WORLD WATER DAY IS NEXT WEEK!

Is your group looking for a project to start for Spring? World Water Day is coming next week, March 22!
What is World Water Day? WWD is an international day of observance and action to draw attention to the largest public health issue of our age – the global scarcity of clean water.
Why is water scarcity so scary (and important to address)? In Kofi Annan's words, "We shall not finally defeat AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, or any of the other infectious diseases that plague the developing world until we have also won the battle for safe drinking-water, sanitation and basic health care.” (United Nations Secretary-General, WHO advocacy guide).
How Can you Begin to Get Involved? Events and activities for World Water Day are being planned across North America and will take place in 26 cities in the United States and Canada. From what I have found, the closest New England event is in Boston, MA, and is an awareness-building World Water Day film screening (it's free if you register, so bring your entire group!). To participate and learn more, register with www.water.net and select boston from the "Events" menu.

World Water Day's 2007 focus:
"World Water Day is celebrated this year with a special focus on “Coping with Water Scarcity”. Water scarcity can be physical, economic or institutional, and can fluctuate over time and space. Today, about 700 million in 43 countries suffer from waters scarcity, and by 2025 this figure could increase to more than 3 billion people. The state of the world’s waters remains fragile, and the need for an integrated and sustainable approach to water resource management is as pressing as ever. Available supplies are under great duress as a result of high population growth, unsustainable consumption patterns, poor management practices, pollution, inadequate investment in infrastructure, and low efficiency in water-use. Yet even more water will be needed in the future: to grow food, to provide clean drinking water and sanitation services, to operate industries and to support expanding cities. Integrated water resources management will be of crucial importance in overcoming water scarcity. So will international cooperation, since many of the world’s rivers and aquifers are shared among countries. Such cooperation can also promote harmonious cross-border ties in general. The Millennium Development Goals have helped to highlight the importance of access to safe drinking water supplies and adequate sanitation, which undeniably separates people living healthy and productive lives from those living in poverty and who are most vulnerable to various life-threatening diseases. Making good on the global water and sanitation agenda is crucial to eradicating poverty and achieving the other development goals. The way forward is clear: strengthening institutional capacity and governance at all levels, promoting more technology transfer, mobilizing more financial resources, and scaling up good practices and lessons learned. On this World Water Day, I call on the UN system and all stakeholders to forge stronger partnerships and take more concerted action, not only this year, but throughout the entire International Decade for Action: “Water for Life”, 2005-2015." UN Secretary General's 2007 Message, www.worldwaterday.org. Check out the UN's WWD page to find free campaign poster downloads, fundraising ideas, logos to put on your websites, official UN documents concerning water and more.