The Comprehensive Freshwater Assessment and how it relates to water policy world wide

Abstract

In 1994 the UN Commission for Sustainable Development, CSD, the commission to ensure follow-up of the UNCED, decided that a Comprehensive Assessment of the Freshwater Resources of the World should be undertaken by relevant UN-agencies in cooperation with other relevant organisations represented by the Stockholm Environment Institute. The Assessment, CFWA, that was presented to the CSD and to the UN General Assembly Special Session 1997, served as an ‘alarm clock’ at the highest political level. It demonstrated that many challenges that lays ahead are related to freshwater resources and their managing, including water for global food production and security aspects. The CFWA reiterated the importance of socio-economic links, something that was emphasised in the outcome of the Dublin Conference 1992, where water to be regarded as an economic good is an important principle. The CFWA defined water stress as high withdrawal of the available water resources. Countries with high water stress are using more than 40% of their resources. The CFWA also identified economic capability to coop with water stress by using the World Bank per-capita income index. Four countries were defined (low stress-high income, low stress-low income, high stress-high income and high stress-low income) where different strategies should be applied. The CFWA used scenarios to describe the situation 2025 ‘what if…’. Common strategies for all countries should include the application of an integrated approach where water planning is to be included in all socio-economic planning, and demand management, where demands need to be adjusted to existing supply, by reuse of water etc. The need for partnership and cooperation in implementation is emphasised.