The United Nations World Water Development Report (WWDR) is a periodic, comprehensive review giving an authoritative picture of the state of the world's freshwater resources, and aiming to provide decision-makers with the tools for sustainable use of our water. The Report encompasses a broad range of components, focusing on human stewardship of freshwater, that complex aggregation of policies, legislation, social programmes, economic approaches and management strategies through which we seek to achieve water sustainability. Generously illustrated with more than 25 full-colour global maps, numerous figures (diagrams, pie-charts), tables (including country tables) and photos, the Report opens with a chapter describing the water crisis. It then: reviews progress and trends; proposes methodologies and indicators for measuring sustainability; assesses progress in 11 challenge areas, including: health, food, environment, shared water resources, cities, industry, energy, risk management, knowledge, valuing water and governance; and presents seven pilot case studies of river basins representing various social, economic and environmental settings. Each chapter ends with a comprehensive list of related references, as well as useful web sites. The book is completely indexed, and includes in the annexes a list of the main global assessment publications.
