communication strategies. The collaboration also aims to shift the discourse from only building toilets to using toilets as well, and discuss the role of behavior change communication in bringing about the change. The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) in collaboration with K-water, Republic of Korea organised the Workshop on Water and Green Growth in Asia and the Pacific on 23-25 February 2015, at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok, Thailand. The workshop promoted policy consultations for participants from member countries on applying green growth approaches in water resource management. This includes improved understanding for policy options necessary to integrate and synergize water resource management for sustainable economic growth. The outcomes of the workshop will be provided as inputs to the water and green growth thematic and regional processes of the 7th World Water Forum to be held from 12 to 17 April in the Republic of Korea. |
#Post2015 ECOSOC special event: 'Multi-stakeholder partnerships: Making them work for the Post-2015 Development Agenda’
Date: 27 February 2015 In the transition from the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), it is important to consider how multi-stakeholder partnerships could best support the new development agenda as well as the type of sustainable framework and platform for reviewing progress that will be required. This special event will discuss ways in which multi-stakeholder partnerships could best be aligned to the goals and targets of the Post-2015 Development Agenda, the types of modalities required for effective review, as well as where such a review could take place. It will also look at what makes some partnerships effective and the elements which could be extracted to help define a new partnership framework for the post-2015 era and the means for their implementation. It is hoped that the main proposals and recommendations coming out of the event’s discussions will help provide parameters for a possible framework for reviewing and evaluating partnerships in the Post-2015 period. Date: 3-6 March 2015 The 46th Session of the UN Statistical Commission will agree on modalities for the development of the indicator framework for the post-2015 development agenda. UNSC’s Friends of the Chair Group on broader measures of progress (FOC) is expected to prepare and guide discussions on the development and implementation of the framework. The annotated provisional agenda, provisional programme of work, and side events are available. From the Decade’s Programmes
#WaterDecade 1st meeting for the High-level International Conference on the Implementation of the Water for Life Decade
Date: 23 February 2015 On 19 December 2014 the UN General Assembly adopted the resolution (A/RES/69/215) on the ’International Decade for Action, «Water for Life», 2005-2015, calling to evaluate progress achieved in the implementation of the Decade and continue taking steps for achieving internationally agreed water-related goals. The resolution also implies the convening of a High-level International Conference on the implementation of the Decade, which will take place in June 2015 in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, organized by the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan in cooperation with UN-Water and other partners. The Director of the UN Office to Support the International Decade for Action: Water for Life 2005-2015 was part of the International Steering Committee at the 1st meeting for this High-Level International Conference. The Steering Committee reviewed and discussed the draft concept note of the Conference, including objectives, main themes and topics, preliminary program, expected outcomes and other issues related to the preparatory process. The Tajikistan Conference is open to all stakeholders for conducting side events. |