Resolution 7/22, which received 122 votes of approval, 41 abstentions and no votes against, is in line with the work undertaken by the Council of Human Rights, the United Nations intergovernmental body which has been in charge of the obligations of human rights including access to water and sanitation for the last ten years.

This fundamental text reasserts the responsibility of States in "promoting and protecting all human rights which are universal, indivisible, interdependent, and interrelated and must be treated globally in a fair and equal manner, on an equal footing and with the same priority".

Beyond the recognition of the right to water, the next major international events, namely the Water Week in Stockholm from 5 to 11 September, and the Summit in New York from 20 to 22 September 2010 will take stock of the degree to which the Millennium Development Goals have been reached, and efforts yet to be made. For if certain goals are on the way to being met and in particular Goal 7, according to the Stockholm International Water Institute, the UN considers that 884 million people have no access to safe drinking water and that 2.6 billion people still lack basic sanitation.

This means that the implementation of the right to water recognised by the UN, or in other words, its practical and effective formulation in terms of public policy, is the next major challenge. In parallel, the General Assembly of the UN welcomed the recent decision of the Council to appoint an independent expert Catarina de Albuquerque, in charge of drafting a report on the implementation of the right to water and making recommendations. The final version of here work will be presented at the next session, to be held in Geneva from September 13 to October 1.

Find out more:

• Read the Waterblog article “Human rights to water and sanitation: contribution of SUEZ ENVIRONMENT”
• Reuters, 28/07/10
• Huffington Post, 4 August
• Read the Millennium Development Goals in detail on the UN website, and Goal no. 7 in particular
• See the page of the UN on the Water Decade(French only)
• The assignment of Catarina  De Alburquerque

Last 5 or 6 August, an iceberg covering 250 square kilometres, nearly four times the size of Manhattan, broke off from the 70 km-long tongue of ice that connected it to the mainland. The NASA researcher behind the discovery, Trudy Wohlleben, said that cracks had already raised concerns about the possible split for more than a year.

It is the largest event of its kind to occur in the region for fifty years. The iceberg is even the largest ever to be detected by a satellite. According to Andreas Muenchow of the University of Delaware (USA), it contains enough freshwater "to supply the whole of public drinking water network in the U.S. for 120 days".

Although no definite conclusion can be made, scientists are slowly coming to a consensus about the proposed rise in ocean temperatures. While it is natural for a glacier to rejects the excess ice into the fjords, the magnitude of the phenomenon tends to corroborate the thesis of the accelerated thaw of the ice cap in Greenland. For Konrad Steffen of the University of Colorado (USA): "It is an alarm signal that serves to remind us that the changes are already perceptible".

While only a few years ago meteorologists considered the Greenland ice cap to be highly stable, they now believe that its melting could cause a rise in sea levels of between 50 centimetres and one meter over the coming century.

For more information:

• Read the article in Les Echos dated 14/08/2010 (in French only)
• Read the article in LE DEVOIR dated 11/08/2010 (in French only)
• Read the article in Le Monde dated 08/08/2010 (in French only)
• Read the UNEP report dated 2008
• View the UNEP map (in French only)

> A special flavor to this year’s edition

This year’s conference will have a special flavor for two reasons. The first is that since January 2010 Stockholm has been Europe’s first ever Green Capital. The second and more important one is that it’s World Water Week’s 20th anniversary – a good opportunity to review the successes so far and the challenges yet to be addressed with five years to go before the deadline the UN set in 2000 for its Millennium Development Goals. Because, as Anders Berntell, the event’s Executive Director, points out, “while we are expecting the target for improved drinking-water to be met or even exceeded, we know that other related issues such as public health, poverty, sanitation, climate, governance and food security are lagging behind.”

The experts meeting in Stockholm will reflect on the various issues connected with increasing demand for drinking water and the drought periods and deteriorating water quality some regions are facing. To do that, they will have to assess the current situation, taking into account the increasing intensity of human activity and the resulting use of pollutants.

> Assessing risks and proposing practical measures

During the Week, promising examples will be presented to stimulate discussion about possible solutions in matters of prevention and water resource use: “By learning from what has worked and not worked, we can avoid a business-as-usual approach that would delay even further the recovery of ecosystems and lead potentially to irreversible shifts,” explain the event’s organizers. The end purpose is to be able to assess, manage and prevent pollution risks so as to implement an "integrated pollution prevention and control strategy [that] should take into account the interfaces between air, land and water.”

