UN-Water must be empowered to take more leadership when it comes to tackling the global water crisis, Pedro Arrojo-Agudo, the United Nations special rapporteur for the human rights to water and sanitation, told Devex.
With no single entity dedicated to WASH within the U.N. system, UN-Water acts as an interagency mechanism, coordinating the various efforts of U.N. entities and other organizations. Its main responsibilities include informing policies, monitoring and reporting, and inspiring action through international days and campaigns.
Before taking up the voluntary role of rapporteur a year ago, Arrojo-Agudo — a Spanish professor and ecologist — said he had a certain impression of what UN-Water did. Since learning more about the U.N. system in general — the amount of institutions it comprises and the number of experts within it — he’s made a “deep conviction” to amplify its leadership in tackling WASH deficits.