Water Security as the Centerpiece of the Sustainable Development Agenda

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has adopted some unique fundamentals: it is universal and applies to all countries; it is comprehensive and seeks to completely eliminate problems; it is complex as shown by the large numbers of goals and targets; and, it is ambitious as it aims to fix major global problems in a 15-year span. It signifies a paradigm shift in international development that emphasizes the role of national governments and other domestic stakeholders. Water security is a keystone element in achieving the 2030 Agenda – not just for Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 that focuses primarily on water security, but a number of targets embedded within other SDGs related to health, cities, consumption, marine resources, and terrestrial ecosystems. The concept of water security is quite pervasive in the international discourse on sustainable development, and lines up strongly with the notion of water as a human right. For the SDGs to succeed, water security must be achieved across all geographic scales – from international to national to sub-national to community – and across all social strata. Achieving this objective requires considerable alignment of all stakeholders: governments, farmers, private businesses, civil society organizations, researchers, and scientists. Implementation to achieve the various water-related targets offers an excellent opportunity for creating innovative and integrated solutions. These solutions require equally innovative and enabling policy environment, a role that is typically well suited to governments at various levels. Future outlook for achieving universal water security for all individuals is positive, but requires considerable rethinking around economic and social development.