Water in the Green Economy in Practice: A Water Toolbox or Best Practices Guide of Action

This water toolbox is an output from the UN-Water conference on "Water in the Green Economy in Practice: Towards Rio+20". The objective is to provide proposals based on the analysis of existing practice, reflecting specifically on lessons from implementation, scaling up, and the relevance for developing transition countries.

• The UN-Water conference identified 4 priority water-related issues where the change towards a green economy needs to take place: agriculture, industry, cities and watersheds. Tweet
• Achieving a green economy is not possible without ensuring everyone has access to basic water and sanitation services. Tweet
• Transitioning to a green economy in water requires a shift from current practice. Tweet
• Creating incentives for improving efficiency is appropriate where basic water and sanitation services are already being provided. Tweet
• There is an important role for social dialog and for communities in the provision of water services. Community initiatives are vital in places where government action does not reach. Tweet
• The transition to a green economy requires mobilizing more funds, but also requires increasing efficiencies to make better use of the limited financial resources available. Tweet
• Investing in the improvement of biodiversity is critical for sustaining or restoring the water-related services provided by ecosystems. Tweet
• Governments need to facilitate innovation and adoption of greener water provision and water use technologies, contributing to job creation and structural transformation towards greener economies. Tweet
• Water planning is a powerful social tool for identifying the best way to use water resources to meet the competing needs of different users. Tweet