A Green Economy for Sustainable Development: Literacy, Land and Women’s Rights (3-3)

UNESCO produced a report on how the world can achieve a green economy on the basis of sustainable development which was present to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development Rio+20 which was convened on 20-22 June 2012 in Brazil. We review on this page this report due to its importance of development especially in developing countries during the coming decades. 

© UNESCO/Gary Masters
Water is cardinal for achieving sustainable development and the Millennium Development Goals. Sound management of water resources is an essential component of social and economic development, poverty reduction and equity, and sustainable environmental services.
International Waters: From Potential Conflict to Cooperation Potential (PCCP)
Management of international waters has become increasingly complex because of water’s unique physical, geographic, and political characteristics. Almost three billion people in 145 countries live within the confines of transboundary river basins.
Through its work with a broad group of stakeholders, PCCP contributes to UNESCO’s mandate of ‘science for peace’ by building capacity for cooperation, development and peaceful management of transboundary water resources. PCCP has developed several activities focused on informal diplomacy with the goal to support cooperation and initiate multi-level and interdisciplinary dialogues related to the management of water resources. The programme uses education and training, research, and support of cooperation processes to anticipate, prevent, and resolve water conflicts.
UNESCO and other partners have identified 274 transboundary aquifer systems worldwide.
Assessing the World’s Water Resources
The World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP) – a programme of UN-Water which is hosted and led by UNESCO – aims to underline the importance of water’s role in green economies and in poverty reduction.
The United Nations World Water Development Report (WWDR) coordinated by WWAP, and hosted by UNESCO, is a one-stop resource for up-to-date information on the use, management and state of the world’s freshwater resources.
It is the only major UN system-wide report representing the collective output of 29 UN agencies. The 4th edition the Report will be launched in March 2012 before Rio+20. It will provide up-to-date information relevant for the Conference. It will give an account of regional perspectives and challenges, such as climate change adaptation, while recognizing new uncertainties and analyzing associated risks that exacerbate the challenges to decision-making.

The UNESCO-WWAP Study Water 2050 is exploring alternative futures of the world’s water and its use to 2050. Rational and scientific modelling of water futures will be developed which can inform ’no regrets’ policy decisions at the international, national or local level. If risk or uncertainty has prevented us from making the decisions that would take us towards the best possible water future, then scientific information and the development of global, national and basin-level scenarios of the future provide the key to moving towards a better future, not only for water, but also for global security and prosperity.
Water is crucial for economic development and for providing livelihoods for the poor. A stable water supply helps poor households to increase their income through productive domestic activities such as raising poultry or cultivating vegetable gardens.
Water Education and Training
Today, knowledge on water is rapidly increasing as are the required skills of water sector professionals. Therefore, continuous professional development is essential to keep up with the latest developments in the field. UNESCO’s Institute for Water Education (IHE) in Delft, the Netherlands, is the largest post-graduate water education and research facility world-wide. It carries out research, education and capacity building activities in the fields of water, the environment and water-related infrastructure.
Water is crucial for economic development and for providing livelihoods for the poor. A stable water supply helps poor households to increase their income through productive domestic activities such as raising poultry or cultivating vegetable gardens.
Why focus on Cities?
Rapid population growth combined with climate change and escalating costs of living are causing cities to face ever-increasing difficulties in efficiently managing scarcer and less reliable water resources.
Managing Water for the City of the Future. The UNESCO-IHE led SWITCH project has set out to achieve sustainable urban water management in the “City of the Future”. With support from the European Commission, a consortium of 33 partners from 15 countries is working together to create innovative scientific, technological and socio-economic solutions for urban water management that can be replicated around the world. City-level “Learning Alliances”, which are multi-stakeholder platforms, have helped break down barriers to information sharing, speeding up the process of innovation. The SWITCH Water-Sensitive Urban Design and Sustainable Urban Drainage Manuals provide creative and artful ways to incorporate storm water into urban planning along with best practice guidelines for storm water management under extreme conditions.
UNESCO, in collaboration with Gruppo Alcuni (Italy), is encouraging schoolchildren around the world to take part in a unique learning experience through the H2Ooooh! Initiative. School children from all over the world are invited to submit their ideas and stories on water related problems which affect their daily lives. Their stories will then be transformed into cartoons and shown on TV.