Capacity development for SDG 6.4: understanding and monitoring water use and water stress 

The capacity development activities of IMI-SDG6 focus on three main areas:  

1. basic methodologies and monitoring processes of SDG indicators 6.4.1 and 6.4.2;  
2. advanced methodologies, including disaggregation of SDG 6.4.2, environmental flow requirements, and gender contextualization; 
3. reinforcing institutional capacity by improving organizational aspects and coordination mechanisms within countries. 

The initiative primarily targets water, environmental and monitoring professionals, along with statisticians in national institutions and water basin authorities. Policymakers and senior managers in the water and environmental sectors can also benefit from the support. Universities, research institutions and the wider public can be engaged, helping to foster broader awareness and interest in the topic. 

The capacity development support is designed as a multi-modal mechanism responding to the various needs of the audience. These include:  

• publications (guides, reports, case studies, visual summaries, infographics, and articles);  
• e-learning courses;  
• tools;  
• website and helpdesk; 
• in-person and online workshops, webinars and blended courses. 

Accessibility and inclusiveness are priorities, leading to strong multilingual support. Most products are available in Arabic, English, French, and Spanish, which are also the working languages for online and in-person activities. Many resources are also provided in Chinese, Russian and Portuguese. 

Since 2016, the FAO IMI-SDG6 team has trained hundreds of professionals and developed dozens of publications to accelerate the achievement of SDG 6.

This website plays an instrumental role in delivering and making accessible the capacity development products of the project. It assists the audience in navigating and selecting the most appropriate publications, courses or activities according to their interests, learning objectives, technical complexity and preferred language. 

Activities are implemented in close collaboration with AQUASTAT – FAO’s Global Information System on Water and Agriculture. All the capacity development resources and tools are available free of charge. 

Between 2016 and 2025, 134 countries have taken part in IMI-SDG6 capacity development activities. 

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