The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted at the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit in 2015 and includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that aim to guide global action a common set of development objectives. The SDGs replace the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which were formulated based on the declaration emanating from the Millennium Summit held in the year 2000.
 
SDG-6 specifically aims to ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. It is supported by six operational targets focused on drinking water, sanitation, water quality, water use efficiency and water scarcity, integrated water resources management and water-related ecosystems. To date, nine indicators have been adopted to support the monitoring of these six targets.

The objective of this High Level Meeting on the Water-related SDGs is to discuss the lessons learned from implementing the MDG+ Initiative in view of discussing how this regional initiative can contribute to follow-up on the water-related SDGs.
 
The MDG+ Initiative was launched by the Arab Ministerial Water Council in 2010 to establish a Regional Mechanism for Improved Monitoring and Reporting on Access to Water Supply and Sanitation Services in the Arab Region. This inter-governmental initiative monitors and reports on a set of water supply, sanitation and wastewater indicators that reflect conditions in the water-scarce Arab region. The initiative is implemented by the League of Arab States Secretariat to the Arab Ministerial Water Council, the Arab Countries Water Utilities Association (ACWUA) and ESCWA with the financial support of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).
 
The High Level Meeting specifically aims to:
 

• Report on the findings of the MDG+ Initiative 2016 Report being vetted by the Arab Ministerial Water Council in October 2016;
• Exchange experiences and lessons learned from the implementation of the MDG+ Initiative, particularly with respect to the indicators, data collection methods, institutional framework and pilot field surveys;
• Increase understanding of the water-related goals, targets and indicators adopted in support of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the work being undertaken within the framework of UN-Water to develop a global monitoring framework on the SDG-6 targets;
• Consider how the MDG+ Initiative indicators and regional monitoring framework can contribute to follow-up on the water-related SDGs; and
• Formulate recommendations on a way forward for monitoring and reporting on the water-related SDGs in the Arab region.

 
The meeting will gather the members of the ACWUA Board of Directors, the members of the ESCWA Committee on Water Resources, the MDG+ Initiative Focal Points nominated through the Arab Ministerial Water Council who have chaired the 18 National Monitoring Teams, as well as senior officials serving on the National Monitoring Teams.  Associated stakeholders representing water ministries, water utilities, statistical offices and civil society will also participate, as well as global and regional organizations working on the water-related SDGs, including UN-Water counterparts, MDG+ Initiative partners and members of the MDG+ Advisory Board.