PURPOSE : Held on 22 March every year since 1993, World Water Day focuses on the importance of freshwater, celebrates water and raises awareness of the 2.2 billion people living without access to safe water. It is about taking action to tackle the global water crisis. A core focus of World Water Day is to support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030. Water can be a tool for peace when communities and countries cooperate over this precious shared resource. But, water can also spark and intensify conflict when access is denied and usage unfairly shared.
FORUM: "Leveraging Water for Peace." World Water Day 2024. Water can create peace or spark conflict. When water is scarce or polluted, or when people have unequal, or no access, tensions can rise between communities and countries. More than 3 billion people worldwide depend on water that crosses national borders. Yet, only 24 countries have cooperation agreements for all their shared water. As climate change impacts increase, and populations grow, there is an urgent need, within and between countries, to unite around protecting and conserving our most precious resource. Public health and prosperity, food and energy systems, economic productivity and environmental integrity all rely on a well-functioning and equitably managed water cycle. When we cooperate on water, we create a positive ripple effect – fostering harmony, generating prosperity and building resilience to shared challenges. We must act upon the realization that water is not only a resource to be used and competed over – it is a human right, intrinsic to every aspect of life. This World Water Day, we all need to unite around water and use water for peace, laying the foundations of a more stable and prosperous tomorrow. Follow the conversation with the hashtags: #WorldWaterDay, #22March., #Acceleratingchange.
EVENTS: On March 22nd at UNHQ in New York; The celebration of the World Water Day 2024 and the launch of the World Water Development Report 2024. under the auspice of the UNESCO entitled :"Water for prosperity and peace" will be held. During the event, Panelists and participants will talk about working together to balance everyone’s needs, with a dedication to ensure no one is left behind, to make water a catalyst for a more peaceful world.
Key messages:
Water can create peace or spark conflict. When water is scarce or polluted, or when people struggle for access, tensions can rise. By cooperating on water, we can balance everyone’s water needs and help stabilize the world.
Prosperity and peace rely on water. As nations manage climate change, mass migration and political unrest, they must put water cooperation at the heart of their plans.
Water can lead us out of crisis. We can foster harmony between communities and countries by uniting around the fair and sustainable use of water – from United Nations conventions at the international level, to actions at the local level.
SYMPOSIUM: On March 22nd, 2024 from 11:00 am to 7:30 pm at UNESCO HQ in Room IX and Room I; will be held a conference entitled ''Building Peace through Water Cooperation'. Under the World Water Day 2024 theme “Water for Peace”, this campaign, led jointly by UNESCO and UNECE on behalf of UN-Water, showcases water's pivotal role in fostering peace, prosperity, and conflict prevention. Join us at UNESCO Headquarters for the official World Water Day 2024 celebration. This pivotal event promises a rich one-day programme filled with insights from distinguished speakers, including heads of UN agencies and high-level officials, alongside technical presentations that draw on field experiences. The day will also be enlivened by artistic and cultural activities that echo the theme. A highlight of the celebration will be the unveiling of the United Nations World Water Development Report 2024. Get Provisional event programme in English or in Français. Programme highlights: High level Opening Ceremony; Launch of the United Nations World Water Development Report 2024; Technical Discussions on Water Cooperation and Peacebuilding followed by Cultural shows and an indoor photo exhibition (Walk of Water).
At UN Geneva - On March 22nd, 2024, from 10:00 to 11:30 A.M.; On the occasion of World Water Day 2024, the Permanent Mission of Slovenia, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the Geneva Water Hub co-organized the event entitled "Water as a catalyst for cooperative climate action and peace". This event will highlight the risks and opportunities that climate change brings for peaceful and cooperative management of water resources from local to national and transboundary levels, as well as possible pathways to mitigate those risks and take advantage of the opportunities. It also aims to celebrate World Water Day in Geneva and raise attention to the importance of water in the context of climate change and beyond. Wacth the WWD2024 Livestream!
UPCOMING EVENTS: The final report of the 10th World Water Forum will be launch from May 18-25, 2024 in Bali, Indonesia under the theme ‘‘Water for Shared Prosperity”. Read the 1st announcement , the 2nd announcement, Explore the Indonesian Delegation report, and get the flyer of the event!. The Governors of the World Water Council have elected Saudi Arabia and Riyadh as the host for the 11th World Water Forum in 2027. Saudi Arabia and Riyadh's plan to host the 11th World Water Forum in 2027 on the theme "Action for a Better Future" was elected during the 86th meeting of the Board of Governors of the World Water Council, in Istanbul, on February 17, 2024.
