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World Water Day
22 March


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WATER FOR PEACE

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.

 


CREATING A POSITIVE RIPPLE EFFECT

The theme of World Water Day 2024 is ‘Water for Peace’.

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.


PLAY YOUR PART!

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.

 


KEY MESSAGES FOR WORLD WATER DAY 2024

 * 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.


DID YOU KNOW?

 * 2.2 billion still live without safely managed drinking water, including 115
   million people who drink surface water. (WHO/UNICEF, 2023)
 * Roughly half of the world’s population is experiencing severe water scarcity
   for at least part of the year (IPCC, 2022). 
 * Water-related disasters have dominated the list of disasters over the past 50
   years and account for 70 per cent of all deaths related to natural disasters
   (World Bank, 2022). 
 * Transboundary waters account for 60 per cent of the world’s freshwater flows,
   and 153 countries have territory within at least 1 of the 310 transboundary
   river and lake basins and inventoried 468 transboundary aquifer systems
   (UN-Water, 2023).
 * Only 24 countries report that all their transboundary basins are covered by
   cooperation arrangements. (UN-Water, 2021). 


PREVIOUS WORLD WATER DAY THEMES

Explore the UN-Water archive of World Water Day resources going back to 1994,
covering an array of themes, from water and cities, health, culture,
livelihoods, food, energy, disasters and much more.


UN WORLD WATER DEVELOPMENT REPORT 2024

The UN’s flagship report on water and sanitation is launched every year on World
Water Day (22 March). The 2024 edition will explore the theme of ‘Water for
prosperity and peace’. 


NAVIGATING WATER TENURE IN SENEGAL

Nomadic pastoralists in Senegal need water for their livestock, but farmers are
not always willing to share. The issue of water tenure affects social cohesion
and peace among different water users.


REPORT: “WATER AS AN ARGUMENT FOR PEACE, TWINNING AND COOPERATION”

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.

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