“Policymakers have agreed on an ambitious plan to create a global monitoring and reporting system to oversee water supply, sanitation and water resources management, a U.N. expert said,” AlertNet reports. “Part of the initiative would be assisting developing countries to collect and analyze data on their water resources,” the news service writes, adding, “The data would likely feed into the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that are expected to replace the U.N. anti-poverty Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2015, Joakim Harlin of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) said.” Experts are examining how a water goal could be connected to other goals on energy and food, according to Harlin, the news service notes. “U.N. Water is expected to finalize the details of the water monitoring initiative by the end of the year, Harlin said,” AlertNet writes (Mollins, 9/5).