Water management - The UN on Monday launched the International Year of Water Cooperation, which seeks to provide a platform for countries to collaborate in the management of this precious resource in the interest of peace and development.
'Water is central to the well-being of people and the planet,” UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a video message to herald the International Year of Water Cooperation 2013.
“We must work together to protect and carefully manage this fragile, finite resource,’’ he said,
noting that more than half of the world’s people depend daily on water resources shared by more than one country and 90 per cent of the global population live in countries that share river
or lake basins.
'However, 60 per cent of the world’s 276 international river basins lack any type of cooperative management framework,’’ he said.
Ban also stressed that with rising demands and changing climate conditions, it would be crucial for countries to work together to ensure every person has access to quality water.
The UN General Assembly proclaimed 2013 International Year for Water Cooperation in 2010, following a proposal from Tajikistan.
The Year will serve to raise awareness and prompt action on the multiple dimensions of water cooperation, such as sustainable and economic development, climate change and food security.
Pana 12/02/2013