Rio+20: UN report to set agenda for water security action plans

Findings from the UN Water Status Report on the approaches to the development, management and use of water resources will be released at the Rio+20 conference today.

The report, based on analysis of data from over 130 countries, includes lessons learned and recommendations as well as focus areas for action.

So far it has been revealed that the most-voted water-related recommendation has been to secure water supply by protecting biodiversity, ecosystems and water sources.

From a list of 10, around 32% of participants voted for this recommendation, 39.6% of which were from Africa.

The survey, to be presented on UN-Water Day by UNEP-DHI Centre for Water and Environment director Peter Koefoed Bjornsen, is expected to show that the majority of countries percieve water-related risks and the competition for water resources to have increased over the past 20 years.

It will also show that countries that have adopted integrated approaches reported more advanced infrastructure development, but say further efforts are needed to ensure "appropriate levels of coordination".

There was also a high country response to the survey which reported the need for a more rigorous, evidence-based, reporting system on the progress of water resources development and management.

Also on the conference agenda for Water Day will be water and sanitation action plans, and a discussion on the commitments towards the 2013 International Year for Water Cooperation.

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Image: Only 46% of people in Africa have safe drinking water.