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Evaluation at FAO

Regional highlights from the evaluation of FAO’s contribution to Sustainable Development Goal 6 (2016-2020)


When it comes to sustainable access to water each region faces specific challenges. FAO’s Regional Offices have been able to tailor their support to particular regional needs. The evaluation noted that these regional initiatives are still small in number and most are relatively new. Their potential for transformational results needs to be further supported and adequately resourced.

Near East and North Africa

Support to water use efficiency, management and protecting ecosystems

This is the world’s most water-insecure region with water scarcity growing and its quality deteriorating. FAO has designed and implemented initiatives to address this challenge and inspired similar initiatives in other regions and at headquarters. Through consultations with governments, FAO has played a crucial role to align most its regional interventions related to SDG 6 with common regional needs and priorities, especially on targets:

  • 6.4 - increase water use efficiency and ensure fresh water supply
  • 6.5 - implement integrated water resources management
  • 6.6 - protect and restore water-related ecosystems
Yemen

Asia and the Pacific

Modernizing irrigation systems, transboundary water management

The Asia and the Pacific region is facing issues of water stress and scarcity, even in countries with relatively high precipitation. The region also contains some of the world’s largest river systems and faces challenges related to transboundary water management. FAO’s regional programmes addressing these challenges from multiple fronts including supporting governments on targets:

  • 6.4 - a productive future with less water
  • 6.4 and 6.5 - sharing global practices to accelerate the modernization of irrigation systems
  • 6.5 - engaging countries for effective transboundary water management
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Africa

Prioritizing save and affordable drinking water and water use efficiency

In Africa, the One Million Cisterns for the Sahel Initiative was launched in 2017 to reflect the specific challenges facing many countries in the region. It aims to promote and facilitate the introduction of rainwater harvesting and storage systems for vulnerable rural communities, especially women, in arid and semi-arid regions (target 6.1 safe and affordable drinking water and target 6.4). Local communities are trained in the construction, use and maintenance of cisterns.

Latin America and the Caribbean

Responding to extreme climate events

In Latin America and the Caribbean, the regional water governance initiative was designed in response to increasing water stress levels exacerbated by extreme climate events (target 6.5).

Central Asia

Revising policy to respond to water scarcity

In Central Asia, FAO is developing a new regional project to support participating countries in revising water policies in response to diminishing availability of water for sustainable development of agri-food systems.

Read the full SDG 6 evaluation