Does Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) bring together Integrated Water Supply Management and Water Demand Management approaches to respond to the needs of balancing multiple uses of water (Dr. Jun Xia, the proposal to WWC strategies in 2020 and beyond) or is it a much more inclusive process? The historical independent focus on water supply management has led to a lack of comprehensive, integrated, coordinated or balanced water use and effective overall management. Balancing multiple uses requires integration (including supporting processes) of various water uses (such as drinking water, irrigation water, industrial water, recreational water, cooling water) with related resources, ecosystems, social values and other and considerations.Within the constraints of the available water resources, IWRM must enable fair and equitable satisfaction of the actual needs of all uses, quantitatively as well as qualitatively, including for ecosystems.In order to address target 3 of the World Water Forum, the working group considers that a key issue to be addressed is the information required about both the quality and the quantity of water needed in different types of uses which is essential for balancing water use optimally. These requirements depend on location, technology, economic, social, public health, climate and environmental conditions.We need to establish technical groups consisting of water use and water quality experts particularly regarding the use of treated wastewater. Detail a bit more the reasons for the creation of these groups?It is noted that water use requirements or frames of reference have already been developed for some uses. Examples include those established by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) on selected agricultural crop water quantity and quality requirements and yield changes with varying water quality; or on the minimum water quantity and quality requirements for humans. Using these publications and other existing references, internationally recognised frames of reference related to the quality and quantity of water required for different uses could be developed. These frames of reference will need to consider, and may vary with, health targets, water use location, technologies and economic, social, climate and other environmental conditions. As regards the quality, a first attempt towards this goal has consisted in a stock-taking report drafted using the material published by the WHO and FAO. This stock-taking report “Which water quality for which uses? A regulators’ & practitioners’ perspective” sets the scene starting with a brief overview of global changes, including climate change, growing population, urbanisation (etc), since they pose challenges for both the quantity and the quality of water. Many uses of water such as domestic water, irrigation water and leisure water are competing for shared resources and they impact on the quality of water for ecosystems. From a regulatory perspective, the WHO guideline (Water and Health), FAO (Agriculture and Water), give international visibility to the deciding bodies on the decision criteria of water quality required for each use. They provide guidelines and frameworks for the development of state regulations on quality standards and the associated management approach. The stock-taking report is being supplemented with national and regional examples of water quality criteria that have been developed by various health and environment authorities around the world. A seminar will be held during the 2011 Stockholm Water Week, to enable an exchange of views between public health experts, environmental experts, representatives from international and regional institutions to provide their views to, and debate with, national experts. On this basis, the stock-taking report will be completed with specific considerations about environmental quality standards.At the WWF-6, stakeholders will be invited to share experience in setting up the action plan: International bodies, Professional associations (Water operators, Health, Microbiological, Environmental, Agriculture, Fisheries, etc.); National agencies (water health, environmental, etc.); River Basin organisations (International Network of Basin Organisations (INBO), international, national and regional basin organisations, etc.); and Scientific and technical organisations.It is envisaged that over the 2015 horizon and beyond, the results of the working group on target 3 of the WWF-6 recognised frame of reference related to the quality required for different uses, will be promoted and adopted on a wider scale by key international stakeholders. These would include international agencies, governments, water management experts, research institutions, environmental agencies etc.