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Nations of the world have established a comprehensive and demanding water resources agenda. In the Millennium Declaration adopted by the General Assembly in 2000, world leaders resolved “to halve, by the year 2015, the proportion of the world’s people who are unable to reach, or to afford, safe drinking water”, and “to stop the unsustainable exploitation of water resources”. Water resources also figured prominently at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002. The Plan of Implementation adopted there reiterated the Millennium Development Goal on water, set a new target of halving the proportion of people who do not have access to basic sanitation by 2015, and recognized the key role of water in combating poverty and in the realms of agriculture, energy, health, biodiversity and ecosystems.
This guide for delegates at the Third World Water Forum in Kyoto Japan outlines the active part the United Nations is playing to continue this progress. It includes, on CD-ROM below, the first edition of the World Water Development Report, “Water for People, Water for Life”. A joint project of 23 United Nations specialized agencies and other entities, it provides a comprehensive view of today’s water problems and wide-ranging recommendations for meeting future water demand.
This first edition is intended to focus attention on the 2003 International Year of Freshwater, and will be formally launched at the Forum on 22 March, World Water Day.
I recommend this publication to the widest possible audience and extend my best wishes to all delegates in Kyoto for a very productive and successful week.
Kofi Annan
Secretary General, United Nations
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Note: the Guide is 16 pages long and 4.2mb in size. It requires Acrobat Reader. You can download Acrobat reader here |
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