Groundwater and Sustainable Development Goals: Analysis of interlinkages

This report aims to make groundwater interlinkages more explicit and describe their strength and direction to assist decision-makers’ understanding of where and to what extent groundwater must be taken into consideration when planning and implementing SDGs. 

This report also aims to contribute to improved incorporation and accounting for groundwater in the SDG framework. While it is unlikely that significant changes will be made in the near future to an already complex global SDG target and indicator framework, the review process and opportunities of such refinements are ongoing¹. It is important to inform this process and also think beyond 2030, when an updated target and indicator system may be adopted by UN Member States.

The primary target audiences of this report are governments, ministries and other national partners responsible for implementing the 2030 Agenda and reporting on progress towards achieving the SDG targets. The report focuses on the most significant links between SDG targets and groundwater – those that are likely to have an impact on planning, implementation and decision-making at different administrative levels. It is, however, not a comprehensive analysis of all possible links, and some that are not covered may be of importance in specific circumstances. Also, national priorities and acceptable trade-offs vary between countries. Countries therefore will need to make similar analyses for their specific national settings and priorities.