Rising water pollution globally threatens public health, food security and biodiversity. Addressing inadequate water quality is crucial to ensure water security and protecting ecosystems.
The Global Environment Monitoring System/Water (GEMS/Water) supports Member States in collecting, analyzing and sharing of water quality date to inform policy and decision-making for sustainable water management. It does this through the following main work areas:
→ enhancing global understanding of water quality issues
→ providing scientifically-sound data and information on the state and trend of global inland water quality
→ supporting informed decision-making related to water resource management
→ contributing to global reports on water quality
→ facilitating capacity building in monitoring and assessment
→ collaborating with other UN agencies and international bodies to address water quality challenges worldwide
GEMS/Water has been supporting Member States on water quality monitoring for over 50 years and is part of the foundational services UNEP initiated under its core mandate of “keeping the environment under review” to assess environmental trends and identifying emerging issues.
Our work on monitoring water quality is carried out through public-private partnerships, often involving partners, collaborating centres and networks.
