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asdfUNITED NATIONS

Water for Life Decade [2005-2015]

UN-Water is the inter-agency mechanismthat promotes coherence in, and coordination of, UNsystem actions aimed at the implementation of theagenda defined by the Millennium Declaration andthe World Summit on Sustainable Development as itrelates to water and sanitation.

Secretariat of UN-WaterUnited Nations Department of Economic and Social AffairsDivision for Sustainable Development2 UN Plaza, Room DC2-2024New York, NY 10017, USAFax: 1 212 963 4340E-mail: unwater@un.orgwww.un.org/waterforlifedecade

Media queries:United Nations Department of Public InformationTel.: 1 212 963 6877E-mail: mediainfo@un.org

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Published by the United Nations Department of Public Information

32948—DPI/2378—September 2005—10M

Contents3 A message from the Secretary-General4 Water and the Millennium Development Goals6 Water for women8 Water for sanitation and health

10 Water for food, agriculture and rural livelihood12 Water and disaster risk reduction 14 Water for biodiversity and the environment 16 Water for energy

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AN INTERNATIONAL DECADE FOR ACTION

The “Water for Life” Decade aims to promote efforts to fulfil internationalcommitments made on water and water-related issues by 2015, placingspecial emphasis on the involvement of women in these efforts.

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Water is essential for life. Yet many millions of peoplearound the world face water shortages and a daily struggle to secure safe water for their basic needs. Millions of childrencontinue to die every year from preventable water-borne diseases. Water-related natural disasters such as floods, tropicalstorms and tsunamis exact a heavy toll in human life and suffering. And all too regularly, drought afflicts some of theworld’s poorest countries, exacerbating hunger and malnutrition.

In the past decade, significant progress has been made in providing people with access to clean drinking water and basicsanitation. But a major effort is still required in the decade ahead to extend these essential services to those still unserved,the vast majority of whom are poor people.

Meeting the water and sanitation targets set by the international community for 2015 is a crucial step towards the ultimategoal of providing safe drinking water and adequate sanitation to all. Providing access to water and sanitation is also fun-damental for achieving the other Millennium Development Goals, such as alleviating poverty, hunger and malnutrition;reducing child mortality; increasing gender equality; providing more opportunity for education; and ensuring environ-mental sustainability. Women and girls are overwhelmingly the water haulers of the world, a task that consumes valuabletime and energy that girls could otherwise devote to schooling.

Beyond meeting basic human needs, water contributes to sustainable development in other important ways. It is a majorsource of energy in some parts of the world, while in others its potential as an energy source remains largely untapped.Water is also necessary for agriculture and for many industrial processes. And in more than a few countries, it makes upan integral part of transport systems. With improved scientific understanding, the international community has also cometo appreciate more fully the valuable services provided by water-related ecosystems, from flood control to storm protec-tion and water purification. Though some analysts have predicted future conflicts over water, many countries successfullyshare river basins, inland seas and other water resources, showing that this challenge can also be a powerful catalyst forinternational cooperation.

The International Decade for Action, “Water for Life”, provides an excellent opportunity for the international communityto advance towards a truly integrated approach to the management of the world’s water that ensures its sustainable usefor generations to come. I urge everyone to give the Decade their full support.

Kofi AnnanSecretary-General of the United Nations22 March 2005

a message from the secretary-general

water and themillennium

development goals

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The Millennium Development Goals, agreed to by all 191 United NationsMember States at the Millennium Summit in 2000, set specific targets for

reducing poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy, environmental degradation anddiscrimination against women by 2015. Among these targets, Governments agreed toreduce by half the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water by 2015,the year to mark the end of the International Decade for Action: “Water for Life”.

The Millennium Declaration emphasized the need for all countries to stop theunsustainable exploitation of water resources. Governments addressed this issue atthe Johannesburg Summit in 2002 by agreeing to develop integrated water resourcemanagement and water efficiency plans by 2005. They also added a complementarytarget to halve by 2015 the proportion of people lacking improved sanitation.

