Water is the lifeblood of a healthy people and planet and is critical for economic growth, healthy ecosystems, and life itself. But with over 2.3 billion people without safe drinking water and 3.6 billion people lacking safe sanitation, a global water crisis currently threatens development. The global economic costs of water insecurity estimated at nearly $500 billion per year. As the worlds largest multilateral source of financing for water in developing countries, the is committed to innovative, inclusive, and sustainable water action towards a water-secure world.
Water is vital to us all, so everyone needs to act. Every drop counts and your actions, big or small, can make a difference.
This is the story of a drop of groundwater that passes from hand to hand around the world, and the difficulties water is facing today.
In 2015 the world committed to ensuring access to water and sanitation for all by 2030. But we are seriously off-track. Billions of people are being held back, because this promise is not fulfilled. World Water Day 2023 (22 March) is about accelerating change and encouraging individuals to through actions. This year, the observance coincides with the (22-24 March, New York), a once-in-a-generation opportunity to unite the world around solving the water crisis by designing a for a rapid change in the remainder of this decade.
By nature, water connects different environments, peoples and sectors. But growing demands for water, coupled with poor water management, have increased water stress around the world. Meanwhile, the effects of worsening climate change are often felt through water, in the form of floods or droughts. .
brings us , an Ethiopian farmer, lost all his cattle in a recent drought. Without a regular supply of water, his future livelihood and that of other members of the community was in jeopardy. Together they built a water collection basin that promises a viable future for them all.
The General Assembly will hold the from 22 to 24 March 2023 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Water is everyones business. See how you can engage and also follow on 25 October 2022.
Indigenous peoples offer us valuable ways to address the global water crisis through their traditional practices, both in terms of the sustainable management of aquatic ecosystems and the democratic governance of safe drinking water and sanitation. In the worldviews of indigenous peoples, water belongs to everyone and should remain available to all, as a common good. Voicing their concerns, indigenous peoples pointed out numerous challenges on water rights they face that have undermined their access to clean water and proper sanitation, according to a new .
The Wamp穩s Nation protects the largest tropical forest in the world, and today, after decades of intense fighting to defend the land, they are leading a powerful effort to confront the water crisis by protecting the flying rivers. The Wamp穩s Nations forests cover more than 1.3 million hectares within Peru, but through the flying rivers, they supply water for three countries. Flying rivers are caused by the sheer scale of evaporation and transpiration in the forests. The forests preserved by the Wamp穩s Nation ensure water security for regions at risk of drought.
Consecutive years of below-average rainfall in the Horn of Africa have created one of the worst climate-related emergencies of the past 40 years. Over 20 million people, including 10 million children, in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia will need water and food assistance in 2022. As severe malnutrition and the risk of water-borne disease collide, children could die in devastating numbers unless urgent support is provided. is providing essential health, nutrition, education and child protection services to children and their families in dire need across the Horn of Africa.
Water is one of the worlds most precious resources and access to clean water and safe, nutritious food is a basic human right. Water connects us all and is essential to everything we do. Water is also vital for agriculture, livestock and fisheries and key to food production, nutritional security and health. Yet, global water quality is deteriorating at an alarming rate, and land and water resources around the world are at a breaking point, according to s latest report, .
Our very existence depends on water. We all need water to drink and water to grow food. Water-related ecosystems also sustain livelihoods, food security and nutrition. However, freshwater is becoming increasingly scarce. Today, 3.2 billion people live in agricultural areas with high or very high water shortages or scarcity, of whom 1.2 billion people live in areas with very high water constraints. Ensuring more productive and sustainable use of freshwater and rainwater in agriculture, the worlds largest water user, is key to managing scarce water resources.
As the population of cities and urban areas in Africa is set to explode in the coming decades, how can we ensure an adequate supply of water for city dwellers?
In the Sechura desert, on Perus northern coast, several hours away from the main roads, hundreds of families survive hand-to-mouth. Drinking water is unavailable, and nutritious food is scarce and expensive. Or, at least, it was. Thanks to a project backed by , families share a 900-metre plot of land where they farm organic vegetables and raise farm animals. A drip irrigation system, installed with WFPs support, allows for efficient use of underground waters, which the families can access through a communal reservoir. Families can now keep part of their harvest and sell the rest.
Irrigated crops, livestock, fisheries, aquaculture and forestry, account for roughly 70 per cent of total freshwater withdrawals globally. invests in multiple water use strategies in rural areas.