WEBINARS: On March 22nd, from 10.30 – 13.00 (USA-EST); The 2nd High level panel on “Youth Views on VNRs Through a Water Lens’’ will be held virtually. In Observing World Water Day 2024 and acknowledging the critical role of water for a peaceful and prosperous society, the Royal Academy of Science International Trust (RASIT) and Cansu Global are proud to present the findings of their Junior Researchers that have looked at the Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) of UN Member States through a water lens. Watch the event!
PUBLICATIONS: The Special Rapporteur on the human rights to water and sanitation presents stories of transboundary cooperation that show the benefits of a human rights approach to transboundary water management. Read the Report: “Water as an argument for peace, twinning and cooperation”.
STATEMENTS:
PODCASTS: World Water Day 2024 is about working together to balance everyone’s needs, with a dedication to ensure no one is left behind, to make water a catalyst for a more peaceful world. Join the conversation in the SDG Media Zone on the transformation and solutions needed to achieve SDG 6 and hear how the global community are accelerating progress towards this goal. Check out the programme and watch live here. Listen the audio-podcasts!
CAMPAIGN MATERIALS: Be part of the global campaign on ‘Water for Peace’. We need everyone – from individuals and families to companies and governments – to do what they can to cooperate on water and pave the way for a more harmonious society. Download resources to get involved this World Water Day and find out more about the connection between water and peace.
WHY WE CELEBRATE THE DAY?
HOW TO GET INVOLVED!
PARTNERSHIPS:
World Water Day is about taking action to tackle the global water crisis. Leading up to 22 March, UN-Water runs a public campaign and people all over the world hold events. The United Nations World Water Development Report is launched on World Water Day itself, focusing on the same theme.
This UN World Water Day is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to unite around water and accelerate progress together. The UN-Water coordinates the global thematic campaigns for the annual United Nations international observances on freshwater and sanitation: World Water Day and World Toilet Day. The agency also contribute to other engagement initiatives on key water-related issues, and communicate with audiences via UN-Water’s social media channels.
Back in 2015, the world committed to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 as part of the 2030 Agenda – the promise that everyone would have safely managed water and sanitation by 2030.
Right now, we are seriously off-track. Billions of people and countless schools, businesses, healthcare centres, farms and factories are being held back because their human rights to water and sanitation have not yet been fulfilled. Play your part by doing what you can.
The UN World Water Day is Co-organized by the United Nations General Assembly, the UN Department of Social and Economic Affairs (UN DESA), the U.N.Water, the U.N. Member States. Coordinated by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), AquaFed; The International Federation of Private Water Operators, the World Youth Parliament for Water for World Water Day, the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World Toilet Organization,, the African Ministers' Council on Water (AMCOW), the CDP Worldwide, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Green Climate Fund, the Global Water Partnership (GWP), the Human Right 2 Water, the IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the International Association for Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research (IAHR), the International Groundwater Resources Assessment Centre (IGRAC), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the Public Services International (PSI), the Sanitation and Water for All (SWA), the Toilet Board Coalition, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the UN Global Compact, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT), the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), the Women for Water Partnership (WfWP) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). With the participation of governments, companies, organizations, institutions and coalitions.
We have created a resource of simple actions and activities you can take to help accelerate change and raise awareness of the water and sanitation crisis. Try these two in the run-up to World Water Day 2023:
The Lazy Person’s Guide to Saving Water: as the title suggests, this is a set of suggestions for action that people can take with minimal effort, although there are also ideas for the more energetic among us!
Test your water knowledge: Play Kahoot, a quiz based on the water and sanitation crisis, helping you focus your mind on the key issues and share interesting facts with your contacts.
Explore the 2024 World Water Day ‘‘Leveraging Water for Peace’’ campaign materials.
CAMPAIGN TRELLO with social media resources in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.
FACTSHEET in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.
POSTER in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.
SOCIAL MEDIA assets in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.
VISUAL IDENTIFIER in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.
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Groundwater will play a critical role in adapting to climate change. We need to work together to sustainably manage this precious resource. Our team carry out water testing and set up local committees to manage water projects after they are completed, ensuring our interventions are sustainable and directly managed by the people we are helping. Help communities construct water wells.