‘Water for Life’ UN-Water Best Practices Award was started with the aim to create awareness about the importance of water among the common people and to promote and support efforts to fulfill commitments of the international community in this regard. The award process is managed by the United Nations Office to Support the International Decade for Action “Water for Life” 2005-2015/UN-Water Decade Programme on Advocacy and Communication (UNW-DPAC) and the UN World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP).
Purpose
The purpose of the Award is to promote efforts to fulfill international commitments made on water and water-related issues by 2015 through recognition of outstanding best practices that can ensure the long-term sustainable management of water resources and contribute to the achievement of internationally agreed goals and targets contained in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Agenda 21 and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation.
Who is responsible for the ‘Water for Life’ Decade?
The United Nations, through its inter-agency coordination mechanism, UN-Water, is responsible for coordinating the ‘Water for Life’ Decade.
UN-Water is the inter-agency mechanism for the implementation of the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation water-related provisions and the Millennium Development Goals concerning freshwater. The terms of reference and modalities of work of UN-Water cover the elements of a detailed inter-agency plan for addressing water as well as sanitation issues, and include mechanisms for interacting with non-United Nations system stakeholders.
Two initiatives have been launched by UN-Water to support the ‘Water for Life’ Decade:
– The UN-Water Decade Programme for Capacity Development (UNW-DPC). Hosted by the United Nations University in Bonn, Germany, the UNW-DPC strengthens the coherence and effectiveness of capacity development activities in the framework of the Decade.
– The United Nations Office to Support the International Decade for Action ‘Water for Life’ 2005-2015/UN-Water Decade Programme on Advocacy and Communication (UNO-IDfA/UNW-DPC). Located in Zaragoza, Spain, and led by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), UNO-IDfA/UNW-DPC facilitates information, implements communication and raises awareness in the framework of the Decade.
Second Edition of the ‘Water for Life’ UN-Water Best Practices Award
The Award is open to projects or programmes achieving particularly effective results in the field of water management or in raising awareness in water issues. The prize is awarded yearly in two categories, one in ‘best water management practices’ and another one in ‘best participatory, communication, awareness-raising and education practices’.
In accordance with selected theme for next World Water Day, this edition’s focus is on “Water for food security”. Only best practices/projects which have considered this theme will be eligible.
The prize will be awarded at a special ceremony on World Water Day, 22 March and consists of an invitation to participate in the UN event celebrated on the occasion of World Water Day, a video produced on each of the winning best practice categories and a certificate especially designed for the award.
Last date for submitting the nominations is September 30, 2011.
For more information and details, visit this link.
