Coping with water scarcity: a strategic issue and priority for system-wide action

UN-Water is the mechanism coordinating the actions of the United Nations (UN) system aimed at implementing the agenda set by the Millennium Declaration and the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in all aspects related to freshwater. UN-Water has grown out of many years of extensive collaboration and partnership among the UN agencies. These efforts have helped to achieve significant progress and to bring water and water-related issues to the top of the political agenda. UN-Water has identified coping with water scarcity as part of the strategic issues and priorities requiring joint action. This note presents the UN-Water joint plan of action (PoA) for this thematic initiative and describes its elements.