Launched in June 2000, ICLEI's Water Campaign assists local governments quantify and qualify water resource use, develop local water action plans, set targets, act on their plans, and  track and report goal-achievement.


The Campaign's relevance was further affirmed as a Type-2 Partnership launched at the World Summit for Sustainable Development in 2002, largely to capitalize on dialogues for effective water governance.


To contribute to MDG 7, ICLEI:

• Works closely with national governments and associations of local governments who are interested in banding around 20 or more local governments to collectively reduce water consumption, pollution, and systems loss. The Water Campaign has been successfully launched in Australia where at least 90 local governments have signed up since its regional launch in 2001.
  

• Ushers in access to safe water (especially in developing regions), and promotes Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM). Along these lines, water projects were initiated around integrated local water governance and information systems. These activities were introduced in the Philippines and India, and similar initiatives are ongoing in Africa. These water projects have been supported by the Asian Development Bank, the European Union, and the Dutch Ministry of the Environment. (For a snapshot, please see the list of water projects, and visit  ICLEI's regional websites for further details.)

Water workshops were also led by the World Secretariat (e.g., the Mayors Asia-Pacific Environment Summit), the Japan Office, and   Europe. Efforts to expand water initiatives are underway in North America, Europe, and Korea.