World Day for Water
Encyclopedia
'World Water Day' has been observed on March 22 since 1993 when the United Nations General Assembly
declared March 22 as World Day for Water.
This day was first formally proposed in Agenda 21
of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro
, Brazil
. Observance began in 1993 and has grown significantly ever since; for the general public to show support, it is encouraged for the public to not use their taps throughout the whole day, the day has become a popular Facebook
trend.
The UN and its member nations devote this day to implementing UN recommendations and promoting concrete activities within their countries regarding the world's water resources. Each year, one of various UN agencies involved in water issues takes the lead in promoting and coordinating international activities for World Water Day. Since its inception in 2003, UN-Water
has been responsible for selecting the theme, messages and lead UN agency for the World Day for Water.
In addition to the UN member states, a number of NGO
s promoting clean water
and sustainable aquatic habitats have used World Day for Water as a time to focus public attention on the critical water issues of our era. Every three years since 1997, for instance, the World Water Council has drawn thousands to participate in its World Water Forum during the week of World Day for Water. Participating agencies and NGOs have highlighted issues such as a billion people being without access to safe water for drinking and the role of gender in family access to safe water. In 2003, 2006 and 2009, the UN World Water Development Report
was launched on the occasion of the World Water Day. The fourth Report is expected to be released around March 22, 2012.
Coordinated by UN-HABITAT. The communication and visual identity campaign is by FAO WATER, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO
) Water section.
Official website: http://worldwaterday.unwater.org/
2010: Clean Water for a Healthy World
Coordinated by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The communication and visual identity campaign is by FAO WATER, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO
) Water section.
UN-Water is dedicating World Water Day 2010 to the theme of water quality, reflecting its importance alongside quantity of the resource in water management.
Clean water and war: in time of war the access to clean water is frequently restricted because water supply or purification systems have been destroyed, because water reserves are located in areas that have become dangerous or because of massive displacement. People ultimately resort to sources of water with a high health risk and many people contract water-borne diseases.
2009: Transboundary Waters
Coordinated by the United Nations Education, Science and Culture Organization (UNESCO
), with the assistance of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO
) Water section.
On the occasion of 2009 World Day for Water, the ICRC
called on governments to ensure safe water and decent sanitation for civilians in conflict zones. In many conflicts, disease kills more civilians than bullets.
2008: Sanitation
Coordinated by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO
).
The World Day for Water 2008 also coincides with the International Year of Sanitation (2008), which was organized by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) in collaboration with the UN-Water Task Force on Sanitation.
On March 21, 2008, The Guardian Weekly
published a special report on World Day for Water.OMG
2007: Coping With Water Scarcity
Coordinated by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO
). 2007's theme highlighted the increasing significance of water scarcity worldwide and the need for increased integration and cooperation to ensure sustainable, efficient and equitable management of scarce water resources, both at international and local levels.
2006: Water and Culture
Coordinated by United Nations Education, Science and Culture Organization (UNESCO
). The theme 'Water and Culture' of 2006 drew the attention to the fact that there are as many ways of viewing, using, and celebrating water as there are cultural traditions across the world.
2005: Water for Life 2005-2015
Coordinated by the United Nations (UN). The United Nations General Assembly at its 58th session in December 2003 agreed to proclaim the years 2005 to 2015 as the International Decade for Action, "Water for Life" (Water for Life Decade
), and beginning with World Water Day, March 22, 2005. The Water for Life decade set the world's goals on "a greater focus on water-related issues, while striving to ensure the participation of women in water-related development efforts, and further cooperation at all levels to achieve water-related goals of the Millennium Declaration, Johannesburg Plan of Implementation of the World Summit for Sustainable Development and Agenda 21."
2004: Water and Disasters
Coordinated by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR). The message of the Day was: Weather, climate and water resources can have a devastating impact on socio-economic development and on the well-being of humankind. According to the World Meteorological Organization, weather and climate-related extreme events, such as tornadoes, thunderstorms, storms, cyclones, floods and drought, account for nearly 75 per cent of all disasters. They lead to an enormous toll of human suffering, loss of life and economic damage. Monitoring these events, predicting their movements and issuing timely warnings are essential to mitigate the disastrous impact of such events on population and economy.
