Freshwater ecosystems host exceptional biodiversity: covering less than 1% of the Earth's surface, they harbour more than 10% of all species. Despite their critical importance, the biodiversity crisis impacts freshwater ecosystems most significantly out of all ecosystems. More than 50% of all wetlands globally have been lost since 1900 with inland wetlands being lost faster than coastal and marine, and freshwater vertebrate populations have fallen by 83% since 1970, which is more than twice as steeply as terrestrial or marine populations. No global framework exists to guide policy responses commensurate with the scale and urgency of the situation, and the existing targets and indicators including current Aichi Biodiversity Targets are simply not adequate to set forth the ambitious framework needed to motivate international action. In 2020, governments will review the Strategic Plan under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and formulate a global biodiversity framework that will include new goals, targets and indicators for 2030 and 2050. This paper aims to provide consolidated and constructive input from the entire UN-Water membership to inform the Open-Ended Working Group on the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.