22 March 2015 :: World Water Day has been observed on 22 March since 1993 when the United Nations General Assembly declared 22 March as “World Day for Water”.
This day was first formally proposed in Agenda 21 of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Observance began in 1993 and has grown significantly ever since; for the general public to show support, it is encouraged for the public to not use their taps throughout the whole day. The day has also become a popular Facebook and Twitter trend.
The UN and its member nations devote this day to implementing UN recommendations and promoting concrete activities within their countries regarding the world’s water resources. Each year, one of various UN agencies involved in water issues takes the lead in promoting and coordinating international activities for World Water Day. Since its inception in 2003, UN-Water has been responsible for selecting the theme, messages and lead UN agency for the World Day for Water.
In addition to the UN member states, a number of NGOs promoting clean water and sustainable aquatic habitats have used World Day for Water as a time to focus public attention on the critical water issues of our era. Every three years since 1997, for instance, the World Water Council has drawn thousands to participate in its World Water Forum during the week of World Day for Water. Participating agencies and NGOs have highlighted issues such as a billion people being without access to safe water for drinking and the role of gender in family access to safe water. In 2003, 2006, 2009, and 2012 the UN World Water Development Report was launched on the occasion of the World Water Day.
2015: Water and Sustainable Development Each year, World Water Day highlights a specific aspect of freshwater. Under the theme ‘Water and Sustainable Development’, the year 2015 provides an important opportunity to consolidate and build upon the previous World Water Days to highlight water’s role in the sustainable development agenda.
UN-Water supports the World Water Day campaign and sets the theme each year. At the World Water Week 2014, UN-Water presents the plan for the World Water Day 2015 campaign, which is coordinated by UNDP with the support of WWAP, UNESCO, HABITAT, UNEP, The World Bank and UN-DESA.
Participants will get an opportunity to learn more about the theme of World Water Day, get the latest update on how the international community perceives water’s role in the post-2015 framework and will be invited to get involved in the campaign. In addition, participants will also discover the logo of the World Water Day 2015.