2003: Water for Future
Coordinated by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Water for the Future was the theme for World Water Day 2003. It called on each one of us to maintain and improve the quality and quantity of fresh water available to future generations. The goal was to inspire political and community action and encourage greater global understanding of the need for more responsible water use and conservation.
2002: Water for Development
Coordinated by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The theme for 2002, 'Water for Development,' carried the message that the poor and deteriorating state of water resources in many parts of the world demand integrated water resources planning and management.
2001: Water for Health
Coordinated by the World Health Organization (WHO
). The message for the day was: "Concrete efforts are necessary to provide clean drinking water and improve health as well as to increase awareness world-wide of the problems and of the solutions. 22 March is a unique occasion to remind everybody that solutions are possible. Use the resources on this site to help turn words into political commitment and action."
2000: Water for the 21st Century
Coordinated by United Nations Education, Science and Culture Organization (UNESCO
).
1999: Everyone Lives Downstream
Coordinated by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The 1999 World Water Day's primary message is that when it comes to using freshwater, human beings, whether they live in a village or a megacity, cannot isolate themselves from their neighbours. Rather, there are fundamental linkages and dependencies between water users and uses in a given drainage basin that affect everyone in that basin.
1998: Groundwater - The Invisible Resource
Coordinated by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). Nearly half of the world's population depends on groundwater sources for drinking water supply and for other uses. The UN is concerned about three primary gaps in groundwater management which have enormous implications for sustainable development: (1) The accelerated degradation of groundwater systems, through pollution of aquifers. (2) The lack of both professional and public awareness about the sustainable use and economic importance of groundwater resources generally. (3) The economic implications of not resolving groundwater demand and supply management.
1997: The World's Water: Is there enough?
Coordinated by United Nations Education, Science and Culture Organization (UNESCO
)and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The message for the World Day for Water 1997 was that water is a basic requirement for all life, yet water resources are facing more and more demands from, and competition among, users.
1996: Water for Thirsty Cities
World Day for Water 1996 emphasized the growing water crisis faced by cities across the world which threatens the sustainability of their social and economic development.
1995: Women and Water
1994: Caring for our Water Resources is Everybody's Business
United Nations General Assembly
For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
declared March 22 as World Day for Water.
This day was first formally proposed in Agenda 21
Agenda 21
Agenda 21 is an action plan of the United Nations related to sustainable development and was an outcome of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992...
of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. Observance began in 1993 and has grown significantly ever since; for the general public to show support, it is encouraged for the public to not use their taps throughout the whole day, the day has become a popular Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
trend.
The UN and its member nations devote this day to implementing UN recommendations and promoting concrete activities within their countries regarding the world's water resources. Each year, one of various UN agencies involved in water issues takes the lead in promoting and coordinating international activities for World Water Day. Since its inception in 2003, UN-Water
UN-Water
UN-Water is a mechanism of the United Nations, endorsed in 2003 for the follow-up process of the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development. Its purpose is to support states in their water-related efforts to reach the Millennium Development Goals....
has been responsible for selecting the theme, messages and lead UN agency for the World Day for Water.
In addition to the UN member states, a number of NGO
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
s promoting clean water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
and sustainable aquatic habitats have used World Day for Water as a time to focus public attention on the critical water issues of our era. Every three years since 1997, for instance, the World Water Council has drawn thousands to participate in its World Water Forum during the week of World Day for Water. Participating agencies and NGOs have highlighted issues such as a billion people being without access to safe water for drinking and the role of gender in family access to safe water. In 2003, 2006 and 2009, the UN World Water Development Report
UN World Water Development Report
The United Nations World Water Development Report is a global report that provides an authoritative, comprehensive assessment of the world’s freshwater resources...
was launched on the occasion of the World Water Day. The fourth Report is expected to be released around March 22, 2012.
World Day for Water, Previous Years
2011: Water for cities: responding to the urban challengeCoordinated by UN-HABITAT. The communication and visual identity campaign is by FAO WATER, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO
Fão
Fão is a town in Esposende Municipality in Portugal....
