Srepok River, Vietnam. Efficient water use in coffee production.
Efficient water use in coffee production in the river basin of the Srepok, which feeds into the Mekong river. © Alisher Sharypau

Demand for water continues to grow while the total volume of water available on the planet is limited and increasingly exposed to pollution. The main challenge is to manage the water sustainably and achieve an equitable distribution of water between households, agriculture and industry as well as between countries. The SDC is working to promote sustainable water use between sectors and peaceful cooperation across borders.

SDC Focus

The SDC is committed to achieving sustainable management of water resources to ensure access to water and reduce the risks of environmental degradation and conflicts. It strives to link peacebuilding with sustainable management of water resources in regions where tensions exist, and promote the efficient use, reuse and proper management of water in areas where it is in short supply.

Background

Transboundary cooperation

The SDC promotes dialogue between countries, which rely on the same river basin for their water supply. Sharing policy frameworks and technical information can help deflate existing or nascent tensions and conflicts. Switzerland, as a neutral actor with experience in mediation and acknowledged expertise in water management, is ideally placed to facilitate such discussions. At the technical level, , the SDC also supports common methods of measurement for determining the quality of water available and the quantities of water used. This data enables decision-makers to speak a common language when it comes to the management of shared water resources, and thus work together to set and reach commonly defined objectives.

Water – a commodity to be valued

Water is not free. Its protection, distribution and treatment obey the same economic laws as any other consumer good. At the same time, water is a resource to which everyone should have access, including the poorest and marginalised populations. The SDC develops mechanisms for making better use of water and promoting the reuse of wastewater.  The mechanisms provide incentives to manage water sustainably and construct environmentally friendly infrastructure in a particular region or industry.

For example, the SDC is involved alongside major corporations in facilitating the transfer of knowledge in relation to the water footprint, an indicator that enables the water used in the whole manufacturing cycle of a product to be better managed. The SDC is also pursuing the development of the 'Water Stewardship Standard' which aims to encourage all actors from business, government and civil society to take responsibility for their particular impacts on this shared resource and to work together to achieve sustainable management. Payment mechanisms are also being developed for compensating populations in the river basin areas for protecting water resources.

Current challenges

By 2030, demand for water is expected to rise by 30% while the degradation in quality caused by pollution will reach unprecedented levels.  Worldwide, 80% of urban and industrial wastewater is discharged into the environment without prior treatment. The majority of the time, the self-purification capacity of aquatic ecosystems is largely insufficient to be able to cope with such large volumes. Furthermore, agriculture requires a great deal of water, accounting for almost 70% of global consumption.  However, water is often used inefficiently and can be contaminated by fertilisers and pesticides. In addition, industry currently uses 22% of water and as it continues to grow will put water resources under even greater pressure.

By 2025, half of the world's population will be living in regions suffering permanent water scarcity, which will have the effect of weakening local economies and force millions of people to relocate. That is why it is already especially important today to use water so as to preserve its regenerative capacity and allow it to be distributed equitably.

Current projects

Object 49 – 60 of 104

Global Alliance for Health and Pollution

01.06.2018 - 31.12.2028

Through political, technical and financial support, SDC together with other Swiss partners aims at actively co-shaping the agenda of the still young Global Alliance on Health and Pollution. The alliance brings together different stakeholders to produce evidence for awareness raising and to curb toxic pollution of air, water and soil in low- and middle-income countries in order to reduce its harmful effects on public health.


UNICEF - RRM

01.05.2018 - 28.02.2019

La DDC par son appui financier au mécanisme de réponse rapide (RRM) dirigé par UNICEF participe à un financement rapide qui aide la communauté humanitaire à répondre aux activités d'urgencepermettant d'améliorer les conditions de vie des personnes vulnérables aiguës affectées par un choc humanitaire et la préservation de leur sécurité et dignité. Le RRM maintien une capacité de veille humanitaire, d'évaluation et de réponse rapide aux besoins urgents identifiés en biens non alimentaires et en eau et assainissement. 


Programme de Renforcement de la Gestion Locale de l’Eau Potable et l’Assainissement - REGLEAU

01.04.2018 - 31.12.2029

Aujourd’hui, seuls 58% des Haïtiens ont accès à l’eau potable et moins de 30% d’entre eux bénéficient de services de base d’assainissement. En cause, le manque de gouvernance et de capacité d’autofinancement du secteur. La DCC entend renforcer les capacités de gestion des municipalités et de la Direction Nationale d’Eau Potable et d’Assainissement (DINEPA) grâce à une meilleure maîtrise d’ouvrage au niveau des Collectivités Territoriales.