The primary goal of the “Water for Life” Decade from 2005 to 2015 is to achieve theseinternationally agreed development goals relating to water, through cooperation onwater issues and participation of women in these development efforts.

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All the Millennium Development Goals are interde-pendent. Without improved access to freshwaterand sanitation, the overarching goal of povertyreduction cannot be achieved. The economic con-sequences resulting from a lack of clean waterand improved sanitation are often underesti-mated. Hygiene-related illnesses sap economicgrowth and cost billions of working days eachyear. Time spent collecting water from far-flungsources prevents women from doing other pro-ductive work and girls from attending school.

Improving access to safe water and sanitation iscritical not only to reducing poverty but also toachieving the Millennium targets for health,including reducing maternal and child mortal-ity and combating HIV/AIDS, malaria andother major diseases. More than 2 million people

in developing countries, most of them children,die each year from diseases associated withunsafe drinking water, inadequate sanitationand poor hygiene.

The Millennium Declaration includes a com-mitment to achieving gender equality andempowering women. Progress on water and san-itation is essential to empowering women. It iswomen and girls who suffer most from a lack offreshwater and private sanitation facilities.Women and girls have to fetch and manage

water for family and other uses and are mostoften the caregivers for those who fall ill. Onaverage, they walk a distance of six kilometreseach day, carrying 20 litres of water. If schoolslack adequate sanitation facilities, girls often willnot attend.

Considering the finite nature of freshwaterresources, on the one hand, and increasingdemand, on the other, the need to protect andmanage water resources properly is crucial.Through the Millennium Development Goals,Governments have committed to ensuring envi-ronmental sustainability and reversing the loss ofenvironmental resources. Reducing poverty andaddressing unsustainable consumption patternsare critical to halting environmental degradationand ensuring environmental sustainability.

* As reported in: Jal Swaraj Abhiyan (Campaign for Water Liberation), NAVDANYA/Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology—equivalency US$ 1 = 48.1 rupees.

the world health organization has estimated that in order to meetinternationally agreed targets on watersupply and sanitation, an investment ofapproximately us$ 11.3 billion per yearabove 2004 levels would be required.

in india, it is estimated that thenational cost of women fetching wateris 150 million women workdays peryear, equivalent to a national loss ofincome of 10 billion rupees(approximately us$ 208 million).*

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water for women

the challenge In most societies, women have primary respon-sibility for water supply, sanitation and healthat the household level. Water is necessary notonly for drinking but also for food preparation,care of domestic animals, crop irrigation, per-sonal hygiene, care of the sick, cleaning,washing and waste disposal—all activities thatare largely the responsibility of women.Women and girls have the greatest need forprivate and safe sanitation facilities.

Women also suffer disproportionately in water-related disasters, such as floods, as they often donot receive warnings or other information abouthazards and risks.

Women have considerable knowledge aboutwater resources, including location, quality andstorage methods, and they are often the mostmotivated to ensure that water supply and sanitation facilities work. Indigenous women in particular often have extensive traditional knowledge regarding water sources, conserva-tion and management.

This central role of women is often overlookedin efforts to improve management of waterresources and extend access to adequate sanita-tion. Women often have no voice in decisionsabout the kind of services they receive.

what needs to be done?By approaching water supply and sanitationfrom a gender perspective, the benefits andcosts of water use can accrue equitably to allgroups, and the creativity, energy and know-

ledge of both women and men can contributeto making water schemes work better.

Importantly, improvements in access to safewater and sanitation that involve both womenand men will lead to multiple benefits in otherareas, such as reducing poverty, enabling girls toget an education, and reducing child and mater-nal mortality.

Recommendations for action include:

Involve women and men equally in decision-making.Projects work better where women are fullyinvolved in selecting the location, design andtechnology of water and sanitation facilities.

