Sustainable Development Goals for water

In September 2015, heads of state from all around the world adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development consisting of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets. The 2030 Agenda includes a dedicated goal on water and sanitation (SDG 6) that sets out to ‘ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all’. Indicators include changes in the efficiency of water use over time and the level of water stress, which relates water withdrawal (‘abstraction’) to available freshwater resources. Six Proof of Concept countries (Bangladesh, Peru, Jordan, Uganda, Senegal and the Netherlands) were invited to test the methodologies developed by UN organisations and to collect data for these indicators. As a result of the Proof of Concept process, Statistics Netherlands (CBS), Deltares and eLEAF conducted a demonstration project aiming to show how indicators can be compiled for the Netherlands, and what data can be acquired to support other countries in the process of evaluating indicators. The project received support from the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment and Ministry of Foreign Affairs.