United Nations World Water Development Report 2025

About UN-Water:    UN-Water coordinates the UN's work on water and sanitation. No single UN agency exclusively handles water issues; 30+ UN organizations work on water and sanitation across various focus areas. UN-Water's role: It is a coordination mechanism for UN entities and international organizations to tackle water-related challenges. Objective: Ensure UN Members and Partners "deliver as one" to address water and sanitation issues.   Core Activities:   Informing policy processes and addressing emerging water issues. Supporting monitoring and reporting on water and sanitation. Building knowledge and inspiring action for water sustainability.   Key Milestones and Contributions:   SDG 6: Helped shape Sustainable Development Goal 6—ensuring the sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. Global Frameworks: Contributed to agreements like the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, and Paris Climate Agreement.   Members and Partners:   Members: UN agencies, programmes, and funds with water-related mandates. Partners: International organizations, civil society groups, and professional unions actively involved in water.   Key Historical Milestones:   1977: The UN Intersecretariat Group for Water Resources coordinated water activities. 1993: World Water Day established (March 22). 2003: UN-Water officially founded. 2005-2015: Coordinated the "Water for Life" Decade. 2015: Helped shape SDG 6 and launched the Integrated Monitoring Initiative for SDG 6. 2018: Launched the Water Action Decade (2018-2028). 2023: Hosted the UN 2023 Water Conference.

 

Key Points : United Nations World Water Development Report 2025:

Mountains and Glaciers: Water Towers

Global Water Trends (2021)
 

1. Water withdrawals (The total amount of water that is taken from a water source for use in various sectors like agriculture, industry, and domestic use):
   • Agriculture: 72%
   • Industry: 15%
   • Domestic use: 13%
2. Water withdrawals growth: Freshwater withdrawals grew by 14% from 2000 to 2021 (average increase of 0.7% per year).
3. Water stress (A situation where demand for water exceeds the available amount in a region or season):
   • 25 countries (home to 1/4 of the world’s population) face extremely high water stress annually.
   • 4 billion people experience severe water scarcity at least part of the year.
      

Progress on SDG 6: Safe Water and Sanitation (2022)
 

1. Target 6.1: 2.2 billion people lack access to safely managed drinking water.
   • 80% of these people live in rural areas.
2. Target 6.2: 3.5 billion people lack access to safely managed sanitation.
   • Severe issues in Sub-Saharan Africa where only 24% of the population uses safely managed sanitation.
3. Target 6.3: 56% of water bodies in 120 countries are reported to have good water quality.
4. Target 6.4: 58% of countries show low water-use efficiency (<US$20/m³).
5. Target 6.5: Out of 153 countries sharing transboundary water bodies, only 43 have 90% or more of their transboundary waters covered by operational arrangements.
6. Target 6.6: Degradation of water-related ecosystems (Ecosystems that rely on freshwater sources, such as wetlands, lakes, and rivers) continues due to pollution, dams, land conversion, overabstraction (the excessive withdrawal of water from sources), and climate change.

Mountain Areas
 

1. Cover: 33 million km² (24% of global land excluding Antarctica).
2. Population: Approx. 1.1 billion people live in mountain regions (15% of the world’s population).
   1. In 2017, 34% lived in urban areas, 31% in towns, and 35% in rural areas.
3. Water contribution:
   1. Mountains provide 55-60% of global annual freshwater flows.
   2. Rivers like the Amu Darya, Colorado, Nile, Indus, and São Francisco depend heavily on mountain waters (up to 90% of their mean annual flow).
4. Irrigation: Up to two-thirds of irrigated agriculture globally may depend on mountain waters.

Cryosphere and Water Impacts
 

 

1. Cryosphere (The frozen water part of the Earth’s surface, including glaciers, ice sheets, snow, and permafrost):

 

1. 1. Glacier retreat (The process of glaciers shrinking and losing ice due to warming temperatures):
      
      
      • Most mountain glaciers are thinning rapidly, with 26-41% of their mass projected to be lost by 2100 (compared to 2015).
      • Many glaciers will disappear entirely due to warming.
2. Glacial lakes (Lakes that form from the melting of glaciers): Increasing glacial lake formation due to glacier recession. This leads to glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) (Sudden and catastrophic releases of water from glacial lakes due to the failure of a natural dam), creating significant disaster risks.
3. Water dependency: 2 billion people depend on mountain meltwater (Water that originates from the melting of snow or glaciers in mountain regions) for freshwater supply.

Mountain Agriculture and Livelihoods
 

1. Livelihoods: Agriculture and pastoralism are primary sources of income in mountain regions.
   1. 648 million people in rural mountain areas depend on these livelihoods.
2. Food insecurity (Lack of consistent access to sufficient food):
   1. 35-40% of the mountain population experiences food insecurity, with half suffering from chronic hunger.
   2. 45% of mountain areas are unsuitable for agriculture, pastoralism, or forestry.
3. Forests:
   1. 40% of mountain areas are covered by forests, which protect against landslides, regulate water flow, reduce soil erosion, and mitigate floods.
4. Climate-related hazards (Natural disasters related to climate change, like droughts, floods, and extreme temperatures):
   1. 25% of agriculture in developing countries is affected by climate-related hazards, causing 80% of livestock and crop damage in mountain areas.
       

