Water for Development

The International Atomic Energy Agency, the lead United Nations agency for the 2002 celebration of World Water Day, is pleased to welcome you to the "Water for Development" website. We hope that you will not just visit this site, but also contribute to it, to make it a truly dynamic and collaborative resource for events and activities tied to water and development throughout 2002.

The theme for 22 March 2002, Water for Development, is a very fitting one. The UN General Assembly resolved to observe World Water Day following the recommendations of the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janiero. The year 2002, marks not only the 10-year anniversary of that landmark event, but also the year that the World Summit on Sustainable Development will be held.

Water and development are intrinsically linked. Once viewed as an infinitely renewable and bountiful resource, water today defines and confines development aspirations -- human, social, and economic -- in many parts of the world. Even in countries that currently have sufficient freshwater supplies, increasing demands, pollution, and over-exploitation put such supplies at risk. In developing countries, demand for freshwater is increasing steadily due to rapid growth in agriculture, industry, and urban development. Coupled with the potential impacts of global warming and climate changes on the Earh's water cycle, the future availability of freshwater appears more precarious than ever before. But along with these challenges come the opportunities to work together and find concrete solutions.

Along the road from Rio to Johannesburg

At the Rio conference, governments adopted Agenda 21, committing themselves to strive towards a fair and more sustainable development for all people, present and future. Recognizing the importance of freshwater to social and economic activities, Chapter 18 of Agenda 21 called for action to protect the quality and supply of freshwater resources with the following principles.

Freshwater resources are essential and indispensable part of all terrestrial ecosystems.
Water is needed in all aspects of life.
The currently poor and deteriorating state of water resources in many parts of the world demand integrated water resources planning and management.
Transboundary water resources and their use are of great importance to States sharing river systems.

The World Summit on Sustainable Development will be held in Johannesburg in September 2002 to review the progress made to date in addressing the underlying issues that influence sustainable development -- including water.

We see World Water Day 2002 as an important step along that road -- an opportunity to reflect on water and development issues, to recognize successes and challenges, and to strengthen the international collaboration that has become the cornerstone to the solution-finding process.

The "Water for Development" website is an integral part of World Water Day. The site will examine issues related to water and development, with particular emphasis on activities that have produced results to real problems faced by UN Member States. It will present several broad development issues that affect the global water balance, including: the consequences of agricultural practices and industrialization, the impact of changing habitation patterns from rural to urban, and the effect of climate change and environmental pollution on water resources.

Throughout the next few months, more information, news, content, links, and features will be added. This page will give you an idea of what is being planned for the site. We hope you will visit the site regularly to see what is new. In the meantime, we invite you to add your World Water Day event to our listing or sign up to receive some materials being prepared for this event.