Project profile — UNU - Institute for Water, Environment and Health - Institutional Support 2015-2020

The expected outcomes as stated by UNU-INWEH include: (1) improved access to safe drinking water, hygiene, and adequate sanitation, particularly for women and children, in selected countries in Africa; (2) improved food and water security, more nutrition and economic return per drop, in threatened river basins in Asia and Africa; (3) increased deployment of innovative business models for safe and productive use of wastewater in key countries of Sub-Saharan Africa; (4) enhanced implementation and monitoring of water-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and targets by UN member states; (5) enhanced economic engagement of private sector in responding to water and land management through initiatives led by UNU-INWEH; (6) enhanced integrated water and ecosystem resource management, benefitting river basins and coastal areas in Latin America and Caribbean region; and (7) improved resilience of selected developing countries in Asia and Africa to respond to management challenges in dryland and mangrove ecosystems.

Results achieved as of December 2019 by UNU-INWEH through the support of the Government of Canada and other international donors include: (1) increased awareness and improved understanding of water, health and environment issues by policy-makers (especially in developing countries), United Nations entities, and the private sector by publishing over 125 publications and co-organizing 73 scientific events; and (2) improved water governance by responding to over 80 policy and technical advice requests from governments, and the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Policy Support System in 24 national governments countries. These 24 governments are using this tool to analyze their national water and sanitation context, and improve decision and policy-making to achieve water-related SDGs. Additionally, UNU-INWEH provided leadership to the UN Water Action Decade by being a co-coordinator of the UN-Water Task Force that is guiding the Water Decade.