INTERNATIONAL – Although the world's water supplies are expected to remain sufficient for a global population of nine billion in 2050, continuing overconsumption and the impact of climate change will diminish their availability in many of the planet's neediest regions, according to a new United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report.

The report – entitledTowards a water and food secure futureand launched today at the World Water Forum in concomitance with the World Water Council – urges government policies and public and private investment to ensure that crops, livestock and fish are sustainably produced in ways also aimed at safeguarding water resources. Without such measures, the report warns, efforts to reduce poverty, increase incomes and ensure food security in many developing nations will become increasingly difficult.

“Water, as an irreplaceable element of achieving this end, is already under pressure by increasing demands from other uses, exacerbated by weak governance, inadequate capacities, and underinvestment,” said FAO Deputy Director-General Natural Resources, Maria Helena Semedo, in apress releasemarking the report's publication.

“In an era of accelerated changes unparalleled to any in our past, our ability to provide adequate, safe and nutritious food sustainably and equitably is more relevant than ever.”

FAO statistics note that by 2050 some 60 per cent more food will be needed to feed the world, placing added stress on water supplies as global agriculture rushes to meet that demand. Agriculture is already the most water-intensive industry, accounting in many countries for around two-thirds or more of supplies drawn from rivers, lakes and aquifers.

In addition, the dire straits facing the world's water situation was recently amplified in the UN's 2015 World Water Development report, released by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and in time for World Water Day, marked each year on 22 March.

According to UNESCO, the planet will face a 40 per cent shortfall in water supply in 2030 unless the international community “dramatically” improves water supply management. Demand for water is slated to skyrocket 55 per cent by 2050 while 20 per cent of global groundwater is already overexploited.

Improvements to the overall outlook, however, are possible, says the FAO.

In its report, the UN agency, in fact, calls for governments to help farmers increase food output using increasingly limited water resources and empowering them to better manage risks associated with water scarcity. Moreover, water rights, the report states, need to be allocated in fair and inclusive ways.

“This is an opportune time to re-visit our public policies, investment frameworks, governance structures and institutions,” Ms. Semedo concluded. “We are entering the post-2015 development era and we should mark it with solid commitments.”

INTERNATIONAL – The role fair, transparent and accessible legal frameworks play in poverty eradication – and in promoting sustainable development – was highlighted today by General Assembly President Sam Kutesa and other top United Nations officials told the UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, in Doha, Qatar today.

“Equal access to justice and non-discriminatory laws help advance gender equality and promote equitable and inclusive development. Furthermore, fighting corruption will make funds available for delivery of basic services to citizens, particularly to the most vulnerable,” Mr. Kutesa said at a high-level special event on the rule of law, human rights and the post-2015 agenda.

“Nurturing and promoting rule of law and human rights for all without discrimination is critical for reducing violence and crime, and ensuring human security. Central to this is the need for effective and accountable security and justice systems to address cycles of violence and to promote peace and stability, which are important pre-requisites to sustained economic growth,” he added.

The high-level special event was organized by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in partnership with the Rule of law coordination and resource group, as well as Italy and Thailand. TheUN Crime Congressopened Sunday and is expected to conclude on 19 April.

Today’s discussion “is an important follow-up to the General Assembly’s high-level thematic debate on ‘Integrating crime prevention and criminal justice in the post-2015 development agenda,’ which was held in New York on 25 February 2015,” said UNODC Executive Director, Yury Fedotov.

Mr. Kutesa stressed that the nature of crime has changed. “Many countries are today grappling with national and transnational crimes like human, firearms and drug trafficking; corruption; smuggling of migrants; counterfeit medicines; cybercrime and piracy. These not only undermine national capacities towards effective rule of law and human rights promotion, but also weaken the ability of countries and communities to prosper and realize development opportunities,” he added.

The President of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Martin Sajdik, the Assistant Secretary-General for the Rule of Law and Security Institutions in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, Dmitry Titov, and the Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, Ivan Šimonović, also spoke at today’s high-level event.

Mr. Sajdik said “there is no good governance, without rule of law, and there is no rule of law without good governance,” and added, “the promotion of sustainable development, guarded by strong rule of law and human rights, is a road that must be taken by everyone.”

“If we wish to secure peaceful and stable societies, and true social development, then eradicating discrimination, fighting inequalities between social groups, and ensuring that ‘no one is left behind’ should be our urgent priority,” Mr. Šimonović said.

He also stressed that “law enforcement and the administration of justice must be consistent with international human rights law.” “Laws should serve people, reflecting their values and needs and not be imposed on them. We need ‘rule of law,’ not a ‘law and order’ approach. Where law enforcement is discriminatory, and disproportionately harsh, and where the laws themselves are unjust, this generates both resentment and inequality,” he added.

Mr. Šimonović stressed that “to be truly transformative, and effective, the new post-2015 development agenda must be firmly based on international human rights law, aiming to secure freedom for fear and want for all, without discrimination.”

Mr. Titov said that it is not just violent crime that hinders development. “There is a wealth of evidence, as mentioned by many today, that corruption is a major hindrance with a disproportionate impact on the poor and marginalized,” he said.