) Water section.
Official website: http://worldwaterday.unwater.org/
2010: Clean Water for a Healthy World
Coordinated by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The communication and visual identity campaign is by FAO WATER, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO
Fão
Fão is a town in Esposende Municipality in Portugal....
) Water section.
- Official website of the World Day for Water 2010: http://www.worldwaterday2010.info/
UN-Water is dedicating World Water Day 2010 to the theme of water quality, reflecting its importance alongside quantity of the resource in water management.
Clean water and war: in time of war the access to clean water is frequently restricted because water supply or purification systems have been destroyed, because water reserves are located in areas that have become dangerous or because of massive displacement. People ultimately resort to sources of water with a high health risk and many people contract water-borne diseases.
2009: Transboundary Waters
Coordinated by the United Nations Education, Science and Culture Organization (UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
), with the assistance of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO
Fão
Fão is a town in Esposende Municipality in Portugal....
) Water section.
- Official website of the World Day for Water 2009: http://www.unwater.org/wwd09
- UNESCO webpage on the World Day for Water: http://www.unesco.org/water/water_celebrations/
- Further information: http://www.worldwaterday.org/page/2542
On the occasion of 2009 World Day for Water, the ICRC
International Committee of the Red Cross
The International Committee of the Red Cross is a private humanitarian institution based in Geneva, Switzerland. States parties to the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols of 1977 and 2005, have given the ICRC a mandate to protect the victims of international and...
called on governments to ensure safe water and decent sanitation for civilians in conflict zones. In many conflicts, disease kills more civilians than bullets.
2008: Sanitation
Coordinated by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO
Who
Who may refer to:* Who , an English-language pronoun* who , a Unix command* Who?, one of the Five Ws in journalism- Art and entertainment :* Who? , a 1958 novel by Algis Budrys...
).
The World Day for Water 2008 also coincides with the International Year of Sanitation (2008), which was organized by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) in collaboration with the UN-Water Task Force on Sanitation.
- Official website of the World Day for Water 2008: http://www.unwater.org/wwd08
- Official website of the International Year of Sanitation: http://esa.un.org/iys/
- Further information: http://www.worldwaterday.org/page/2095
On March 21, 2008, The Guardian Weekly
The Guardian Weekly
The Guardian Weekly is a weekly newspaper published by the Guardian Media Group and is one of the world's oldest international newspapers. It was founded with the aim of spreading progressive British ideas into America after the First World War...
published a special report on World Day for Water.OMG
2007: Coping With Water Scarcity
Coordinated by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO
Fão
Fão is a town in Esposende Municipality in Portugal....
). 2007's theme highlighted the increasing significance of water scarcity worldwide and the need for increased integration and cooperation to ensure sustainable, efficient and equitable management of scarce water resources, both at international and local levels.
- Official website of the World Day for Water 2007: http://www.unwater.org/wwd07
- Further information: http://www.worldwaterday.org/page/1036
2006: Water and Culture
Coordinated by United Nations Education, Science and Culture Organization (UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
). The theme 'Water and Culture' of 2006 drew the attention to the fact that there are as many ways of viewing, using, and celebrating water as there are cultural traditions across the world.
- Official website of the World Day for Water 2006: http://www.unesco.org/water/wwd2006/
- Further information: http://www.worldwaterday.org/page/715
2005: Water for Life 2005-2015
Coordinated by the United Nations (UN). The United Nations General Assembly at its 58th session in December 2003 agreed to proclaim the years 2005 to 2015 as the International Decade for Action, "Water for Life" (Water for Life Decade
Water for Life Decade
THE INTERNATIONAL DECADE FOR ACTION ‘WATER FOR LIFE’, 2005-2015The United Nations General Assembly, in December 2003, proclaimed the years 2005-2015 as the International Decade for Action ‘Water for Life’...
