For the international arena, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) has published the “Water Strategy – Key to the Implementation of Agenda 2030 and the Climate Agreement in 2017”. In 2019, the latter was followed by the strategy paper “Agenda 2030 concrete. Synergies and conflicts between water (SDG 6) and further goals. Six guidelines for implementation in development cooperation” and the position paper “Water – the Source of Development”. Owing to the foreseeable failure to meet the water sustainability target (SDG 6), the United Nations released the “SDG 6 Global Acceleration Framework” in 2020, to call on the world community to take stronger action.
In Germany, the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) is engaged in a national water strategy, that is to respond to the question how to safeguard water supply in 2050 in Germany for the people and the environment, in sufficient quantity and at the requisite level of quality. In a broad consultation (Water Dialogues), experts from the fields of water management and science plus the relevant stakeholders and users have been involved in this strategy development process to date. The Federal Environment Agency has summarized the previous four expert dialogues. Currently citizens are being involved, who may contribute their opinions and perspectives in a “Water Dialogue”. The National Water Strategy is to be presented in the summer of 2021.
