Text of Plenary Address to Stockholm Water Symposium, August 10-14, 1993

At the 1972 Stockholm Conference on Environment, the world community called for a standing watch on global trends in key environmental sectors. From this concern grew the United Nations "Global Environment Monitoring System" (GEMS). Surface and groundwater quality is one component (GEMS/Water). Global patterns of surface water pollution have been summarized by GEMS for the UNCED process. The continuing inability of much of the Third World, especially many rapidly industrializing nations, to collect the type of data which permit useful assessment, coherent environmental management, and which can guide investment decisions, remains a critical problem. Water data programmes are fragmented, often collect the wrong type of information, and are inefficient both in information and in cost. The challenge of the next decade is to rethink how water quality data are collected and used, and to take advantage of new capabilities that can revolutionize the information effectiveness and cost-efficiencies of data and assessment programs at the national level. Through its global programme of data assessment and capacity building GEMS/Water provides a framework for achieving synergy and progress in the field of water quality.