Pay attention to the privacy and security needs ofwomen and girls with regard to the location anddesign of sanitation facilities. The lack of latrinesin schools can prevent girls from receiving aneducation, and women who must travel longdistances or through unsafe areas to relievethemselves can be subject to violence.

Improve access to water for all. Improving accessallows women and girls to use the time spentcollecting water on such other activities asattending school, caring for children, generatingincome and growing food for the family.

Accord women equitable access to land and otherresources. In many countries laws and customsrelating to land title and control of resourcesdiscriminate against women. Equitable access towater and land for productive uses, such as car-ing for domestic animals, growing foods and

preparing them for market, enables women toearn an income for their families.

Target women and men equally in water and sani-tation education and training programmes.Hygiene education programmes should beaimed first at mothers and girls, as women arethe main role models within the household. Sim-ilarly, including women as well as men intraining programmes for the operation andmaintenance of water and sanitation facilitiescan help ensure sustainability of technologiesand infrastructure.

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Women’s lives all around the world are closely connected to water. The “Water for Life” Decade recognizes the central rolethat women play in providing, managing and safeguarding water and as the main role models within the family when it

comes to sanitation and hygiene. During the Decade it is crucial to ensure the full participation and equal involvement of womenin water-related development efforts and to approach water and sanitation issues from a gender perspective.

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Clean water and adequatesanitation are two critical factors

in ensuring human health andprotection against a wide range ofdiseases. The International Decade forAction: “Water for Life” 2005-2015 callson the international community tostrengthen efforts to increase access towater and sanitation for all by 2015 inorder to combat disease and improvethe health and well-being of theworld’s population.

the challengeLack of safe water and adequate sanitation is theworld’s single largest cause of illness. Two mil-lion people, most of them children, die everyyear from water-borne diseases, such as diar-rhoea, and millions become seriously debilitated.

Lack of safe water and poor management ofhuman wastes can spread such diseases as diar-rhoea, cholera, dysentery, typhoid, hepatitis,polio, trachoma and tapeworms—many ofwhich can be fatal to people in the developingworld. Other water-associated diseases, such asmalaria and filariasis, affect vast populationsworldwide. More than 1 million people die everyyear from malaria alone.

Unsafe water and lack of sanitation are majorfactors underlying many of the 10 million childdeaths every year. Repeated episodes of water-borne diseases like diarrhoea can push childrento the brink of survival, leaving them too weakand malnourished to survive even commonchildhood illnesses.

water for sanitation health&

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Most of these deaths are preventable. It is esti-mated that almost half of the nearly 2 milliondeaths from diarrhoea every year could be pre-vented through an understanding of basic hygiene.

Water scarcity forces people to consume contami-nated water, leading to water-borne diseases. In2005, half a billion people lived in countriesdefined as water-stressed or water-scarce. Thisfigure is expected to increase to 2.4 billion and 3.4 billion, respectively, by 2025, with NorthAfrica and West Asia particularly affected.

Increased urbanization is placing an enormousstrain on existing water and sanitation infrastruc-ture. Urban centres in developing countries havegrown rapidly without adequate infrastructureplanning, resulting in millions of immigrantswho have little access to safe sanitation or watersupplies. This puts the entire population at risk,causing serious environmental damage.

Growing numbers of HIV-positive people, whoare especially susceptible to disease and infec-tion, depend on clean water for their healthand survival.

what needs to be done?The “Water for Life” Decade is an opportunity toincrease efforts to provide safe water and sanitationfor all by 2015 and to ensure a healthy living envi-ronment.

Recommendations for action include:

Effective and sustained advocacy on water, sanitationand hygiene at all levels. Many decision makersunderestimate the critical role that water, hygieneand sanitation play in poverty alleviation. Theeconomic and health benefits of providing accessto water and sanitation facilities significantly out-weigh the cost of investment.

Water, sanitation and hygiene education programmesin every school will have a profound impact on thehealth of children, on learning, on the teachingenvironment and on girls’ education.

