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United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Sustainable Development

Thriving and Resilient Rivers for Future Generations - Addressing the Global Water Challenges.

International RiverFoundation (
Non-governmental organization (NGO)
)
#SDGAction50670
    Description
    Description

    Addressing the global water challenges means addressing the health and resilience of the world's rivers. There cannot be sustainable development without healthy rivers. Rivers are the lifeblood of the land, people, and economies they support. Rivers are the most degraded ecosystems in the world; if a river stops flowing, life stops working.

    For more than 20 years, the International RiverFoundation (IRF) has shone a spotlight on the global agenda for rivers. Our vision is a world of thriving and resilient rivers for future generations. We endeavour to achieve this through the four pillars of collaborating, convening, communicating, and celebrating these important ecosystems. We promote the protection, sustainable development and restoration of rivers across borders through facilitating system understanding, effective governance, adaptive and transformational actions, and innovative funding.

    Through COLLABORATION, the IRF will build strong and lasting partnerships with key organisations to develop, facilitate, and implement a framework for thriving and resilient rivers through the Resilience Rivers Blueprint and Hub. We continue to CONVENE global river leaders and stakeholders through the International Riversymposium (25 years) and regular forums and think tanks. Through Voices for Rivers, we COMMUNICATE and amplify the critical role of rivers in sustaining life on this planet and bring key and necessary actions to protect and restore them to the forefront of the global water agenda. The International and Regional River Prizes CELEBRATE, recognise and financially support the work of those implementing on-the-ground actions to achieve thriving and resilient rivers.

    With the accelerating impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss, now more than ever, we need effective partnerships and a coordinated approach to enable groundbreaking action for rivers.

    Expected Impact

    This new action will provide a more tangible link between SDG6 and SDG17 to address the Global Water Challenge. In partnership with governments, private sector and communities through shared goals, this action will accelerate SDG implementation through the following areas of commitments for our rivers: governance; monitoring and information; protection and restoration of freshwater ecosystems; innovative financing; and celebrating and valuing success.

    To achieve our vision of thriving and resilient rivers through our four pillars of Collaborating, Convening, Communicating and Celebrating rivers, we are able to accelerate implementation of SDG6, specifically access to clean drinking water (6.1), providing sanitation to communities (6.2), reducing pollution to our rivers (6.3), enhancing water efficiency (6.4), embedding climate resilience in integrated water resource management (6.5), and promoting capacity building and knowledge exchange through Riversymposiums and forums (6.a). These combined actions can only be achieved through cross-sectoral partnerships (6.b), helping to protect and restore water-related ecosystems (6.6).

    We recognise that river challenges have no borders. Therefore, we rely on strong partnerships and our broader networks (SDG17) of government, corporates, science and community networks to achieve our vision.

    Partners

    Brisbane City Council
    Queensland Government
    Thiess Pty Ltd
    Port of Brisbane
    University of Queensland

    Goal 6

    Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

    Goal 6

    6.1

    By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all

    6.1.1

    Proportion of population using safely managed drinking water services

    6.2

    By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations

    6.2.1

    Proportion of population using (a) safely managed sanitation services and (b) a hand-washing facility with soap and water

    6.3

    By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally

    6.3.1

    Proportion of domestic and industrial wastewater flows safely treated

    6.3.2

    Proportion of bodies of water with good ambient water quality

    6.4

    By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity
    6.4.1

    Change in water-use efficiency over time

    6.4.2

    Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources

    6.5

    By 2030, implement integrated water resources management at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation as appropriate

    6.5.1

    Degree of integrated water resources management 

    6.5.2

    Proportion of transboundary basin area with an operational arrangement for water cooperation

    6.6

    By 2020, protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes
    6.6.1

    Change in the extent of water-related ecosystems over time

    6.a

    By 2030, expand international cooperation and capacity-building support to developing countries in water- and sanitation-related activities and programmes, including water harvesting, desalination, water efficiency, wastewater treatment, recycling and reuse technologies
    6.a.1

    Amount of water- and sanitation-related official development assistance that is part of a government-coordinated spending plan

    6.b

    Support and strengthen the participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation management

    6.b.1

    Proportion of local administrative units with established and operational policies and procedures for participation of local communities in water and sanitation management

    Goal 17

    Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development

    Goal 17

    17.1

    Strengthen domestic resource mobilization, including through international support to developing countries, to improve domestic capacity for tax and other revenue collection

    17.1.1
    Total government revenue as a proportion of GDP, by source
    17.1.2
    Proportion of domestic budget funded by domestic taxes

    17.2

    Developed countries to implement fully their official development assistance commitments, including the commitment by many developed countries to achieve the target of 0.7 per cent of ODA/GNI to developing countries and 0.15 to 0.20 per cent of ODA/GNI to least developed countries; ODA providers are encouraged to consider setting a target to provide at least 0.20 per cent of ODA/GNI to least developed countries

    17.2.1
    Net official development assistance, total and to least developed countries, as a proportion of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Development Assistance Committee donors’ gross national income (GNI)

    17.3

    Mobilize additional financial resources for developing countries from multiple sources