), and beginning with World Water Day, March 22, 2005. The Water for Life decade set the world's goals on "a greater focus on water-related issues, while striving to ensure the participation of women in water-related development efforts, and further cooperation at all levels to achieve water-related goals of the Millennium Declaration, Johannesburg Plan of Implementation of the World Summit for Sustainable Development and Agenda 21."
- Official website of the International Decade for Action, "Water for Life": http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/
- Further information: http://www.worldwaterday.org/wwday/2005
2004: Water and Disasters
Coordinated by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR). The message of the Day was: Weather, climate and water resources can have a devastating impact on socio-economic development and on the well-being of humankind. According to the World Meteorological Organization, weather and climate-related extreme events, such as tornadoes, thunderstorms, storms, cyclones, floods and drought, account for nearly 75 per cent of all disasters. They lead to an enormous toll of human suffering, loss of life and economic damage. Monitoring these events, predicting their movements and issuing timely warnings are essential to mitigate the disastrous impact of such events on population and economy.
- Further information: http://www.worldwaterday.org/wwday/2004/
2003: Water for Future
Coordinated by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Water for the Future was the theme for World Water Day 2003. It called on each one of us to maintain and improve the quality and quantity of fresh water available to future generations. The goal was to inspire political and community action and encourage greater global understanding of the need for more responsible water use and conservation.
- Further information: http://www.worldwaterday.org/wwday/2003/
2002: Water for Development
Coordinated by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The theme for 2002, 'Water for Development,' carried the message that the poor and deteriorating state of water resources in many parts of the world demand integrated water resources planning and management.
- Official website for the World Day for Water 2002: http://waterday2002.iaea.org/
- Further information: http://www.worldwaterday.org/wwday/2002/
2001: Water for Health
Coordinated by the World Health Organization (WHO
Who
Who may refer to:* Who , an English-language pronoun* who , a Unix command* Who?, one of the Five Ws in journalism- Art and entertainment :* Who? , a 1958 novel by Algis Budrys...
). The message for the day was: "Concrete efforts are necessary to provide clean drinking water and improve health as well as to increase awareness world-wide of the problems and of the solutions. 22 March is a unique occasion to remind everybody that solutions are possible. Use the resources on this site to help turn words into political commitment and action."
- Official website of the World Day for Water 2001: http://www.worldwaterday.org/wwday/2001/
2000: Water for the 21st Century
Coordinated by United Nations Education, Science and Culture Organization (UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
).
- Further information: http://www.worldwaterday.org/wwday/2000/
1999: Everyone Lives Downstream
Coordinated by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The 1999 World Water Day's primary message is that when it comes to using freshwater, human beings, whether they live in a village or a megacity, cannot isolate themselves from their neighbours. Rather, there are fundamental linkages and dependencies between water users and uses in a given drainage basin that affect everyone in that basin.
- Official website of the World Day for Water 1999: http://www.worldwaterday.org/wwday/1999/
1998: Groundwater - The Invisible Resource
Coordinated by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). Nearly half of the world's population depends on groundwater sources for drinking water supply and for other uses. The UN is concerned about three primary gaps in groundwater management which have enormous implications for sustainable development: (1) The accelerated degradation of groundwater systems, through pollution of aquifers. (2) The lack of both professional and public awareness about the sustainable use and economic importance of groundwater resources generally. (3) The economic implications of not resolving groundwater demand and supply management.
- Official website of the World Day on Water 1998: http://www.worldwaterday.org/wwday/1998/
1997: The World's Water: Is there enough?
Coordinated by United Nations Education, Science and Culture Organization (UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
)and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The message for the World Day for Water 1997 was that water is a basic requirement for all life, yet water resources are facing more and more demands from, and competition among, users.
1996: Water for Thirsty Cities
World Day for Water 1996 emphasized the growing water crisis faced by cities across the world which threatens the sustainability of their social and economic development.
1995: Women and Water
1994: Caring for our Water Resources is Everybody's Business
External links
- World Water Day – Official United Nations World Water Day website
- World Water Day 2008 on Sanitation – Official UN Water World Water Day thematic site
- Section on Water and Habitat – ICRC web site
- KnowH2O – Global water education website for students and educators
- UN-Water