Katinka WeinbergerChief, Environment & Development Policy Section

Environment and Development Division United Nations Economic and Social Commission

for Asia and the Pacific

UN-Water Regional Expert Consultation on Water Security, 9 – 10 November 2015, UNCC, Bangkok, Thailand

Lessons learned from MDGs Setting international goals and targets can drive change –

as demonstrated through the achievement of the MDG drinking water target;

Lower progress in the MDG sanitation target due to human, institutional and financial resource constraints;

Cost-effective technologies are available – the means of implementation matter;

Water challenge goes beyond access to water, sanitation and hygiene and encompasses water resources, wastewater management and issues of water quality;

Managing water sustainably to meet todays needs and future demands is ever more urgent.

Regional Figures and Trends In the first half of 2015, 277 million people in Asia and the Pacific

still lacked access to safe drinking water despite significant progress since 1990;

While access to improved water sources in urban settings of the Asia-Pacific region is nearly universal, one in every ten rural residents still lived without access to clean drinking water;

The percentage of the population without access to basic sanitation in Asia and the Pacific has dropped to 35 per cent, with a significant difference between sub regions (South Asia lagging);

The amount of water used varies greatly between countries in Asia and the Pacific, with some facing acute water scarcity problems;

Cities in Asia and the Pacific are large producers of wastewater; much of it is left untreated.

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ENEA 2000

NCA 2000

PI 2000

SSWA 2000

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ENEA 2012

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Access to Water and Sanitation

SubregionSanitation Access Index

Water Access Index

Water Access, Sanitation Access and DALYs Ranking in Five Sub regions in 2000 and 2012

ENEA East and North-East AsiaNCA North and Central Asia

PI PacificSSWA South and South-West AsiaSEA South-East Asia

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Targets for SDG66.1 By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all

6.2 By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations

6.3 By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally

6.4 By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity

Targets for SDG66.5 By 2030, implement integrated water resources management at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation as appropriate

6.6 By 2020, protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes

6.a By 2030, expand international cooperation and capacity-building support to developing countries in water- and sanitation-related activities and programs, including water harvesting, desalination, water efficiency, wastewater treatment, recycling and reuse technologies

6.b Support and strengthen the participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation management

Water- and Sanitation Related SDGs require integration and understanding of the linkages

between the SDG targets

Regional challenges, needs and opportunities Address water-related vulnerabilities associated

with natural disasters & climate change Strengthen Integrated Water Resource

Management (IWRM) Increase impactful investments in water

infrastructure Enhance understanding of water and other

resource cycles & its economy

Challenge: Water-Related vulnerabilities associated with natural disasters & climate change

Water sources become impacted by natural

disasters, leading to health concerns.

Transboundary impact on neighbouring countries such

as China, India and Bangladesh.

Large impact on water supply and availability Poor water quality due to major contaminants Damage to water facilities and water pipes Damage to sanitation facilities Health impacts Mudslides and potential flooding

2015 Nepal Earthquakes

Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM)

Capacities : Good Knowledge base on River Basins and Resilience/Climate adaption

strategies and Disaster Risk Reduction in the context of surface water and related water systems, especially within national contexts

Availability of Earth Information Systems, Geo-Information Systems (GIS), ICTs, mapping and e-learning modalities; for example in early warning

Gaps: Objectives related to trans-boundary issues still to be met and thereby

contributing to time lags with regard to regional level action on water resources and contributing to/integration of regional strategies for Water related Sustainable Development Goals

Opportunities for increased investments in water infrastructure in Asia-Pacific

Asia-Pacific Water Markets: Highest rising markets among all regions – growth in 2013

over 15 per cent in 21 countries; China, Japan, India, Taiwan, Korea and Vietnam

dramatically increased their Investments in drinking water, waste water and water treatment;

Japan leads regional markets with 25 percent and followed by China with 35 percent.

China is the biggest 2025 single water market worldwide; India is the fastest growing worldwide – 12 per cent /year

Every 1US$ invested in sanitation can yield ~ 3-34US$ of direct/indirect socio-economic benefits.

Need to understand water cycle to support the economy

The water cycle suggests that the quality of the overall water stocks in the Asia-Pacific region are being overdrawn to meet the needs of the growing population, industrial and agricultural activities

Decision makers and experts must understand the cycle of replenishment of water reserves (stocks) when making decision on priorities for water use

Water lifecycle assessment in different sectors is an important tool to aid decision-making for water resources use

Way ForwardSuggested action areas:• Analysis of the water-related targets across all the SDGs and their inter-

linkages;• Defining leverage points on water and sanitation for inclusion in the

regional roadmap for implementation of the 2030 Development Agenda and the SDGs;

• Develop recommendations on policy frameworks that will:• ensure integrated approach to water resources and sanitation

management;• address data gaps;• enable investments in water and sanitation

• Foster South-South cooperation for technology development and transfer;• Application of innovative tools for water resources monitoring (earth

observations) and capacity building (e-learning)• UN-Water Security Report chapter on Asia-Pacific

Water and the Future We Want