United Nations World Water Development Reports

The United Nations World Water Development Report (UN WWDR) offers an authoritative and comprehensive assessment of the overall state, use and management of the world’s freshwater resources and aims to provide decision-makers with tools to formulate and implement sustainable water policies.

Since 2014, the WWDR is an annual, thematic report. Each edition focuses on a different strategic issue. Prior to 2014, the reports were produced every three years, with a comprehensive approach.

Thematic reports

(2014 - present)

Water for Prosperity and Peace

2024

Partnerships and cooperation

2023

Groundwater, making the invisible visible

2022

Valuing Water

2021

Water and Climate Change

2020

Leaving No One Behind

2019

Nature-based solutions for water

2018

Wastewater, the Untapped Resource

2017

Water and Jobs

2016

Water for a Sustainable World

2015 (see below)

Water and Energy

2014 (see below)

Water for a Sustainable World (2015)

Water is at the core of sustainable development. Water resources, and the range of services they provide, underpin economic growth, poverty reduction and environmental sustainability. From food and energy security to human and environmental health, water has been shown to contribute to improvements in social well being, affecting the livelihoods of billions. Progress towards the achievement of most sustainable development goals requires significant improvement of water management across the globe.

Full report

Connor, Richard

UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme

UNESCO. Director-General, 2009-2017 (Bokova, I.G.)

2015

The 2015 Report demonstrates how water resources and services are essential to achieving global sustainability. Taking account of economic growth, social equity and environmental sustainability, the report’s forward-looking narrative describes how major challenges and change factors in the modern world will affect – and can be affected by – water resources, services and related benefits.

Facing the challenges: case studies and indicators

Koncagül, Engin

UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme

2015

Water and Energy (2014)

Water and energy are closely interconnected and highly interdependent. Choices made and actions taken in one domain can greatly affect the other, positively or negatively. Trade-offs need to be managed to limit negative impacts and foster opportunities for synergy. Water and energy have crucial impacts on poverty alleviation both directly, as a number of the Millennium Development Goals depend on major improvements in access to water, sanitation, power and energy sources, and indirectly, as water and energy can be binding constraints on economic growth – the ultimate hope for widespread poverty reduction.

Full report

Connor, Richard

UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme

Koncagül, Engin

UNESCO. Director-General, 2009-2017 (Bokova, I.G.)

2014

Previous reports (2003-2012)

From 2003 through to 2012, the UN WWDR was produced and released every three years, following a comprehensive approach. As of 2014, the UN WWDR transformed into an annual, thematic report, focused on a different strategic water issues each year.

Managing Water under Uncertainty and Risk (UN WWDR4 - 2012)

The fourth edition of the United Nations World Water Development Report, titled ‘Managing Water under Uncertainty and Risk’ is a comprehensive review of the world's freshwater resources and seeks to demonstrate, among other messages, that water underpins all aspects of development, and that a coordinated approach to managing and allocating water is critical. The Report underlines that in order to meet multiple goals water needs to be an intrinsic element in decision-making across the whole development spectrum.

Full report

UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme

UNESCO. Director-General, 2009-2017 (Bokova, I.G.)

2012

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Executive summary

UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme

2012

Key messages

UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme

2012

Water in a Changing World (UN WWDR3 - 2009)

"Water in a Changing World" builds on the work of previous studies, including the two previous World Water Development Reports. However, the third edition of the Report presented several changes from the previous two editions. Unlike the earlier Reports, which were structured along UN agency lines, the third Report presented a new, more holistic format. A number of themes are addressed throughout the entire report, including climate change, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), groundwater, biodiversity, water and migration, water and infrastructure, and biofuels.

Full report

UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme

2009

Facts and figures

UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme

2009

Water, a Shared Responsibility ( UN WWDR2 - 2006)

‘Water, a Shared Responsibility’, presents a comprehensive picture of freshwater resources in all regions and most countries of the world, tracks progress towards the water-related targets of the UN Millennium Development Goals, and examines a range of issues including population growth and increasing urbanization, changing ecosystems, food production, health, industry and energy, as well as risk management, valuing and paying for water, and increasing knowledge and capacity. Sixteen case studies look at typical water resource challenges and provide valuable insights into different facets of the water crisis and management responses.

Finally, the report outlines a set of conclusions and recommendations to guide future action and encourage sustainable use, productivity and management of our increasingly scarce freshwater resources.

Full report

UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme

2006

Executive summary

UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme

Water for People, Water for Life (UN WWDR1 - 2003)

‘Water for People, Water for Life’ laid the foundation for subsequent editions of the UN WWDR, concentrating essentially on evaluating the level of progress made since the Rio Summit (1992) and on developing effective assessment methodologies. The Report encompasses a broad range of components, focusing on human stewardship of freshwater, that complex aggregation of policies, legislation, social programmes, economic approaches and management strategies through which to achieve water sustainability.

Full report

UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme

2003

The first UN WWDR opens with a chapter describing the water crisis. It then reviews progress and trends, proposes methodologies and indicators for measuring sustainability, and assesses progress in the following 11 challenge areas: water and cities, securing the food supply, water and energy, cleaner industry, meeting basic needs, protecting ecosystems, sharing water resources, valuing water, governing water wisely, ensuring the knowledge base, and managing risks. It also presents seven pilot case studies of river basins representing various social, economic and environmental settings.