Finally, participants will work to draw up practical initiatives and solutions for pollution control and prevention, trying to go beyond the "polluter pays" principle and "naming and shaming" (by which those responsible are publicly singled out). “What other strategies exist to prevent and mitigate pollution? What institutional obstacles exist that may inhibit the implementation of pollution policies? Is there a role for media and the general public in facilitating decisions at all levels of government and society?” These are among the questions awaiting the 2,500 participants expected at the event.

World Water Week in Stockholm will also, as every year, be the occasion for a scientist to be awarded for exemplary research. This year the Stockholm Water Prize will reward Dr. Rita Colwell “whose research helped to prevent the death of millions by cholera, and continues to develop our understanding of water-borne diseases,” as Anders Berntell has said.
 

For more information:

• Read the Article on the 2009 World Water Week
• Visit the World Water Week website
• Download the provisional program for the week 
• Read the conclusions of the Partenariat Français pour l’Eau (French only)
• Read the conclusions of the 2009 conference
• See also the UN on the Millennium Goals

On Wednesday 4 August, Vann Monyneath, the Chairman of the 21st Forum of ASEAN, the Association of South-East Asian Nations, highlighted the socioeconomic impact of climate change in the region. He called on ASEAN nations to develop effective measures to cope with climate change. One of the most sensitive points for the region’s authorities is the Mekong delta in southern Vietnam, where the dry-season intrusion of thousands of liters of salt water reaches further upstream each year. The general deterioration of water resources means that the Vietnamese authorities must now take urgent adaptive measures to preserve a fragile ecosystem.

 Vietnam seems to be among the countries most directly threatened by the consequences of climate change. This makes it imperative to change habits and practices with regard to fishery, farming and environmental protection. According to a 2009 report by UNEP, the United Nations Environment Program, temperatures in Vietnam have risen by 0.05 to 0.20°C per decade over the past 50 years. Rainfall distribution has also changed: there is now more in the north and less in the south. Sea levels have been rising at a rate of 2 to 4 cm a decade.

 Because of this sea level rise, annual dry season salt-water intrusion is increasing. This is causing soil salinization on the farms of a region regarded as the country’s rice basket. “A 3-foot rise in sea level would cover close to half the delta’s land area,” says Janet Larsen of the Earth Policy Institute. In addition, changes in runoff patterns are increasing annual flood levels on the Mekong, threatening irrigation and hydropower infrastructures and more susceptible crops. Also, more violent rains and tropical storms destroy marine ecosystems, undermining the fishing and aquaculture that are the basis of the traditional economic model.

The Mekong, its delta particularly, plays a vital role in the local and indeed national economy. To cope with the whims of nature in the Mekong, local people and organizations concerned with forestry and forest ecosystem protection must cooperate with the local authorities to set up solutions. These include:

• altering crop calendars,
• introducing more resistant plants,
• recycling solid waste and wastewater,
• adapting housing design, etc.

 Meanwhile the Vietnamese ministry of agriculture and sustainable development has developed and is promoting a flagship program to reestablish mangrove forest on a total of 45,000 hectares. Mangroves have long been known as an effective natural means of preventing seawater intrusion, protecting biodiversity and preventing ecological disaster.

For more information:

• Read the article on MYSinchew, 08/04/10
• Read the article on Alertnet, 07/29/10
• Download the UNEP report Fresh Water under Threat – South East Asia- Mekong River Basin
  

The New Economics Foundation (NEF) and Ocean2012 used the concept of "self-sufficiency" as their basis for assessing fish consumption throughout the EU. The report defines self-sufficiency as "the capacity of European countries to meet demand for fish from their own waters". Each year, the degree of self-sufficiency is reassessed and a calendar date is determined when each Member State starts to depend on fish imports because its own supply is depleted. This is known as the "fish dependence day". France became fish dependent on June 20 of this year, while for Europe as a whole, "fish dependence day" occurred on July 9.

According to the authors of the report, "since 2000, the EU’s fish dependence day has occurred earlier and earlier in the year and is now nearly a month sooner, revealing an increasing level of fish dependence".

