In less than an hour and free of charge, it is now possible, thanks to the Water4allSDGs.org application, to assess the economic, social and environmental impacts of a project or a policy related to water, specifies the UN press service.
Designed for governments, local authorities, companies or NGOs, the application is a tool that allows public policies or projects to be brought into line with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
“Water decision-makers often have little knowledge of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). With this application, they can easily measure their impact and adjust their project”, explained Philippe Guettier, adviser to the French Water Partnership (PFE), a non-profit association and founding president of “SDG Champions”, quoted by the UN press service.
According to the same source, all you have to do is answer a series of questions relating to your project or policy to get an overview of its positive or negative impacts, for example on the climate, biodiversity, inequalities, health, employment or education.
The application, available in English and French, was developed in two years under the direction of Gérard Payen, expert and former adviser on water and sanitation to the Secretary General of the United Nations.
“The goal is to operationalize the 2030 Agenda, its 17 SDGs and 169 targets, which are sometimes complicated to understand,” said Mr. Guettier.
Tested on a large scale for a year as part of the World Water Forum in Dakar in March 2022 with various international partners, the application has resulted in the labeling of 150 projects around the world, added the international organization.