    17.3.1

    Additional financial resources mobilized for developing countries from multiple sources 

    17.3.2
    Volume of remittances (in United States dollars) as a proportion of total GDP

    17.4

    Assist developing countries in attaining long-term debt sustainability through coordinated policies aimed at fostering debt financing, debt relief and debt restructuring, as appropriate, and address the external debt of highly indebted poor countries to reduce debt distress

    17.4.1
    Debt service as a proportion of exports of goods and services

    17.5

    Adopt and implement investment promotion regimes for least developed countries

    17.5.1

    Number of countries that adopt and implement investment promotion regimes for developing countries, including the least developed countries

    17.6

    Enhance North-South, South-South and triangular regional and international cooperation on and access to science, technology and innovation and enhance knowledge sharing on mutually agreed terms, including through improved coordination among existing mechanisms, in particular at the United Nations level, and through a global technology facilitation mechanism

    17.6.1

     Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants, by speed

    17.7

    Promote the development, transfer, dissemination and diffusion of environmentally sound technologies to developing countries on favourable terms, including on concessional and preferential terms, as mutually agreed

    17.7.1

    Total amount of funding for developing countries to promote the development, transfer, dissemination and diffusion of environmentally sound technologies

    17.8

    Fully operationalize the technology bank and science, technology and innovation capacity-building mechanism for least developed countries by 2017 and enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology

    17.8.1
    Proportion of individuals using the Internet

    17.9

    Enhance international support for implementing effective and targeted capacity-building in developing countries to support national plans to implement all the Sustainable Development Goals, including through North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation

    17.9.1

    Dollar value of financial and technical assistance (including through North-South, South‑South and triangular cooperation) committed to developing countries

    17.10

    Promote a universal, rules-based, open, non-discriminatory and equitable multilateral trading system under the World Trade Organization, including through the conclusion of negotiations under its Doha Development Agenda

    17.10.1
    Worldwide weighted tariff-average

    17.11

    Significantly increase the exports of developing countries, in particular with a view to doubling the least developed countries’ share of global exports by 2020

    17.11.1

    Developing countries’ and least developed countries’ share of global exports

    17.12

    Realize timely implementation of duty-free and quota-free market access on a lasting basis for all least developed countries, consistent with World Trade Organization decisions, including by ensuring that preferential rules of origin applicable to imports from least developed countries are transparent and simple, and contribute to facilitating market access

    17.12.1

    Weighted average tariffs faced by developing countries, least developed countries and small island developing States

    17.13

    Enhance global macroeconomic stability, including through policy coordination and policy coherence

    17.13.1
    Macroeconomic Dashboard

    17.14

    Enhance policy coherence for sustainable development

    17.14.1
    Number of countries with mechanisms in place to enhance policy coherence of sustainable development

    17.15

    Respect each country’s policy space and leadership to establish and implement policies for poverty eradication and sustainable development 

    17.15.1
    Extent of use of country-owned results frameworks and planning tools by providers of development cooperation

    17.16

    Enhance the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources, to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in all countries, in particular developing countries

    17.16.1

    Number of countries reporting progress in multi-stakeholder development effectiveness monitoring frameworks that support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals

    17.17

    Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships 

    17.17.1

    Amount in United States dollars committed to public-private partnerships for infrastructure

    17.18

    By 2020, enhance capacity-building support to developing countries, including for least developed countries and small island developing States, to increase significantly the availability of high-quality, timely and reliable data disaggregated by income, gender, age, race, ethnicity, migratory status, disability, geographic location and other characteristics relevant in national contexts

    17.18.1

    Statistical capacity indicators

    17.18.2
    Number of countries that have national statistical legislation that complies with the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics
    17.18.3

    Number of countries with a national statistical plan that is fully funded and under implementation, by source of funding

    17.19

    By 2030, build on existing initiatives to develop measurements of progress on sustainable development that complement gross domestic product, and support statistical capacity-building in developing countries

    17.19.1
    Dollar value of all resources made available to strengthen statistical capacity in developing countries
    17.19.2

    Proportion of countries that (a) have conducted at least one population and housing census in the last 10 years; and (b) have achieved 100 per cent birth registration and 80 per cent death registration

    Name Description
    17.14 Enhance policy coherence for sustainable development
    Collaboration - Partnerships for River Resilience
    Convene - International Riversymposium and bespoke forums and think tanks on rivers
    Communication - Voices for Rivers program
    Celebrate - International and Regional River Prizes to recognise and enable best practice on rivers
    Financing (in USD)
    $1 million (cash in-kind)
    Staff / Technical expertise
    7 - 10 Full Time Equivalent
    No progress reports have been submitted. Please sign in and click here to submit one.
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    Timeline
    01 January 2023 (start date)
    31 December 2030 (date of completion)
    Entity
    International RiverFoundation
    SDGs
    Region
    1. Global
    Other beneficiaries

    Government
    River Basin Organisations
    River Managers
    Scientists
    Community Groups
    Non-Governmental Organisations
    Corporates and Business
    Academia

    Countries
    Australia
    Australia
    Contact Information

    Jodie, CEO International RiverFoundation