If we are to establish a harmonious, dispute-free 21st century, it is fundamentally essential that we people of the Earth eliminate the fearsome, life-threatening specters of water shortages, water-based food contamination, unsanitary living conditions and flood dangers. In order for the world's people to enjoy the blessings of our mother Earth, we have established the National Steering Committee of the 3rd World Water Forum, a starting point for the journey towards a world livable for all.

Manifestations of water's destructive face, such as floods and landslides caused by climate change, have been increasing year after year. In addition, population increase, industrial development and rapid urbanization have worsened water related problems such as food shortages and water contamination. In the last year of the 20th century, those increasingly urgent water issues, along with a variety of existing wisdoms as to how to meet them, were crystallized in the World Water Vision as an endowment for the 21st century.

I am a hobby mountain climber, having twice joined expeditions to climb Mt. Qomolangma in the Himalayas. I was shocked by the graphic evidence there that even glaciers in trackless areas in the remote Himalayas were rapidly disappearing as a consequence of global warming.

Although we are on the verge of disasters related to water, we do not have the option of escaping from the Earth, our watery planet. We must take measures to confront these pressing water issues squarely in order to protect our civilization and the ecosystem itself. In order to reduce water related problems and to preserve our water resources and make them healthy, we are behooved to open the door provided by the World Water Vision and embark on a journey of most appropriate actions for the new century.

Japan is a country blessed with beautiful natural features, including numerous mountains and rivers. Our culture has built up a wealth of hereditary wisdoms and techniques through its long history of water-oriented living, including rice cultivation. Throughout that history our people have had to confront a variety of water problems. It is now time for Japan to join the people of the world and contribute its store of water knowledge and information towards a confrontation of world water issues. I have accepted the position of Chairman of the National Steering Committee of the 3rd World Water Forum with the intention of contributing new energy, along with my experience in my years as prime minister of Japan, to this commendable mission to proactively meet these global water issues.

The World Water Council was created in 1996. It was the result of a series of initiatives aiming to increase advocacy for improved worldwide water resource management in support of sustainable development. Since then, the WWC has embarked on a massive effort to bring together stakeholders in the water sector and involve decision-makers in order to increase international cooperation, that will provide the necessary forum for reflection on the long term policies and strategies of water affairs.

There were 500 attendees at the 1st World Water Forum in Marrakech. This grew to over 4,500 participants at the 2nd World Water Forum held in March 2000 in The Hague, showing the growing attention to the most precious resource on earth and expressing the general preoccupation over its misuse and mismanagement.

In particular, through the development of the Council's World Water Vision there has been a growing awareness that has resulted in the international community coming to the common conclusion that business as usual is not an option. Instead, Making Making water everybody water everybody's business is what came through. Indeed, over the years, it has become increasingly clear that real solutions require an integrated approach to water resources management and that the relationship with civil society must be reinforced in order to provide the necessary mechanism for sustainability of programs which will turn Vision into Action.

The upcoming 3rd World Water Forum is the most important event in terms of providing a platform for communicating with decision makers and the general public. It will be the occasion to inform the world on actions taken to improve the water situation on the planet since the 2nd Forum.