He gave examples of initiatives by the Department of peacekeeping operations to strengthen the rule of law, including “helping the authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to deal with military officers accused of committing crimes against civilians” and “supporting Côte d’Ivoire in operationalizing all 37 courts and rehabilitating 22 prisons across the country following the 2011 crisis.”

INTERNATIONAL – A meeting convened by the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed that the Ebola outbreak in West Africa still poses a threat to international peace and security, despite a major fall-off in in case incidence and geographic distribution in the most-affected countries Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.

During the fifth meeting of the WHO’s International Health Regulations (IHR) Emergency Committee yesterday, the bodydeterminedthat Ebola continued to constitute a ‘Public Health Emergency of International Concern’ and recommended the extension of all previous temporary recommendations.

Deliberating on whether or not Ebola constituted a public health emergency, the Committee reviewed developments since its last meeting on 20 January, it noted further improvements in prevention and control activities across West Africa, including in contact tracing. Observing declines in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, the virus appeared to have reduced its spread.

“These three IHR States Parties provided updates and assessment of the Ebola outbreak, in terms of the epidemiological situation and the status and performance of exit screening and contact tracing,” said a statement by the Emergency Committee.

While recognizing the progress achieved by all three countries, the Committee emphasized that there is no place for complacency, and reinforced the importance of community engagement in the UN-backed goal of “getting to zero.”

The rapid interruption of transmission remained the primary goal of the Committee, which expressed continued concern over recent health care worker infections and reaffirmed the importance of rigorously applying appropriate prevention and control measures.

A recent case of possible infection after sexual contact with an Ebola survivor months after recovery became the focus of a discussion on sexual transmission with the Committee welcoming ongoing research in this area and urging its acceleration.

The statement also voiced concern over additional health measures – such as quarantining returning travellers, refusing entry, cancelling flights and closing borders – as significantly interfering with international travel and negatively impacting both response and recovery efforts.

Although reports that some countries have recently rescinded these measures and certain regional airlines resumed flights to affected countries, about 40 nations still implement the additional procedures and a number of carriers have yet to resume flights to these States.

Concluding that Ebola continued to be a Public Health Emergency, the Committee recommended that previous temporary recommendations be extended and provided additional advice to the WHO Director-General in accordance with the IHR.

The statement strongly reiterated the need for continued exit screenings in the three affected countries, which must be maintained for at least 42 days after the last case had twice tested negative for Ebola.

It recommended these nations “to maintain exit screening until human-to-human transmission has stopped in the entire subregion” and “urged affected countries to provide WHO, on a monthly basis, with the number of people screened at international airports and the results of such screening.”

The Committee also reemphasized active surveillance, particularly in border areas – in addition to vigilance for new cases, tracing of known contacts and cross-border cooperation to share information and assets – and highlighted that social and cultural links, which cross national boundaries, must be taken into account when planning and implementing such activities.

PANAMA – The United Nations Secretary-General, in an address in Panama to the CEO Summit of the Americas, said today 10 April that business has a key role in the success of several important international forums taking place in 2015 and will be deeply involved in the implementation of their outcomes.

“The new global development agenda and the battle against climate change will need resources, technology and capacity,” hetoldbusiness leaders who gathered in Panama City. “Private sources and partnerships will be crucial.”

He spoke of the UN Global Compact set up following the Millennium Declaration between business and society, saying that results from the Compact’s first 15 years showed that engagement of all key stakeholders in issues of common importance resulted in progress.

Partnerships between the UN and businesses were on the rise and included the Global Compact’s ‘CEO Water Mandate’ and the ‘Caring for Climate’ initiatives, while the UN Global Pulse initiative had already partnered with mobile network operators and social media companies to leverage ‘Big Data’ to improve humanitarian responses and gain insights on public concerns about policy changes.

There is growing realization of the link between business health and the health of societies, the Secretary-General said, pointing to corporate social responsibility initiatives, investors’ moves away from fossil fuels, and increasing minimum wages around the world.

“Social and environmental responsibility is becoming mainstream, and is increasingly a standard part of strategic corporate practice,” he said. “This is changing markets from within – and for the better. We have to build on this momentum, and bring on board those companies still doing business that puts profit before progress.”

In what he flagged as a year of global action, he stressed the need in 2015 to reduce inequality, to promote prosperity and equity and to protect the environment.

“With business support for implementing the sustainable development goals, we can transform our world,” he said. “Our Global Compact now has over 8,000 companies and 4,000 non-business organizations participating, with Local Networks in 86 countries – including many in Latin America.”

Business was part of the solution to several major global challenges and he thanked the assembled leaders for their part in trying to make 2015 a historic year. To achieve that, four steps would be essential.

Companies should communicate and support the sustainable development goals, help with implementation of the post-2015 development agenda, mobilize financing for development and help the international community to reach a meaningful universal agreement on climate action in Paris.

“Private sector advocacy can make a real difference in advancing well-functioning carbon markets,” he said. “Business can steer governments to support smart regulatory policies and emissions reduction targets that are in line with science. The world needs companies and investors everywhere to do their part in meeting the needs of people today while transforming our prospects for tomorrow.”