In Print:
The U.N.-Water Global Analysis and Assessment of Sanitation and Drinking Water
The 2012 U.N.-Water Global Analysis and Assessment of Sanitation and Drinking-Water (GLAAS) was released on April 12, 2012. With the goal of monitoring the inputs required to extend and sustain WASH systems and services, U.N.-Water GLAAS presents data received from 74 developing countries – up from 43 in 2011 – and 24 bilateral and multilateral agencies covering 90 percent of global official development assistance funds. Coordinated by WHO, the report found that, along with a chronic lack of technicians and skilled labor, countries report insufficient staff in place to operate and maintain sanitation and drinking water infrastructure. Analysis explores the reasons behind the disparities in access to sanitation and drinking water across different regions, communities, and income groups.
World Water Development Report
The 4th edition of the World Water Development report (WWDR4), ‘Managing Water under Uncertainty and risk’ was launched at the 6th World Water Forum in Marseille, France. The WWDr4 is a comprehensive review of the world's freshwater resources and seeks to demonstrate that water underpins all aspects of development and that a coordinated approach to managing and allocating water is thus critical. According to WWDR4, water needs to be an intrinsic element in decision-making across the entire development spectrum in order to meet development goals. This report builds on previous editions and elaborates on the interactions of water and the drivers of change.
Progress Report On Access to Drinking Water and Sanitation Worldwide
The WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation, known as JMP, reports every two years on worldwide access to drinking water and sanitation and on progress towards achieving MDG targets for access to safe drinking water and sanitation. The 2012 report is based on data gathered from household surveys and censuses, including both recent and older data sets. The 2010 data in this report informed the achievement of the MDG to increase access to safe water. This report details work underway to refine both indicators and methods of monitoring as part of the 2010-2015 JMP strategy. It also discusses the beginnings of a process to develop new WASH goals, targets, and indicators beyond 2015, in alignment with the human rights to water and sanitation.
Online:
mWASH: Mobile Phone Applications for the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Sector
A new report from the Pacific Institute and Nexleaf Analytics explores how using mobile phones as tools to help improve water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services can benefit those in poor rural and urban areas. The report analyzes how mobile technology applications are already being tapped in many areas, such as health, agriculture, and disaster relief, as well as WASH. Mobile phone technology like mWASH enables a community to identify an issue, initiate a conversation with stakeholders, and come to a resolution in a much shorter amount of time than before. The case studies in the report outline critical lessons for developing mWASH mobile applications to bring the most rapid and effective change to developing countries.
U.N.-Water has created an information portal for policy makers, managers, and the general public on all water issues. The portal contains publications, activities, events, and statistics in graph and map form, including global and country-level maps, tables, and charts on indicators. The portal builds the knowledge base of water issues on the Internet and provides a platform for discussions on global water issues and challenges in the sector. Users can also find a library of interviews with water professionals and highlights from water conferences, seminars, and other activities.
In May 2012, Jessica Yu’s water security documentary, last call at the Oasis, was released. covering drought, climate change, health, and agriculture, in the areas of policy and business, the documentary explores the multifaceted water crisis, presenting problems, solutions, and lessons learned from across the United States and around the world. Through case examples, the documentary instills a sense of urgency in those unfamiliar with the global water crisis and showcases revolutionary and workable solutions. From the production company behind An Inconvenient Truth, Food, Inc., and Waiting for Superman, last call at the Oasis is inspired by Alex Prud’homme’s book The Ripple Effect: The Fate of Freshwater in the 20th century.
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