Investment in sanitation infrastructure, such aslatrines and toilets, in homes and in every schoolis critical to provision of a healthy environmentand a sustainable health policy. In areas affectedby high unemployment, villagers can beengaged as latrine builders, masons and waterpump operation and maintenance stewards.

Focus on long-term, sustainable service delivery inaddition to the construction of facilities.

Involve women fully in the planning and design ofwater and sanitation facilities and look at waterand sanitation issues from a gender perspective.Successful training of women in hygiene andsanitation practices will improve the health ofthe entire population.

Involve the community to ensure long-term solu-tions. Community approval and commitment tosafe sanitation has proved critical to the grass-roots success of water and sanitation projects,especially in rural areas. Empowered communitiesmanage water supply and sanitation programmesthat achieve long-term success.

Prioritize water and sanitation in disaster-responseplanning. People affected by natural and man-made disasters are more likely to become ill anddie from diseases related to inadequate or con-taminated water and lack of adequate sanitationthan from any other single cause. There is anurgent need to develop minimum standards forpost-disaster sanitation as well as emergency sani-tation services.

over half of the hospital beds in thedeveloping world are occupied by peoplesuffering from preventable diseases causedby unsafe water and poor sanitation.

about 1 million people in africa die frommalaria each year, most of them childrenunder 5 years old.

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water for food, agriculture rural livelihood&

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the challengeGlobal food production will have to increase by 60 per cent from 2000 to 2030 to meet growingdemands resulting from population growth. Thisrequires a 14 per cent increase in water used forirrigated agriculture.

Irrigated land, which represents only about 20 per cent of the world’s farmland, producesaround 40 per cent of the world’s food supply and60 per cent of cereals. Though more productivethan rain-fed agriculture, irrigation is comingunder close scrutiny for its relatively poor yieldconsidering the resources used. Growing waterscarcity in many regions calls for a much moreproductive use of water in agriculture and formore transparent water allocation mechanismsbetween sectors, giving special attention to theneeds of the environment.

One in five people in the world depend on fish astheir primary source of protein, and fisheries pro-vide direct or indirect livelihoods for 400 millionpeople. Over 70 per cent of the world’s fish stocksare either fully exploited or depleted, according toa study by the Food and Agriculture Organizationof the United Nations, posing a serious challengeto food sources and employment in the future.

Over-exploitation of water for irrigation and theintensification of agriculture also pose a threat tothe sustainability of agricultural systems in manyregions of world. In recent decades, shallowgroundwater has become an important source ofwater for irrigation, but has also led in mostplaces to over-pumping of aquifers and pollutionfrom agrochemicals. The inappropriate use of

fertilizers and pesticides can lead to pollution ofdrinking water, rivers and lakes.

Wastewater is used widely in developing coun-tries for irrigation and can be invaluable wherewater is scarce. However, it must be properlytreated. In poor countries, sewage is often applieddirectly to the land, exposing farmers and foodconsumers to parasites and organic and chemicalcontaminants.

what needs to be done?During the “Water for Life” Decade and beyond, agreater effort is needed to help farmers around theworld produce more food of better quality withless water and less stress on the environment. Onlythen can we expect to meet the dual goal of povertyeradication and environmental sustainability.

Recommendations for achieving more sustainable wateruse while meeting growing food demands include:

Put the right policies in place. Employ policies thatprovide farmers with the right incentives to allowthem to contribute to their region’s economythrough sustainable agricultural practices thatmake productive use of water, in both rain-fedand irrigated agriculture.

Investments by individual farmers and the privatesector to develop efficient agriculture should besupported by public investments.

Improve governance and radically change the waywater is managed in agriculture. Water users at alllevels must be involved in the planning and man-agement of irrigation and empowered to make

decisions through appropriate mechanisms, suchas water users associations. Water services mustbecome much more flexible, reliable and equi-table to ensure productivity gains in agriculturalwater use.

