It is increasingly recognized that faith leaders and faith-based organizations (FBOs) are essential contributors towards attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and addressing environmental and climatic crises. Acknowledging this, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) launched the Faith for Earth Initiative to strategically engage with FBOs, mobilize greater faith-inspired environmental action, scale-up faith actors’ capacities and catalyze greater synergies between them and other stakeholders. This short, self-paced, e-learning course, focusing on global water challenges, forms part of this commitment.

Water is universally acknowledged as one of the most precious resources on earth, not just for humans, but all life that we share the planet with. This importance is reflected in the SDG framework as the achievement of all goals ultimately relies upon safe, secure and reliable water supplies. Water issues are not just environmental in nature, but connected to basic human rights and overall human well-being, fundamentally supporting all sectors of socioeconomic activity. Addressing global water issues requires the engagement of all sectors of global society, with this course focusing on the role of faith actors, drawing on the particular qualities and comparative advantages they have.