Human Settlements and Disaster Risk
 

1. Population: About 1.1 billion people live in mountain regions (14% of the global population).
2. Urbanization (The process of increasing population concentration in urban areas):
   1. 34% of the mountain population lives in cities.
   2. The urbanization rate in mountains is lower than in lowlands (66% vs. 78%).
3. Disaster risks (The potential for damage and loss due to natural events):
   1. 3,151 GLOF events were recorded from 850 to 2022 in major glaciated regions.
   2. Significant economic losses (over US$56 billion) and 39,000 deaths due to natural disasters in mountain regions between 1985 and 2014.
4. Adaptation finance (Funds allocated for adjusting to the impacts of climate change):
   1. US$187 billion needed annually for climate adaptation in mountain regions, equaling 1.3% of their GDP.
   2. The available adaptation finance in 2022 was only US$13.8 billion, indicating a large adaptation finance gap.
       

Industry and Energy in Mountains
 

1. Water-intensive industries (Industries that use a large amount of water for production processes):
   1. Lithium extraction (Mining process for lithium, a key component in batteries) and cryptomining (The process of mining digital currencies like Bitcoin, which requires large amounts of water) increase water usage in mountain areas.
   2. 2,000 m³ of water is required to produce 1 tonne of lithium.
2. Hydropower (Power generated from flowing water):
   1. 95% of global pumped storage hydropower (PSH) (A type of hydroelectric power generation that stores energy by pumping water to a higher elevation) is located in mountain areas, crucial for electricity storage.
   2. 85% of hydroelectric power in Latin America comes from mountain regions.
   3.  

Mountain Ecosystems and Environment
 

1. Biodiversity (The variety of life in a particular ecosystem):
   • Mountains host 25 of the world’s 34 biodiversity hotspots.
   • Forests cover 40% of mountain areas, giving way to grasslands and alpine tundra (Cold, treeless regions found at high altitudes) at higher elevations.
2. Ecological pressure (The strain on ecosystems caused by human activities such as development, resource extraction, and pollution):
   • 57% of global mountain areas are under intense pressure due to human activities, especially at lower elevations.
      

Regional Highlights
 

1. Sub-Saharan Africa:
   1. Africa’s mountains cover 20% of its land area, with 252 million people living in mountain regions.
   2. 132 million rural mountain people are vulnerable to food insecurity.
   3. Glacier loss is projected to affect Mount Kenya and the Rwenzori Mountains by 2030 and Mount Kilimanjaro by 2040.
2. Europe and Central Asia:
   1. In the Alps, river discharge (The flow of water in rivers) is expected to decrease by 45% due to reduced glacier runoff by 2100.
3. Latin America and the Caribbean:
   1. The Andes provide 50% of Amazon River flow and have lost 30-50% of glaciers since the 1980s.
   2. 85% of hydroelectric power in Latin America comes from mountain regions.
4. Asia and the Pacific:
   1. The Tibetan Plateau and Himalayas store more ice and snow than any region outside Antarctica and the Arctic.
   2. Glacier melt in the Himalayas is 65% faster than in the previous decade.
   3. By 2100, glaciers in the region may shrink by 30-50% under 1.5°C-2°C warming scenarios.

Hindu Kush Himalayas (HKH): Key Facts   Largest and Highest Alpine Ecosystem: The HKH is the largest and highest alpine ecosystem globally, with an average altitude of 4,000 meters above sea level. Size: It spans 5 million km². Glaciers: Contains 100,000 km² of glaciers, making it the largest storehouse of snow and ice outside the Arctic and Antarctic. Water Sources: Feeds over 12,000 lakes and more than 10 major river systems. The HKH, along with the Tibetan Plateau, Pamir, Hengduan, Tien Shan, and Qilian mountains, spans 5 million km² and is known as the Third Pole or Water Tower of Asia.

 

5. Arab Region:
   1. Snow contributes 50-60% of water volume in Lebanon’s rivers and springs, feeding into groundwater aquifers.

 

About UNESCO: Key Facts   Full Name: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Purpose: A specialized UN agency promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences, and culture. Founded: 1945, as the successor to the League of Nations' International Committee on Intellectual Cooperation. Headquarters: Paris, France, at the World Heritage Centre. Total Member States: 194 member states as of July 2023. India's Membership: India has been a member since 1946, the year UNESCO was founded.. Mission and Objectives:   Primary Goal: Advance peace, sustainable development, and human rights by fostering collaboration and dialogue among nations. Focus Areas: UNESCO is committed to: Transforming lives through education Furthering science for sustainability Building fairer and inclusive societies Protecting heritage and promoting creativity Promoting freedom of expression and access to quality information Protecting the health of the ocean Supporting Africa’s development Empowering through equality National Commissions: India's National Commission: The Indian National Commission for Cooperation with UNESCO (INCCU) serves as the primary body to collaborate with UNESCO in India.

 

 

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