Abstract:

Founded in 2000 as the collective response of the 24 agencies comprising UN-Water to the growing water crisis worldwide, the UN World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP) through its World Water Development Report (WWDR) creates a sustainable mechanism for reporting on global progress in meeting key water-related challenges. Produced triennially, this report draws on the expertise and knowledge from throughout the UN system as well as member-country governments and selected specialist institutions to provide an overview of the condition and trends in world water. In an attempt to monitor progress in addressing critical water issues and meeting water-related Millennium Development Goals, WWDR chapter authors aided by external experts endeavour to identify key variables that may be suitable to serve as indicators of important driving forces, pressures on, status of and response to critical water challenges. Increasingly work on indicator development is recognized to be a long-term, iterative process. National and regional water resources assessments conducted by WWAP case study partners not only provide valuable information regarding field conditions but test the appropriateness and practicality of proposed indicators. The most recent edition-the second-of the WWDR was launched on World Water Day, March 22, 2006, at the Fourth World Water Forum in Mexico City. In this presentation Dr Donovan will explain the motive and background behind the production of the WWDR, discuss its role in the context of the UN system and the larger water community and explore projected development of this process and the associated publication as a monitoring tool.

Time: 3:00 - 4:00 PM
Date: May 4, 2006, Thursday
Place: MSB 114, UH Manoa Campus