Accelerating multilateral action for global water security. Recommendations for the UK and international organisations

Water is our most vital shared resource – fundamental for food security, energy production, socio-economic development, environmental integrity, and human health. Yet global water systems are under unprecedented pressure. Rising demand, land-use changes, pollution, and climate change are all accelerating a global water crisis. Immediate, coordinated policy action is essential because billions of people face escalating water-related challenges: deteriorating water quality, severe shortages, and increasingly extreme flooding. These pressures will trigger cascading impacts across societies, ecosystems, and the global economy.