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Message from Mr. KoÃ¯chiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO, on the occasion of World Water Day

19 March 2008 12:19 (UTC +04:00)

Mr. KoÃ¯chiro Matsuura states that this year, within the context of the UN International Year of Sanitation, World Water Day focuses on the critical theme of Sanitation. â€œI would like to take this opportunity to renew UNESCOâ€™s commitment to promote science and knowledge for the sustainable use of the worldâ€™s freshwater resources and reiterate the crucial importance of providing safe drinking water and sanitation to allâ€, reads the message. To the Director General, through its water-related programmes and activities, UNESCO is actively contributing towards achieving the MDG on water and sanitation. UNESCOâ€™s International Hydrological Programme addresses the issue of sanitation in the broader context of sustainable urban water management, by adopting a holistic approach to managing the urban water cycle and by exploring the implications of new approaches to sanitation. UNESCO supports research and capacity building in the fields related to sanitation through postgraduate research and training
programmes at UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education.
Within the framework of the International Year of Sanitation, UNESCO reaffirms its
commitment to strengthen efforts in tackling water-related sanitation problems
through the promotion, dissemination and sharing of knowledge and information
and by developing human and institutional capacities. In support of UN-wide
initiatives such as UN-Water, World Water Day and the International Year of
Sanitation, UNESCO stands ready to strengthen collaboration with Member States
and the international community in sanitation-related fields.
â€œOn World Water Day, I would like to call on all concerned to work together to
achieve the vital MDG targets for water and sanitation. It is my firm belief that
further progress in sanitation can only be made through strong commitment and
concerted action by all stakeholders and at all levelsâ€, the message reads.