The protection, management and restoration of freshwater ecosystems and water resources is fundamental to combating the triple planetary crises of biodiversity loss, pollution and climate change. This forms the crux of UNEP’s global Freshwater Strategic Priorities, 2022-2025, which helps to implement UNEP’s Medium-term Strategy 2022-2025.
While access to fresh water, in sufficient quantity, quality and availability, is fundamental to human life, health, well-being and dignity and is a human right, the ecosystems that provide this fresh water are under increasing threat.
Freshwater ecosystems inland water bodies such as rivers, lakes, wetlands and groundwater aquifers, and their biodiversity, are among the most threatened on the planet. They are also fundamentally connected to, and interdependent on, other blue ecosystems along our coasts and in the ocean.
As the global human population grows and develops so too, does the demand for fresh water for drinking and sanitation, hygiene and recreation, growing food, providing energy, and supporting biodiversity. At the same time, human activity and climate change are disrupting natural water cycles, putting freshwater ecosystems under increasing pressure.
At UNEP, together with long-term partners and through coalitions such as the UNEP-DHI Centre for Water and Environment, the World Water Quality Alliance, and the Global Wastewater Initiative, we promote evidence-based approaches to help countries monitor, raise awareness, protect, restore and better manage freshwater ecosystems. This is done through monitoring of environmental aspects of Sustainable Development Goal 6, through developing management plans, data portals and tools that help turn information and data into decision-making and action.
