UN WORLD WATER DEVELOPMENT REPORT - REPORTS
NEWS: The 2025 UN World Water Development Report (UN WWDR) titled “Mountains and Glaciers – Water Towers,” emphasizes the growing risks posed by climate change to global water resources.
WHAT’S IN THE NEWS?
Key Highlights of the Report
1. Essential for Billions:
• Mountain meltwater plays a crucial role in providing drinking water, ensuring sanitation, supporting food security, enabling energy production, and maintaining environmental sustainability.
2. Threat to Water and Food Supply:
• The report highlights that retreating glaciers pose a significant risk to the food and water security of approximately 2 billion people worldwide.
3. Accelerating Glacier Melt:
• Rising global temperatures are causing glaciers to melt at an increasing rate, leading to greater unpredictability and extremity in the water cycle.
World Water Day 2025
1. Date and Significance:
• Observed annually on March 22, World Water Day raises global awareness about the importance of sustainable water management and conservation.
2. Establishment:
• Established by the United Nations in 1993, this day highlights pressing global water challenges and encourages proactive efforts to ensure universal access to clean and safe water.
3. Objectives of World Water Day:
• Raise awareness about global water scarcity, pollution, and sustainable usage.
• Encourage responsible water management practices to protect this vital resource.
• Advocate for policy changes and government actions aimed at securing water resources.
• Promote efforts to achieve universal access to clean and safe drinking water.
Theme for 2025: Glacier Preservation
1. Focus of the Theme:
• The 2025 theme, “Glacier Preservation”, underscores the vital role glaciers play in maintaining global freshwater supply.
2. Threats from Climate Change:
• Climate change is accelerating glacier retreat, which in turn is causing severe environmental and socio-economic impacts.
3. Increased Risks Due to Glacier Retreat:
• Intensification of floods, droughts, landslides, and sea-level rise.
• Disruption of ecosystems and human settlements dependent on glacier-fed water sources.
4. Call for Action:
• The report emphasizes the urgent need for:
Mitigation and adaptation measures to address rapid changes in frozen water resources.
Reducing carbon emissions to slow down glacial retreat and prevent further environmental damage.
5. Connection to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):
• Conserving frozen water resources (cryosphere) is critical to achieving several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those related to water security, climate action, and biodiversity preservation.
Impact of Rising Global Temperatures
1. Warming Trends:
• Every major mountain range worldwide has experienced rising temperatures since the early 20th century.
2. Shifts in Precipitation Patterns:
• More rainfall instead of snowfall is being recorded in mountain regions, leading to:
Thinner snowpacks that melt earlier in the year.
Reduced long-term water storage in glaciers.
3. Short-Term vs. Long-Term Effects:
• Short-term impact: Faster melting initially increases river flow in glacier-fed basins.
• Long-term impact: Once “peak water” is reached, river flow starts declining due to shrinking glacier reserves.
4. Evidence of “Peak Water” Already Reached:
• The report provides strong evidence that this threshold has already been exceeded in the tropical Andes, western Canada, and the Swiss Alps, signaling long-term water shortages.
Impact on Agriculture and Water Supply
1. Global Agricultural Impact:
• Two-thirds of all irrigated agriculture worldwide is expected to be affected due to:
Retreating glaciers.
Declining snowfall levels reducing water availability.
2. Threat to Food Security:
• The climate crisis is shrinking global freshwater reserves, directly endangering:
Water supply for agriculture.
Food production and distribution.
3. Urgency of Global Action:
• The report stresses that immediate measures are needed to:
Protect glacier-fed water systems.
Mitigate climate change effects to ensure sustainable water resources for future generations.
About UN-Water
1. Role and Function:
• UN-Water serves as the United Nations’ inter-agency coordination mechanism for all freshwater and sanitation-related matters.
2. Collaborative Efforts:
• It brings together various UN entities, international organizations, and key partners to promote:
Effective water resource management.
Sustainable and equitable water use worldwide.
3. Establishment and Purpose:
• Founded in 2003, UN-Water was created to:
Enhance coordination among UN agencies working on global water-related issues.
Strengthen policy-making efforts focused on water conservation.
4. Objective:
• UN-Water primarily works to accelerate progress on achieving water-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly:
SDG 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation for All.
Missions of UN-Water
1. Advancing Policy and Advocacy:
• Promotes global awareness about pressing water challenges, including scarcity, pollution, and climate impacts.
2. Monitoring and Reporting:
• Tracks progress on water-related SDGs and provides data-driven insights to support policy decisions.
3. Facilitating Coordination:
• Ensures harmonized efforts among UN agencies and partner organizations to achieve sustainable water management globally.
Reports Published by UN-Water
1. UN World Water Development Report (WWDR):
• An annual flagship report that provides a comprehensive assessment of global water challenges and solutions.
2. Global Analysis and Assessment of Sanitation and Drinking-Water (GLAAS):
• Offers detailed insights into global progress on sanitation and drinking water availability.
3. The Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 Synthesis Report:
• Evaluates global advancements toward achieving SDG 6 by analyzing water access, sanitation, and resource management.
Source: https://www.unesco.org/reports/wwdr/en/2025