Ensure that women have equal access to resourcessuch as land, technology, water and research, andinvolve them equally in decision-making.

Continued research and capacity-building in sus-tainable agriculture techniques, moderntechnologies and efficient water usage and sus-tainable farming.

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Agriculture is the main source of the world’s food supply and the prime source of livelihood for billions of people in rural areas.Irrigation for agriculture consumes large quantities of freshwater, leading in many places to increasing water scarcity.

Mounting pressure on natural resources by a growing population leads to land and water degradation. The International Decadefor Action: “Water for Life” 2005-2015 presents an opportunity to promote the sustainable management of water in agriculture andto contribute to meeting the goals of poverty eradication and environmental sustainability.

the challengeIn 2004, more than two thirds of natural disasterswere caused by such hydro-meteorological eventsas windstorms, floods, typhoons and hurricanes,according to the Secretariat for the InternationalStrategy for Disaster Reduction. The IndianOcean tsunami disaster in December 2004 alonewas responsible for more than 300,000 deaths.

While natural and environmental hazards affectall countries, they disproportionately become dis-asters and have longer-term effects on the poorerdeveloping countries. Among these, small islanddeveloping States are particularly vulnerable interms of the intensity and frequency of disastersand their impact, because of their small size andtheir location in large expanses of ocean.

Poverty is a major cause of a nation’s vulnerabil-ity. Disasters can bring poor communities intoeven greater poverty, as households incur debt sothey can rebuild their homes and meet basicneeds until they are able to recommence income-earning activities. Vulnerable groups, includingwomen, the elderly, disabled and children, aremost seriously affected.

Water-related and other natural disasters candevastate national economies. They can causesevere negative fiscal impacts in the short term,but when reoccurring frequently, disasters appear

to have longer-term negative consequences foreconomic growth, development and povertyreduction.

Disaster risk management includes environmen-tal, social and economic aspects, as emphasized inboth the Johannesburg Plan of Implementationand the Millennium Development Goals. Itrequires the consideration of the needs that differ-ent social groups have when affected by disasters,and the proactive engagement of all stakeholders.

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water disaster riskreduction

Over the last decade there has been an alarming increase in the number of water-related disasters recorded each year—affecting millions of people, jeopardizing

human security and hampering socio-economic activities. Between 1991 and 2000,over 665,000 people died in 2,557 natural disasters, of which 90 per cent were water-related events such as floods, typhoons and hurricanes. The International Decade forAction: “Water for Life” 2005-2015 provides an opportunity to underscore theconnection between disaster risk management and the everyday management ofwater resources.

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what needs to be done?During the “Water for Life” Decade, the vulnera-bility of countries to hazards can be reduced byaddressing the social, economic and environmen-tal aspects of disaster preparedness. As the impactof natural disasters affects the poor excessively, itis crucial to link disaster management to povertyreduction.

The “Water for Life” Decade has the same timeframe as the “Hyogo Framework for Action:Building the Resilience of Nations and Commu-nities to Disasters”, adopted at the WorldConference on Disaster Reduction (Kobe, Japan,January 2005), providing extra impetus for con-certed action on disaster risk management.

Recommendations for action include:

Integrate disaster risk reduction into regular devel-opment planning and poverty reduction programmesat all levels, while stimulating the social and cul-tural capacities of poor communities that enablethem to build resiliency.

Recognize and stimulate the capacities of women as a social force and engage them in efforts toprotect the safety of their families, reduce com-munity vulnerability and institute effectivedisaster reduction policies.

Improve monitoring systems, including measure-ment, assessment and prediction of disaster impacts,in order to understand the types of vulnerabilityfaced by an economy and the possibilities for mit-igation and prevention.

Introduce insurance programmes in developing coun-tries at the national, community and householdlevels to manage disaster risk and reduce losses.

Develop a range of income-earning opportunities for poor households, for example, through micro-

finance instruments, to help them cope withwater-related disasters.

Raise awareness and involve communities in decision-making on disaster risk management and education programmes.