Sustainable water management for food security and nutrition in agriculture and food systems

01.04.2018 - 31.03.2027

Agriculture accounts globally for 70% freshwater use. Inefficient water use, water pollution, climate change and increasing global water demand puts agriculture under pressure, as well for smallholders. SDC can build on successful experiences in this domain and will support projects in Africa in ecologically sustainable water management in smallholder agriculture and food systems, improve smallholders’ economic and social situation and increase the resilience of their livelihoods.


RUNRES: The rural-urban nexus: Establishing a nutrient loop to improve city region food systems.

01.04.2018 - 30.04.2023

Implemented by the Institute for sustainable Agroecosystems of ETHZ, RUNRES will seek to improve the resilience and sustainability of food systems in four different rural-urban regions across Africa. It will encourage nutrient & waste recycling by installing and redirecting the byproducts of innovative, ecological, hygienically safe sanitation solutions. The organic matter may then serve as an input for smallholder producers to generate a circular flow of nutrients in agriculture, reinvigorating thus regional food systems.


Blue Lifelines – Safeguarding Wetlands in the Sahel

01.04.2018 - 30.06.2023

The relevance of wetlands for food security and nutrition is underestimated worldwide and in the Sahel in particular. Experiences from the project sites in Mali and Ethiopia and from previous efforts have the potential to change Sahelian and global approaches and to be scaled-up through attracting investments by international financing institutions. The project is implemented by Wetlands International, Caritas Switzerland and a Swiss technology company hydrosolutions Ltd.


Promoting Water Stewardship 2030

01.03.2018 - 31.12.2020

Water stewardship fosters responsible private engagement in water. This programme aims at shaping the collaboration with the private sector for the benefit of society and natural resources. This SDC contribution will promote and institutionalize multi-stakeholder water dialogue by supporting several public-private partnership initiatives. It will facilitate exchange of knowledge leading to changes in practices and behaviours across sectors and stakeholders.


Research for action: Water, Behaviour Change and Environmental Sanitation: Sustainable Solutions to Research, Knowledge and Professionalization (WABES)

01.02.2018 - 31.07.2022

To answer the global challenge of improving access to safe water and adequate sanitation, essential for poverty reduction, health, economic development and a life in dignity, it is necessary to work at two levels: developing and using appropriate technology and techniques, but also working on the institutional frameworks and human capacities. To this aim, SDC has decided to partner with a Swiss Research Institute, long-term collaborator well recognised internationally.


Rural Water Supply Network

01.02.2018 - 31.12.2030

Universal and equitable access to safe water is especially in rural areas still far from being accomplished and the rural water supply sector is highly fragmented. The Rural Water Supply Network (RWSN) is the only global professional network for rural water supply professionals and researchers across 150 countries. It works to raise standards of knowledge and evidence, technical and professional competence, practice and policy in rural water supply to ultimately contribute to sustainable rural water services for all.


Young People as Agents of Change in the Water Sector

01.01.2018 - 31.10.2021

Young people and their innovative ideas play an important role in addressing some of the largest water challenges. SDC supports the Young Water Fellowship Programme that builds the capacities of young water entrepreneurs, provides technical as well as financial support to implement their ideas and engages with stakeholders and decision-makers to exchange knowledge and create an enabling environment for young people willing to be engaged in the water sector.


Core Contribution for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), 2018 - 2020

01.01.2018 - 31.12.2021

SDC has been granting core contributions to IUCN since 1997. The new Core Contribution for the period 2018 – 2020 aims to highlight IUCN’s comparative advantage and development relevance. With this core contribution SDC contributes to the implementation of the IUCN Programme 2017-2020 and in particular to the integration of healthy and restored ecosystems into SDGs water (SDG 6), climate change (SDG13), environment (14/15) and food security (SDG2).


Young People as Agents of Change in the Water Sector – Consolidation of SDC/GPW’s Pioneering Role

01.01.2018 - 31.12.2027

The project will facilitate the empowerment of young people in the water sector, which is essential to achieve the water-related SDG goals. The intervention will strengthen the current GPW/SDC portfolio, directly supports initiatives and projects, consolidate SDC’s institutional approach, and finally contribute to mainstream a young people approach into strategies and policies at all levels.

Object 49 – 60 of 104