The United Nations World Water Development Report 2024 Water for prosperity and peace Published in 2024 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, 7, Place de Fontenoy, 75352 Paris 07 SP, France © UNESCO 2024 This report is published by UNESCO on behalf of UN-Water. The list of UN-Water Members and Partners can be found on the following website: www.unwater.org. ISBN 978-92-3-100657-9 This publication is available in Open Access under the Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 IGO (CC-BY-SA 3.0 IGO) licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/igo/). By using the content of this publication, the users accept to be bound by the terms of use of the UNESCO Open Access Repository (www.unesco.org/en/open-access/cc-sa). The present licence applies exclusively to the text content of the publication. For the use of any material not clearly identified as belonging to UNESCO, prior permission shall be requested from the copyright owner. Images marked with an asterisk (*) do not fall under the CC-BY-SA licence and may not be used or reproduced without the prior permission of the copyright holders. The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Similarly, boundaries and names shown and the designation used on the maps do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations. A dispute exists between the Governments of Argentina and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland concerning sovereignty over the Falkland Islands (Malvinas). The ideas and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors; they are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit the Organization. The contents were contributed by the UN-Water Members and Partners, and others listed on the title pages of the chapters therein. UNESCO and the UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP) are not responsible for errors in the content provided or for discrepancies in data and content between contributed chapters. WWAP provided the opportunity for individuals to be listed as authors and contributors or to be acknowledged in this publication. WWAP is not responsible for any omissions in this regard. Chapter 7 by Raya Marina Stephan, Aurélien Dumont, Remy Kinna and Sonja Koeppel © 2024 United Nations Section 8.2 by Sonja Koeppel, Remy Kinna, Lucia De Strasser and Elise Zerrath © 2024 United Nations Chapter 12 © UNESCO/OECD, 2024. The opinions expressed and arguments employed herein do not necessarily reflect the official views of the Member countries of the OECD. Suggested citation: United Nations, The United Nations World Water Development Report 2024: Water for Prosperity and Peace. UNESCO, Paris. Cover artwork by Davide Bonazzi Graphic design and layout by Marco Tonsini Printed by UNESCO CLD Printed in Paris This publication is printed on 100% recycled, chlorine-free paper. S H O R T S U M M A R Y Water security leads to prosperity and peace, while the hardships of conflict are amplified through water Water nurtures prosperity by meeting basic human needs, supporting health, livelihoods and economic development, underpinning food and energy security, and defending environmental integrity. Water influences the economy in many ways, and global trade dynamics and market adaptations can have direct repercussions on the water use of regional and local economies. The water-related impacts of conflict are multi-faceted and often indirect, such as those linked to forced migration and increased exposure to health threats. Climate change, geopolitical unrest, pandemics, Water directly supports billions of livelihoods and can promote peace mass migration, hyperinflation and other crises can exacerbate water access inequalities. In nearly all cases, the poorest and most vulnerable groups are those that suffer the greatest risks to their well-being. The 2024 edition of the United Nations World Water Development Report (UN WWDR) calls attention to the complex and interlinked relationships between water, prosperity and peace, describing how progress in one dimension can have positive, often essential, repercussions on the others. “Since wars begin in the minds of men and women it is in the minds of men and women that the defence