Several solutions are recommended to ease dependence on fish imports and the worsening depletion of fish stocks:

• A reform of the EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) to guarantee the sustainability of the European fishery industry: it must "deliver a fair allocation of resources within the EU and internationally". According to the NEF, the CFP must also improve data collection, transparency and reporting, and prioritise scientific advice in determining catch quotas.
• The report also suggests "making access to resources conditional on social and environmental criteria" and "enforcing sustainable quotas and practices".
• More generally, the NEF emphasises that "policymakers need to look beyond the short-term costs that could result from reform and give priority to the long-term benefits that healthy marine resources will provide".

For more information:

• Read the article on The Guardian, 07/09/10
• Read the article on PressAssociation, 07/08/10
• Download the Press the Realease of Ocean2012, 07/09/10
• Read the full report, New Economics Foundation
   

The IOW report presents a number of alarming findings. According to Jean-François Donzier, Director General of the IOW, the most serious consequences of global warming in the mountains will be visible by 2040, but "the phenomenon has already started". Within a century, the average temperature of the Alps has increased by 1.5 to 2°C, which is much higher than the global level (where the increase ranges between 0.7 and 0.8°C) or elsewhere in Europe (+1.2°C). Worldwide, over the last three decades glaciers have lost 20-30% of their volume, and the trend is liable to speed up with an additional loss of 70% expected by 2080.

Yet mountain water sources play a vital role in our supply, since all the major European rivers rise in them. Mountain water, for example, represents 34% of the total annual flow of the Rhine, 41% of the Rhone, and 53% of the Po (Italy). "If the tap of mountain water were to run dry, the result would be catastrophic for the plains in times of drought," warns Jean-François Donzier. "To tackle climate change, a new form of water governance is needed now," he adds.

The findings of the IOW report will serve as a basis for the International Congress on Water in Mountains in September, organized by the IOW and the International Network of Basin Organizations. Four key themes will be addressed at the congress:

• concrete practices for integrated water resource management in mountains
• European cooperation
• the role of mountain regions in relation to climate change
• adaptation to climate change in order to implement the European Framework Directive on Water.

The objective is to set up a coordinated system at the European level capable of achieving the objectives set for 2027.
 

For more information

• View the article on Environment News (in French) - 01/07/10
• Read the wire from the AFP (in French) - 01/07/10
• Read the press release on the International Congress on Water in Mountains (in French) – 07/10
   

On the specific issue of drought, the European Council considers that European governments must fully take into account the data published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in their strategy. It went on to highlight two key items of data from the last IPCC report: the number of European regions affected by drought has increased since 1970, and climate change is liable to amplify regional disparities, such that an increase in the frequency and magnitude of droughts can be expected, particularly in southern Europe.

The Council rightly points out that although water scarcity and drought are phenomena that initially were independent, they remain closely linked: water shortages are related to imbalances between supply and demand, while drought corresponds to a large-scale temporary reduction in the natural availability of water, such that the water available is insufficient to meet the needs of sustainable human activities and ecosystems.

Faced with these high-priority issues, various ministers have supported the creation of a permanent European drought observatory (Rapid Alert System), which currently exists in prototype form. The observatory would be in charge of forecasting, assessing, and monitoring droughts in Europe. They also agreed on the fact that member States who are confronted with desertification should develop management plans for water shortages and droughts, which will be integrated into the Framework Water Directive. Recalling the major impact of European agriculture on water consumption, the Council encouraged member States to raise awareness in this key economic sector about the efficient, sustainable use of water.

The ministers also urged the European Commission to fully integrate water scarcity and extreme events such as drought in its review in 2012 of its Action Plan for Adaptation to Climate Change.

On the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, the environment ministers of the 27 member States welcomed the proposal from the European Commission to conduct a detailed analysis of the options open to them, as well as the costs and benefits at member State level. Finally, on the issue of forests, the European Council called in particular for increased monitoring of forest ecosystems based on the establishment of monitoring indicators, and regular inventories.
 

For more information:

• Read the conclusions of the European Environment Council (on water scarcity, drought, and adaptation to climate change) (in French)
• Read the fourth Assessment Report (2007) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (in French)
• Read the EuroAlert - 06/14/10
• Read the IPPC, 4th synthesis report
• More environmental news (in French) - 14/06/10

Several international organizations have pledged to contribute to the investments, including the International Development Association, the Global Environment Fund, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the UN Programme for Development and the European Union.