Involve all stakeholders—decision makers, disasterrisk managers, the scientific community, civil soci-ety and local communities—in risk assessment,monitoring and dissemination of information.

Implement and enforce international agreementsthat reduce vulnerability, emphasizing water-related disaster prevention, risk assessment andearly warning, such as the Hyogo Frameworkfor Action.

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water for biodiversity the environment &

the challengeIncreasing demand for water is exerting severepressure on our environment. Freshwaterecosystems are in crisis globally, with manyrivers and lakes already polluted or severelydegraded as a result of diminishing naturalecosystems, such as forests and watersheds.High levels of discharge of heavy metals andhazardous wastes from industry and agricultureare resulting in increased groundwater contami-nation and depletion.

The decline in the quantity and quality ofwater resources is causing extinction of fresh-water species and a severe loss of biodiversity.Coastal zones, the most productive ecosystemson Earth, are particularly vulnerable becasue ofthe decline in rivers as they move towards thesea, threatening human and animal life andentire ecosystems.

Some 4 out of every 10 people live within 100kilometres of a coast. However, some 30 percent of land in the world’s coastal ecosystems hasbeen extensively degraded by growing demandsfor housing, industry and recreation. In recentdecades, increasing pollution from inland, alongwith loss of coastal habitats that filter pollution,has led to extensive “dead zones” where fish areunable to survive, such as in the Gulf of Mexico.

More than half of humanity relies on the fresh-water that accumulates in mountain regions. Yetthese areas are under pressure from deforestation,agriculture and tourism, which can place unsus-tainable demands on water resources.

what needs to be done?In poor nations, degradation of water resourcesis generally caused by poverty, as short-term sur-vival supersedes long-term resource protection.In more developed countries, degradation ofwater ecosystems is more often the result ofunsustainable consumption patterns. During the“Water for Life” Decade and beyond, the variouscauses of environmental degradation need to beaddressed, and freshwater ecosystems conservedand restored to ensure sustainable waterresources for the future.

Recommendations for action include:

Awareness-raising and involvement of communitiesin decision-making on issues of conservation andmanagement.

Recognition of the true value of environmentalresources. Applying quantitative and qualitativemeasures to ecosystem goods and servicesdemonstrates their value in real economicterms. People can then truly appreciate the benefits of protecting natural resources andendangered species.

Integrated planning and management of land andwater use within a broader ecosystem context.

Utilization of environmental impact assessments tomeasure the benefits of conservation against thecosts of other developments.

Use of financial and other incentives or disincentives,such as “the polluter pays principle”, can promoteconservation and discourage degradation.

Cooperation across borders. International water-courses can serve as incentives for peacefulcooperation among States and catalysts for sustainable development.

Effective implementation and enforcement of inter-national agreements that aim to protect ecosystems,such as the Convention on Biodiversity and theRamsar Convention on Wetlands.

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twentieth-century

Water is crucial for preserving biodiversity in all environments—from freshwater lakes and rivers to mountain regions,wetlands, estuaries, coastal zones and oceans. The International Decade for Action: “Water for Life” 2005-2015 provides an

opportunity for increased cooperation to protect this vital resource for the future of Earth’s diverse ecosystems.

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During the International Decade for Action: “Water for Life” 2005-2015, nationalGovernments, intergovernmental organizations and the private sector will be

seeking ways to expand the quality and quantity of energy services while ensuring thatthe environment is protected from the harmful impacts associated with energy use.

Water is crucial for the production of energy; it is used to generate hydroelectricpower and for cooling in thermal electrical power stations, and also in the generationof tidal power, wave energy and geothermal energy sources. Access to affordableenergy services significantly improves the lives of people in developing countries andmakes economic growth and development possible. Joint management of water andenergy resources is critical to achieving sustainable development in rural areas.

the challengeGlobal economic growth, population increaseand urban expansion are all driving energy con-sumption and water use to record levels. Worldenergy consumption has increased greatly sincethe 1990s and is expected to grow at the rate of2 per cent a year until 2020, doubling energyconsumption by 2035 relative to 1998, andtripling it by 2055.

