Rio+20 Policy Brief on Water Security
Global Water System Project (2011): Water security for a planet under pressure: Transition to sustainability: Interconnected challenges and solutions. London: Planet Under Pressure.
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Summary of key points and policy recommendations:
- Water must be given the prominence it deserves on the global agenda; the future should be viewed through a ‘water lens’
- Finding sustainable solutions for water problems is a joint obligation for science and policy; however science cannot solve the water crisis without societal engagement and political will
- Human and environmental water needs must be balanced to safeguard biodiversity and ecosystem services. Unavoidable compromises should be mediated by science rather than lobbies
- Water security has multiple dimensions, including social, humanitarian, economic and ecological. Major decisions on water resource management must be made therefore with broad cross-sectoral input
- There is a need to improve the availability of data and information, articularly on transboundary water resources and planetary thresholds. We need to evaluate our water needs and prioritize allocations
- Water-related climate change adaptation should be an integral part of water resources management plans (and vice versa)
- There is a need for greater stakeholder participation and collective action.
- Urbanization can be interpreted as an opportunity, rather than a risk
- There is a need to introduce and implement strong policy and legal frameworks (i.e. water laws)
- Proper finance mechanisms are required to ensure sustainability of water services, while capacity building is required at all levels
