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INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF FRESHWATER LAUNCHED
In a message to be issued at the
ceremony, UNESCO Director-General Koïchiro Matsuura says
that "water can be an agent of peace, rather than conflicts,
and UNESCO is looking at ways that will allow this century to
be one of 'water peace' rather than 'water wars'. By developing
principles and methods to manage this resource efficiently and
ethically, while respecting related ecosystems, we move a step
closer to the goal of sustainable development." One of the main events of the International
Year of Freshwater (IYFW) will be the 3rd World Water Forum, to
take place in Kyoto (Japan), March 16-23. The Forum is timed to
coincide with World Water Day, held on March 22 each year. At
the Kyoto meeting, the World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP),
a collaboration between 23 UN agencies involved in freshwater
and hosted by UNESCO, will present its World Water Development
Report. This is the first of a planned series of reports on the
state of water stress in the world, due to be published every
three years. The Report identifies critical issues and problems
as illustrated by in-depth case studies of selected, representative
river basins. One of the aims of the Year is
to reassert the UN's Millennium Declaration Goal on Water, which
pledged "to halve, by the year 2015, the proportion of the
world's people unable to reach, or to afford, safe drinking water"
and "to stop the unsustainable exploitation of water resources."
The goal, endorsed by the World Summit on Sustainable Development
held in Johannesburg (South Africa) in August this year, also
set a new target of halving the proportion of people who do not
have access to basic sanitation by 2015. It also recognized the
key role of water in agriculture, energy, health, biodiversity
and ecosystems as well as in combating poverty. "The Year offers a wonderful
opportunity to raise awareness about water issues and to motivate
people of all ages to get involved. Schools, the private sector,
youth and community associations - each has something to contribute,"
says Alberto Tejada-Guibert, the UNESCO Coordinator for IYFW. Projections show that the combined
effects of population increase, global warming and mismanagement
of existing water resources are likely to increase the number
of countries experiencing severe water stress during the next
decades. To help offset conflict between nations over shared water
resources and to promote peaceful negotiation, UNESCO's International
Hydrological Programme (IHP) has started a new project called
From Potential Conflict to Cooperation Potential. Another programme,
also led by IHP and entitled Hydrology for the Environment, Life
and Policy (HELP), is creating a new approach for the integrated
management of catchments. On the morning of the IYWF launch
(December 12) Mr Matsuura will address UNESCO's permanent delegates
at Paris Headquarters and will officially inaugurate the IYFW
website. The main events will be held at United Nations Headquarters
in New York, starting at 9.00 a.m. local time (2 p.m. UTC). A
press conference with Nitin Desai, Under-Secretary-General of
the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), is scheduled
for 11.15 a.m. local time. **** For further information
on IYFW see (http://www.wateryear2003.org) For more information
on the US launch, contact Isolda S. Oca **** Contact: |
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