The World Water Quality Alliance (WWQA) – Uniting society to protect the future
Water is life. It is that simple.
We need water to survive, just as much as we need air, sunlight and food. Nothing can live without access to this vital element. Ensuring the quality of water is one of the great global challenges of the 21st Century. In order to do so, scientists, researchers, politicians, water professionals, artists, and citizens of all genders, ethnic groups, ages and social sectors, but especially the younger generations, will need to work together. Reliable, readily accessible data will be essential, as will translating the knowledge contained in it into realistic, tangible actions, if we are to build and guarantee a future for all. That is the purpose of the World Water Quality Alliance (WWQA), its members, and its governing bodies. Join us.
The WWQA: The Beginnings
Water quality is influenced by natural phenomena. However, most oceans, lakes and rivers are affected sometimes to a dramatic extent by human activity. We urgently need to understand how this affects the quality of water, and how we can address the challenges this creates.
This basic fact of life was recognized by the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) at its third session in December 2017 when it adopted Resolution 3/10 “Addressing water pollution to protect and restore water-related ecosystems” (UNEP/EA.3/Res.10). This requested the Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) to develop a World Water Quality Assessment for the consideration of UNEA. To begin the development of the Assessment, UNEP, with support from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), organized a workshop in November 2018. During the workshop, UNEP convened about 50 organizations (UN, research, civil society, private sector) that had expressed an interest in engaging with the Assessment and in working with UNEP in co-designing agendas and actions on emerging issues of concern affecting water quality. This process marked the founding of the World Water Quality Alliance (WWQA) as an open community of practice with several workstreams currently under implementation.
The WWQA represents a voluntary, flexible and global, multi-stakeholder network that advocates the central role of freshwater quality in achieving prosperity and sustainability. It explores, monitors, analyses and communicates water-quality risks at global, regional, national and local levels with the aim of identifying solutions for the maintenance and restoration of the health and well-being of both ecosystems and humans. The WWQA serves countries throughout the lifetime of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and beyond. It provides a participatory platform for water-quality assessment and the co-design of tailored and demand-driven services at all levels with a special emphasis on the involvement of local communities and the younger generations whose future is at risk
The WWQA focuses on improving the quality of water around the world by working as a genuine partnership. Everyone, no matter their qualifications or expertise, has an important role to play. The efforts of the WWQA are currently divided into 16 active workstreams to ensure the involvement of society as a whole.
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