Water for Life: International Water Decade 2005-2015
UN DECLARES INTERNATIONAL WATER DECADE
"Water for Life"


At its 58th session, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a draft resolution, without a vote (A/RES/58/217), proclaiming 2005 to 2015 as the International Decade for Action EWater for Life. This recommendation, which comes at the close of the International Year of Freshwater 2003, calls for a greater focus on water-related issues and for actions to ensure the participation of women in water-related development efforts. It also recommits countries to achieving the water-related goals of the 2000 Millennium Declaration, the 2002 Johannesburg Plan of Implementation and of Agenda 21.

The Decade will focus on water-related issues, at all levels and on the implementation of programmes and projects, and the furtherance of cooperation at all levels, in order to help to achieve the internationally agreed water-related goals contained in the United Nations Millennium Declaration , and in Agenda 21 and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation of the World Summit of Sustainable Development of August 2002 (WSSD)
The goal of the Decade is “a greater focus on water-related issues, with emphasis on women as managers of water to help to achieve internationally agreed water-related goalsE i.e.: to halve by 2015 the proportion of people who are unable to reach or afford safe drinking water and who do not have access to basic sanitation.

Further to the resolution, the Decade’s goal would be a greater focus on water-related issues, while striving to ensure the participation of women in water-related development efforts, and further cooperation at all levels to achieve water-related goals of the Millennium Declaration, Johannesburg Plan of Implementation of the World Summit for Sustainable Development and Agenda 21

This is the second time that water issues have been highlighted as part of UN Decade. The UN declared 1981-1990 as the International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade with the aim of providing safe drinking water and adequate sanitation systems for all people by 1991. The official start of the ‘Water for LifeEDecade will be on World Water Day, 22 March 2005, and will coincide with the International Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, which is also set for 2005-2015.

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Contact: Hari Srinivas - hsrinivas@gdrc.org