Water nurtures prosperity by meeting basic human needs, supporting health, livelihoods and economic development, underpinning food and energy security, and defending environmental integrity. Water influences the economy in many ways, and global trade dynamics and market adaptations can have direct repercussions on the water use of regional and local economies. The water-related impacts of conflict are multi-faceted and often indirect, such as those linked to forced migration and increased exposure to health threats. Climate change, geopolitical unrest, pandemics, mass migration, hyperinflation and other crises can exacerbate water access inequalities. In nearly all cases, the poorest and most vulnerable groups are those that suffer the greatest risks to their well-being. The 2024 edition of the United Nations World Water Development Report (UN WWDR) calls attention to the complex and interlinked relationships between water, prosperity and peace, describing how progress in one dimension can have positive, often essential, repercussions on the others.
