This document describes UN Environment’s five-year Freshwater Strategy from 2017 to 2021. As a living document, it is intended to guide work related to freshwater across UN Environment’s divisions, sub-programmes and regional offices, as well as interactions with governments and partners at national, regional and global levels. The Freshwater Strategy supports the implementation of UN Environment’s Medium-Term Strategy and Programme of Work adopted by universal United Nations (UN) membership through the UN Environment Assembly. Coming at a critical time for freshwater in general, and the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in particular, this strategy aims to unlock the potential of integrated collaboration and spur leadership on freshwater issues globally.

The interlacing trends of climate change, population growth, rising consumption, large infrastructure projects and environmental degradation may lead to greater numbers of people displaced in future. This is particularly likely if these trends occur in the context of inadequate responses from governments and the international community to build the resilience of countries and communities to these changes. The most commonly cited figure is that there could be as many as 200 million people displaced for environmental reasons by 2050.