Division for Sustainable Development
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Interagency Activities
World Water Assessment Programme
Under the auspices of
UN
Water, the system-wide World Water Assessment Programme develops the
tools and skills needed to achieve a better understanding of basic
processes, management practices and policies that will help improve the
supply and quality of global freshwater resources.
The WWAP secretariat is hosted by UNESCO on behalf of UN Water. Its main output is The World Water Development Report (WWDR), a periodic, comprehensive review providing an authoritative picture of the state of the world's freshwater resources, and aiming to serve decision-makers with the tools for sustainable use and management of freshwater. Coordinated by the World Water Assessment Programme, the report is the result of the collaboration of twenty-three UN agencies and convention secretariats and lays the foundations for regular, system-wide monitoring and reporting by the UN, together with development of standardized methodologies and data. The second edition of this report, Water, A Shared Responsibility, was launched on World Water Day (March 22nd) 2006 at the Fourth World Water Forum in Mexico.