The World Water Development Report 2022: an authoritative baseline for policy discussions at UN Groundwater Summit

Ministers, high-level representatives of Member States and international organizations were among participants that attended the Summit both in person and virtually. The Summit drew the attention of the international community once again to the importance of this largely available, yet fragile resource.

At the opening ceremony of the Summit, Ms. Michela Miletto, Coordinator of UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme underlined that “Groundwater represents an enormous supply of freshwater globally, especially in the context of growing water scarcity across many parts of the world. But while abundant, groundwater remains vulnerable to over-exploitation and to pollution, and its distribution and percentage of abstractions vary across the continents.” referring to one of many key findings of the UN World Water Development Report 2022.

This Report, which is the authoritative fact basis of the World Water Day campaign, and its main messages, fueled the discussions throughout the seventeen sessions. Consequently, 2022 Report was the most sought-after publication at the Summit.

Over 200 copies of the Report and of its Executive Summary were distributed to the participants.