International Initiative on Water Quality (IIWQ)

Water quality is intrinsically linked with human health, poverty reduction, gender equality, food security, livelihoods and the preservation of ecosystems, as well as with economic and social development of our societies. Therefore, ensuring access to safe water and good water quality in world’s freshwater resources is a pre-requisite for the achievement of many goals of the UN 2030 Agenda Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 
The quality of freshwater resources in many parts of the world has improved in the past decades, while substantial water quality degradation, caused by worsening pollution, is putting at risk human health, ecosystems and water availability in other parts of the world.

 

The International Initiative on Water Quality (IIWQ) of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (IHP) was established in 2012 to promote international scientific collaboration, knowledge generation and dissemination, joint research activities, science-based decision-making, and innovative solutions, technologies, policy approaches and best practices to address water quality issues in a holistic manner, by involving researchers, professionals and policy-makers as well as other stakeholders in both developing and developed countries.
It also supports sustainable water resources management in world’s watersheds through the UNESCO World Water Quality Portal, which is an innovative tool to monitor water quality using satellite Earth Observation. 
•    Access the UNESCO Water Quality Portal for Lake Chad