Do your bit: Focus on days highlighting international issues International Days and Observances
World Water Day
22 March
The Blue Planet World Water Day is organized worldwide to increase people's awareness of water's importance in environment, agriculture, health and trade. It's a key date to champion the right of people everywhere to affordable, safe drinking water, close to home.

The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on December 22, 1992, declaring March 22 to be the World Day for Water each year. Countries were encouraged to develop activities to highlight local needs for water. The first World Day for Water was observed in 1993.

The Water for Life Decade was launched on World Water Day in 2005. This decade will run from 2005 to 2015 and give a high profile to women's participation and the UN's water-related programs.

In 2011, World Water Day focuses on the theme:
Water for Cities: Responding to the Urban Challenge

Recent World Water Day themes include:

  • 2010: Clean Water for a Healthy World
  • 2009: Shared Waters, Shared Opportunities
  • 2008: Sanitation
  • 2007: Coping with Water Scarcity
  • 2006: Water and Culture
  • 2005: Water for Life
  • 2004: Water and Disasters
  • 2003: Water for the Future
  • 2002: Water for Development
  • 2001: Water for Health
  • 2000: Water for the 21st Century
  • 1999: Everyone Lives Downstream
  • 1998: Groundwater: the Invisible Resource
  • 1997: The World's Water: Is There Enough?
  • 1996: Water for Thirsty Cities
  • 1995: Women and Water
Additional Resources:

GDRC has been working on themes related to this international day/observance, in the water section of its programme on Urban Environmental Management.

GDRC therefore reaffirms its committment to uphold the objectives of the World Water Day, and work towards better understanding of, and action on, highliting the criticality of good water management for the sustainability of our future.

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