As the fifth in a series of annual, theme-oriented reports, the 2018 edition of the United Nations World Development Report (WWDR) focuses on opportunities to harness the natural processes that regulate various elements of the water cycle, which have become collectively known as nature-based solutions (NBS) for water. This is not merely a ‘good idea’ (which of course it is), but an essential step to ensuring the long-term sustainability of water resources and of the multitude of benefits that water provides; from food and energy security to human health and sustainable socio-economic development.

NBS for water are central to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development because they generate social, economic and environmental co-benefits, including in the fields of human health and livelihoods, food and energy security, sustainable economic growth, decent jobs, ecosystem rehabilitation and maintenance, and biodiversity. The substantial value of these co-benefits can tip investment decisions in favour of NBS.

Publisher: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
Organization: UN-Water
Year: 2018
ISBN: 978-92-3-100264-9
URL: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0026/002614/261424e.pdf
Content language: English
Type: Report