The Malian government, which will in turn contribute to the project to the tune of $ 23.7 million, will help in coordinating and harmonizing the interventions. It will also help draft a national investment programme for the agricultural sector.

One of the main objectives of the Programme to increase agricultural productivity is to develop new technologies for the sustainable management of water. Setting up effective, sustainable water management is designed to achieve several improvements, including an increase in soil organic carbon content, as well as hydraulic systems that are more capable of withstanding climate change and external shocks such as droughts, floods, etc. The programme will also result in the irrigation of more than 7,000 hectares of land. Finally, water saving techniques will be passed on to farmers in order to enable the sustainable management of water.

Over and above the sustainable management of water, the programme is also designed to help modernise farms and agricultural production systems in general by installing technologies that increase agricultural, breeding and agroforestry output.  

Olivier Durand, Programme Coordinator at the World Bank, stressed the importance of the multi-pronged objectives: “Beyond investments in technology transfer and irrigation infrastructures, the project will invest a substantial share of its budget in capacity building for producer organizations and will give more responsibility to regional agricultural chambers in implementing project activities and investments on the ground. Producer organizations will play a stronger role in designing and implementing their own investment projects and producers will have to participate more actively in policy formulation and decision-making at the national and regional levels”.
 

For more information :

• Read the article on All Business - 06/07/10
• Read the World Bank Press Release - 06/03/10
   

The role of the oceans and the importance of their conservation were the main themes of World Oceans Day. Representing more than 70% of the surface of the Earth, the oceans are home to heat and energy exchange of fathomless scale and value: they make the planet habitable. In parallel, they shelter fragile forms of biodiversity that we have only started to identify.

Faced with these key issues, the Secretary General of the United Nations has invited governments and citizens around the world to recognize the vital value of the oceans for all mankind. In a message issued for the occasion, Ban Ki-moon stated: "If we are to safeguard the capacity of the oceans to service society’s many and varied needs, we need to do much more. On this second annual commemoration of World Oceans Day, I urge Governments and citizens everywhere to acknowledge the enormous value of the world’s oceans - and do their part in ensuring their health and vitality".

Ocean ecosystems are under great stress from multiple challenges including exposure to land and marine based pollution, habitat loss and fragmentation, climate change, unsustainable harvests and the introduction of exotic invasive species.

World Oceans Day was launched at the Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. Since 2009, the day has become an annual event. The objective of the international commemoration is to raise awareness among the general public about the importance of managing the oceans and their resources more sustainably.

For more information:

• Read the article on Voice of America - 06/08/10
• Read the article on MercoPress - 06/08/10
• Consult the UNO Press Release - 06/08/10
• Read the Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s Message for World Oceans Day - 06/08/10

The study begins by finding a sense of abundance of Canadians with respect to water resources. It notes, however, that "the apparent abundance of water masks a looming scarcity". According to the report, the Canadian economy and its future growth are dependent on the resource. In fact water is central to the economy, whether in food production, forestry, mining, or the oil industry.

Consequently, the study points out that Canada should consider a more sustainable approach to the management of water resources. Three critical issues are defined as priority:

• Preserve the quality of fresh water,
• Undertake a better coordination of governance structures,
• Take into account the impacts of climate change.

In conclusion, the authors believe that approaches to the distribution of water are increasingly obsolete across Canada. According to Mr. McLaughlin, president of the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy (NRTEE) this is due to a lack of coordination and control of the public authorities: competencies are divided into several levels (national, regional and local ) leading to a lack of clarity which "is likely to pose a significant challenge to the sustainability of Canada’s water resources unless measures are taken now," said McLaughlin.

Furthering this initial report and the issues it highlights, in an upcoming publication the NRTEE will make recommendations that will specifically address policymakers. These recommendations will focus on improving current approaches to water allocation, improvements in the collection of data on water uses and will include proposals to manage the impacts of climate change, including the implementation of instruments based on market principles (carbon trading and emissions trading).

For more information:

• Read the article on Globe-Net - 06/17/10
• Read the article on Rabble -06/18/10
• Consult the NRTEE Report  - 17/08/10