Energy services are currently dominated byburning fossil fuels and nuclear power, account-ing for around 87 per cent of all energyproduced in the world in 2001. Yet, energy gen-erated by fossil fuels results in air pollution andemissions of greenhouse gases that contribute toclimate change.

Energy generated by the force of water—hydropower—can provide a more sustainable,non-polluting alternative to fossil fuels, alongwith other renewable sources of energy, such aswind, solar and tidal power, bioenergy and geo-thermal energy. Together these sources currentlysupply about 14 per cent of the world’s primaryenergy needs. Small-scale hydroelectricity is wellsuited for “off-grid” rural electricity applications,

while other renewable energy sources, such aswind, solar and biomass, can be beneficially usedas fuel for pumping groundwater for drinkingand small-scale irrigation in remote rural areasor small villages.

water for energy

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Considerable potential exists to expand thecontribution of large-scale hydroelectric powerin developing countries. However, large-scaledam projects may cause severe environmentalimpacts on wildlife habitats, fish migration andwater flow and quality, as well as serious socio-economic impacts related to resettlement oflocal communities.

Financing of infrastructure for such essentialservices as water and electricity in developingcountries is also a significant problem thatremains to be addressed. Without a reliableenergy infrastructure and supply of electricity,potential for economic growth is limited. Of theapproximately 2 billion people worldwide with-out access to electricity, many live in rural orperi-urban areas and also lack access to cleanwater and sanitation services.

what needs to be done?During the “Water for Life” Decade and beyond,using water and energy in ways that supportsustainable development will require more efficient use of energy, increased reliance onrenewable energy sources and accelerated development of new energy technologies.

Small-scale stand-alone hydropower schemes willgenerally have a small-scale environmentalimpact and can particularly benefit rural andremote areas.

For any hydropower project, large or small scale,it is crucial to carry out a detailed environmentaland socio-economic impact assessment as part of theplanning process.

International declarations and agreements, suchas the Declaration of the Bonn InternationalRenewable Energies Conference (2004) and the

Beijing Declaration on Hydropower and Sus-tainable Development (2004), provide theframework for advancing renewable energysources, providing equitable access to energyand increasing energy efficiency.

Effective energy policies will provide the righteconomic signals to the market to ensure respon-sible and sustainable use of energy. These wouldinclude such actions as phasing out harmful sub-sidies that benefit heavy users of electricity andrestructuring tax codes to encourage sustainableenergy use.

scarcity By 2025, it is expected that 3.4 billion people will be living in countries defined aswater-scarce food It takes about 3,000 litres of water to produce our daily food ration, about1,000 times what we need for drinking purposes environment Water-related disasters suchas tsunamis, floods and droughts are the second most frequent and devastating naturaldisasters after windstorms disaster prevention Between 1991 and 2000, over 665,000 peopledied in 2,557 natural disasters, of which 90 per cent were water-related events energyHydropower supplies at least 50 per cent of electricity production in 66 countries, and 19 per cent in 24 countries.Worldwide, small hydropower development is expected to grow bya further 60 per cent by 2010 transboundary water issues One hundred and forty-five nationshave territory within a transboundary basin, and 21 lie entirely within one. In the last halfcentury, approximately 200 treaties have been signed concerning transboundary water basinsculture In nearly all the world’s major religions, water is attributed important symbolic and

ceremonial properties sanitation One dollar invested in water supply and sanitationcan provide an economic return of up to 34 times, depending on the region

pollution In developing countries, more than 90 per cent of sewage and 70 per cent of industrial wastewater is dumped untreated into surface

water agriculture Irrigation increases yields of most crops by 100 to 400 per cent. Over the next 30 years, 70 per cent of gains

in cereal production will come from irrigated land. �

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