National Integrated Water Resource Management Diagnostic Report

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National Integrated Water Resource Management Diagnostic Report

Water has been high on the agenda at international sustainability forums for over a decade. During the World  Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002 the international community re-confirmed support for the United  Nations Millennium Development Goals. By 2015:

 To half the number of people without access to basic sanitation

 To half the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water.

These goals are a big challenge to small Pacific Islands Countries with their small land masses, remote locations  and small but rapidly growing populations making them vulnerable. Vanuatu shares these and other challenges to  sustainable development. In Vanuatu real GDP per capita is still lower than in the 1980s, infrastructure is poorly  developed, the population is rapidly growing at 2.6% per year, water resources are declining and in many places  contaminated, and household water supplies are inadequate or absent. The country’s capital and human resources  are stretched and a better forward is needed.

To achieve the millennium development goals, international forums recognise a need for reform and capacity  building focusing on the development of a cross-cutting approach to water resource management. A sustainable  water and waste water management program for Pacific Island Countries has been developed with the long term  objective of assisting them to implement applicable and effective integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM)  and Water Use Efficiency (WUE) plans.