UNESCO New Zealand

Goal:    

‘To raise awareness, facilitate dialogue and support strategies for the promotion of sustainable freshwater management in New Zealand and the Pacific'

Supporting the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (UNDESD) in New Zealand, the National Commission encourages positive changes in thinking and behaviour and the creation of a more sustainable future.  These changes include learning to respect value and preserve the achievements of the past, to appreciate the wonders of the present, to contribute to a world in which all people have sufficient food and water for a healthy and productive life, and to assess, nurture, and restore the state of our planet.

Fundamental to this task is the pressing need for more effective management of our freshwater resources.  This has become a key issue in New Zealand and the wider Pacific as we become increasingly aware of our impact on the environment and the social, political, economic, cultural and environmental consequences of unsustainable freshwater management.  Active steps must be taken now to ensure that this vital natural resource used sustainably.

Water is a political issue and the National Commission is in a unique position to provide an inclusive forum that will facilitate the development of positive and productive relationships with and between key stakeholders.

In complementing the strategy set out by the New Zealand Government (Sustainable Water Programme of Action), the National Commission’s response to this issue will be about education, dialogue, and action.  It will work in partnership with Sustainable Aotearoa New Zealand Inc. (SANZ) to implement the Strategic Plan for the UNDESD in New Zealand. It will support strategies and programmes which distribute information on water resources with respect to availability, changes in supply and the likely impact, risks and limitations, equitable allocation and ownership, and its social (including historical and cultural) significance.  It will also support and where necessary initiate on-the-ground pilot projects which have the potential to become models for the implementation of UNESCO’s support for sustainable freshwater management worldwide.  In the Pacific region, the National Commission will facilitate a New Zealand response to requests from the UNESCO Office for the Pacific for assistance with freshwater and related projects in the Pacific Sub-Region.