Water security and the global water agenda

The UN-Water Task Force on Water Security would like to thank Harriet Bigas, UNU-INWEH for leading the coordination and development of the Brief, and Stéfanie Neno and James Morgan, FAO for facilitating the design and layout of the Brief. [...] The UN resolution on the human right to water and sanitation is a catalyst for further policy discussion between stakeholders and across sectors, and in the development of programmes that make possible the full realization of the rights of individuals and communities. [...] Uncertainties about the definition of “water GTZ, 2010; Grey and Sadoff, 2007), and use of the term security” restrict the use of the term in the context of inter- is widespread both within and outside the UN system, national, regional, and national processes and the UN’s whether defined or not. [...] United Nations General Assembly, 2010), and the safeguarding of health and well-being; • Protection of livelihoods, human rights, and cultural and recreational values; • Preservation and protection of ecosystems in water allocation and management systems in order to maintain their ability to deliver and sustain the functioning of essential ecosystem services; • Water supplies for socio-economic de [...] Section 1. A Working Definition of Water Security 3 The term water security captures the dynamic dimen- Water security encapsulates complex and intercon- sions of water and water-related issues and offers nected challenges and highlights water’s centrality a holistic outlook for addressing water challenges.