International Organizations and Resources

Provides links to websites of major international organizations and references that are involved with water issues.

United Nations

This section provides a selective list of UN organizations that focus on international water management issues.

UN Water - the inter-agency mechanism established in 2003 to promote coherence and coordination of water related programs within the UN system. UN-Water is chaired by the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health. The website contains activities, events and documents.
CEO Water Mandate (UN) - CEO Water Mandate is a public-private initiative designed to assist companies in the development, implementation and disclosure of water sustainability policies and practices. This is done by hosting conferences, providing partnership opportunities, developing and disseminating research and intelligence, and offering companies the opportunity to join discussions and deliberations on water sustainability.
UNESCO Water Portal - The site serves as an entry point to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and UNESCO-led programs on freshwater.

International Hydrological Programme (UN) - the IHP is UNESCO's international scientific cooperative program in water research, water resources management, education and capacity-building, and the only broadly-based science program of the UN system in this area.
UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education (UN) - the UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education is established in 2003. It carries out research, education and capacity building activities in the fields of water, environment and infrastructure.

UN World Water Assessment Programme (UN) - the World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP) was founded in 2000 and is the flagship program of UN-Water. Housed in UNESCO, WWAP monitors freshwater issues in order to provide recommendations, develop case studies, enhance assessment capacity at a national level and inform the decision-making process. Its primary product, the World Water Development Report (WWDR), is a periodic, comprehensive review providing an authoritative picture of the state of the world’s freshwater resources.
ICIWaRM - The International Center for Integrated Water Resources Management is a UNESCO water center headquartered at the U.S. Army Engineer Institute for Water Resources (IWR) in Alexandria, Virginia. The mission of ICIWaRM is the advancement of the science and practice of integrated water resources management (IWRM) to address water security and other water-related challenges in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Africa.

UNICEF - the agency works in more than 90 countries around the world to improve water supplies and sanitation facilities in schools and communities, and to promote safe hygiene practices.
UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) The Commission provides guidance on water management issues in Europe through the Water Convention, the Protocol on Water and Health, the Protocol on Civil Liability, and the International Water Assessment Centre.
World Health Organization (WHO) - the organization's program to improve access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene in UN member states.

This section links to other international organizations involved in water management issues.

World Bank - The Bank's webpage dedicated to water issues. Information is available on a number of water related topics, such as water management, research, statistics, sanitation, hydropower, irrigations, global regions, etc.
US Agency for International Development (USAID) - the USAID's program to support provision of a safe drinking water supply, sanitation for health, management of water resources, and improvement of water productivity. Resources include best practices, case studies, work on the water-energy nexus, reuse, and integrated water resources management.
World Water Council - the World Water Council was established in 1996 in response to increasing concern from the global community about world water issues. Its mission is to promote awareness, build political commitment and trigger action on critical water issues.

World Water Forum 5 - held in Istanbul in March 2009, the website contains information about the forum's participants, topics, presentations, discussions and initiatives. The next Forum is scheduled for Marseille, March 12-17, 2012.

Asia-Pacific Water Forum - an international group that seeks to encourage more collaborative efforts on water resources management in the Asia-Pacific region.
Global Water Partnership - its mission is to support the sustainable development and management of water resources at all levels. Publications address water security and development.
UK Water Resources - information about the current state and future pressures on water resources in England and Wales.