Ground water is critically important for sustaining global fresh water resources on local to national scales, particularly in developing countries. Sustainable ground-water management practices can improve fresh-water supplies.  The use of ground water in developing countries can help to balance large variations in the distribution and magnitude of precipitation as a result of climate variability and change and increasing human demands on surface-water supplies.  However, many ground-water resources are not managed using sustainable practices and thus face unprecedented pressures from the combined effects of climate change and human activities.   Complicating the necessary assessment of ground-water resources are the inherent challenges involved with evaluating subsurface processes that often require specialized skill and monetary support.  To overcome these challenges, the UNESCO GRAPHIC (Groundwater Resources Assessment under the Pressures of Humanity and Climate Change) initiative strives to address the paucity of ground-water data and advance sustainable ground-water management in the face of climate change and linked human activities. To meet these objectives, GRAPHIC provides a platform and forum for exchange of information through case studies, thematic working groups, regional and global networks, research, and communication.  GRAPHIC serves the global community by providing scientifically-based recommendations that are relevant to policy.  The primary subject areas of GRAPHIC include ground-water quantity and quality, environmental interdependencies, and management and policy.  Methods of investigation include information systems, environmental monitoring, paleo-indicators of environmental change, remote sensing, geochemistry and geophysics, modeling, and inter-regional comparative studies. This presentation outlines the GRAPHIC initiative and its relevance to ground-water resources in developing countries.  Recent research activities and communication efforts under the GRAPHIC program are highlighted.