UNESCO-IHP and UNU decided in 2006 to develop jointly a programme addressing the links between groundwater degradation and human society, which is called “Quo Vadis Aquifers (QVA)?”. GWAHS-CS is the first practical activity under this programme with the aim to investigate how improved groundwater management can increase human security. Research objectives are: to adapt existing vulnerability assessment frameworks and concepts to the issues of water scarcity and water quality degradation, to determine methods for the assessment of groundwater vulnerability and groundwater degradation as both a hazard to communities, to develop a set of socio-environmental indicators of vulnerability due to natural hazards and water availability and quality, and to characterize the vulnerability of selected communities facing various types of hazards and their access to safe groundwater resources. The working paper deals with four case studies: Vietnam (2), Egypt and Iran.